How to track my postcards or yellow letters

Question

Mailed 1000 postcards and only got 3 phone calls by now. Ok ...how I know the company I paid for my campaign actually mailed my 1000 letters ?

What company are you guys using with positive results ?

Andrew Detwiler · Answer

Hi @Papa  A. Diop - You should have an understanding of typical response rates before you spend your money doing direct mail. This will help you to feel good about your efforts.

Regarding tracking... you can get a postal receipt and actual scan of your direct mail if you use a professional mail house. The tracking will show you what and how many pieces went out on what day... etc. You can also have your list cleaned and checked against the USPS on the fly.  Lastly you can get an NCOA for free to confirm your lists deliverables.

Typically we like to look at a direct mail as a campaign.  Generally you can't send something once and have a new business. Hopefully most people understand that already. In any regards, think of your direct mail projects with a marketing hat on. You want to mix your media. Send postcards first, then a letter or stationery, then follow up with a hand written postcard, then a graphic postcard.  We're all a mixed bag of nuts and all have different tastes and senses.  Expect to send about 3k postcards to get about 45 calls, of which 15 are serious.  Your response rates will increase with each mailing.  GoBig!

Andres Berdugo · Answer

Hi @Papa  A. Diop,

Use CallRail to track your post cards regarding response rate. I just discovered this listening to the TTP podcast. Its awesome! It provides different numbers for marketing sectors like foreclosures, absentee owners, landlords, divorce, etc. You can set it up when someone calls you it will let you know which marketing campaign is coming from. Powerful stuff since they give you a weekly and monthly update and where the most leads are coming from to better focus on your efforts.

How thishelps

McKinley Crowley · Answer

@Mitchell Klein I don't know about yellowletters postcards but typically Large Postcards are sent with standard class mail meaning they take a little longer to hit and you don't get returned mail back if they are undeliverable. However a month seems like a really long time. Maybe get in touch with them and see when the mail date was so you can get some more clarity. If you have any questions feel free to reach out to me!

Ehsan Rishat · Answer

Hey @Papa  A. Diop,  the response rate is fine. You will see a gradual increase in response rate from your 3rd mailing. Also, make sure to include your email and website addresses as some of them will contact you through these channels. Keep your templates short and try colorful envelops like red or purple. Furthermore, make sure your mailing list is scrubbed against the USPS NCOA and the undeliverable addresses are removed. This will save you some bucks for your future mailing.There's no way to track if your postcards or letters are delivered so make sure to choose a trustworthy company.

Mitchell Klein · Answer

I recently ordered about 1500 Postcards through Yellowletters.com.  I had ordered some extras to be sent to various friends addresses as well as 5 extras for myself just to verify. That order was paid for on the 23rd of September and it's now the 16th of October and I haven't seen one Postcard. What have you all seen as typical turnaround time? Do you recommend a different service? Mine are 9" x 6" full color, $0.52 each postage included, or at least that's what I paid for!

Claire Trammell · Answer

Hello @Papa  A. Diop!

Don't be discouraged! Your response rate fell just under the average with postcards. Typically speaking, postcards get an average response rate of .5%, so 3 out of 1000 is about right.

It might help you with your future mailings if you had an idea on what to expect in respect to the response rates. Here are the average response rates we have seen based on our customer feedback as well as our own mailings throughout the years:

Yellow Letters- average response rate of 8%-9%, all kinds of calls (angry calls, curious calls, tire-kickers, quality calls)

Postcards- average response rate of .5%, mostly quality calls.

Zip Letters- average response rate of 2%, mostly quality calls. (Great for follow ups)

Greeting Cards- average response rate of 2%, mostly quality calls. (Great for follow ups)

Direct mail tends to work best when you send a campaign of 5-7 different pieces, 3-5 weeks apart from each other. Follow ups are key as the average person takes 3-5 touches before picking up the phone to respond.

Good luck!

Papa A. Diop · Answer

Appreciate it guys , I will hit it again next month to see how it goes

Papa A. Diop · Answer

I mailed only once with click2mail.com , I gave them my list and let them handle everything.

I'm just thinking 3 calls out of 1000 cards, looks kinda little return to me, isn't it

How to track my postcards or yellow letters

Most Popular Reply