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I know this group is good with creative names. I want to start a quarterly newsletter and I need a good name. One that says:”integrity, quality, easy to get along with, and just an all around good guy to hire.”
I considered posting this under breaktime but maybe here in the Business section, it will get alittle respect.
sitting back waiting for the hilarity to ensue.
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Replies
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Ryan, it depends on the market you are seeking to attract. What
you have suggested will attract the middle class. Also,
remember everyone uses the word "quality" and "integrity".
When I was with my sons, our newsletter was entitled "The
Lykos Report". I felt it denoted professionalism. The tag line
simply stated "Old fashioned values" because since most of our
clients were retired or close to it, they always bemoaned to me
about the lost values of our society.
That has been changed to "Custom Design Renovations".
Determine the market you want and have the newsletter state
and meet their desires.
*title.. schmitle....i like ..Ryan Cruzan quarterly...and your logoand get on their radar screen..(((((a good name. One that says:"integrity, quality, easy to get along with, and just an all around good guy to hire." )))))u could use my name ... it says all those things... well some of those things... well one of those things..what title would ((((Norm ))) use ?....i was listening to NPR last nite and they were talking about a guy named Parker, who has a wine newsletter... he moves markets.. one guy..the title is kind of immaterial.. it's recognition ur trying to achieve....u've already got it here. (on BT)).. how did u do that?why can't u be the go-to guy in ur market.. seems like it wud be a piece of cake for a good marketing campaign.. then all u have to do is deliver on the interest...ie...do they read it or chuck it?does it have a hook? like a chart that lists the sunset times ..or the tide times and hts...what will seperate ur newsletter from the other 10 pieces of mail they get that day.. and why shud they read it?
*Good questions Mike. Got any good answers? :)I've been toying with the layout for a newsletter also, I figure most of the newsletters will go to my present clients, so I figure my hook is little blurbs on the jobs I'm working on. Who doesn't like to see their name in print.Mmm "THE CRUZAN REPORT" it has a ring, or maybe "CRUZAN'S CORNER"How about "RYAN'S RAMBLINGS" :)I've been playing with "ELINGS remodELINGS", but it's probably to cutesy. Mike's probably right, the title isn't as important as your logo and company name for recognition.Barry
*I was first considering sending it out to my past customer list. I went to the post office to inquire about bulk mailings. For $100I can apply for a bulk permit. Then, for $100 a year I get to keep it.With that permit, I can send one to everybody on a carrier's route for $58 per thousand. That's cheap!!I'm looking at the route map next week and will try to send to probably 1500 people in favorable neighbohoods.
*the newsletter is good... but don't u have a weekly paper that services your area?the most successful remodeling contractor in our area was a personal trainer ten years ago...his primary marketing tool is a two column by 5 inch high ad in the inside page two top left corner....i would guess that every one in town gets that paper and turns to his add just to see what he's got to say this week....and he can supplement it with special adds .. or letters of commendation from his customers...and ..of course.. the editor usually does a feature on him or his project every year or so.. why not.. he's a good steady advertiser.....i get three newsletters like you're thinking of every month... i like the weekly newspaper better...if i were a homeowner.. and time was more important than price.. i would open the paper and call my competition... cause i knew right where i cud find him... he's there every week....he's on their radar screen....did u get ((Guerilla Marketing by Levinson))) yet ?
*Newsletters. There is a service that puts them together and inserts your company name all over the place so it appears you wrote it. They deliver to your door every quarter for you to mail out. Most contractors do not have time for a newsletter but at least this service keeps you consistent. I can look up the place since a friend of mind uses it and gets 2 deals per month out of using it. I have a newsletter format that we use for customer contacts, "Home Pointers" and then I have the company name and logo as a sub head. If anyone wants a copy email me your address and I'll send it out. It covers all the items we expect customers to be responsible for. [email protected] you just want to keep your name in front of your clients, magnetic calendars, coffee mugs and tape measures or tools (all with your logo and information) are great.Before you get excited about bulkrate savings you should realize that it does not get the respect of the postal workers like first class does. I've been told by mail houses that up to 25% of bulkrate can disappear and it does not get returned to sender if miss addressed or short of postage either (Never weigh your piece without the envelope completely inked, stamped and stuffed). In other words you won't know it is laying in a dumpster somewhere. Also, the postal carrier has the option of when they want to deliver it. It can sit for an additional ten days. Not trying to scare anyone just thought I would share the lessons learned since I put out approximately 350,000 pieces per year through the mail.
*Ryan, the two column ad that looks like it's really an advise column has been very successful for some people around me as well. It makes them look like experts, and gives the instant credibility.This one guy is a kitchen remodeler who rights about kitchen design, product updates, cabinet variations, etc. His columns are generally well written, informative and sometimes interesting. He obviously puts some effort into it. But it does make him look very good, and he has built one hell of a good business out of it. I personally get a kick out of the concept of paying your way into being an expert, but if it works, why fight it?SHG
*I've done alot of newspaper advertising here. The big complaint I have is that I don't get to hit the areas I want to hit.I'm rural. Our "local" paper is actually somebody else's local paper with a new front page. To advertise, you end up with your ad in the local paper of three different counties and pay for it all.I've never done the week after week same place, same format ad you're suggesting but that would be more expensive than I can afford.As for weekly papers. There is one free weekly classified add paper here. I've gotten alot of leads through that one but very very few that had the money to spend. Free, bargain hunters papers don't attract high end clients - who would have guesses.The thing I like about this newsletter idea is I can decide what neighborhoods I want to hit and I only pay for those routes.
*I'd give the bulk mailing a try. When in security system sales, on slow days, we'd hit the better neighborhoods with flyers and door hangers. Using the Coles Directory, finding A and B streets( upper income levels) I'd make up a car full of hangers, and go door to door and hope to find a local kid that wanted some extra money to help out. Surprisingly, the hangers generated a fair amount of phone leads, before I started there I'd of thought the richer people would just have the maid throw the stuff out! Given the cost/time/energy it owrkes well. I've thought of a mass mailer, thanks for the extra info. Let us know how it pans out, Jeff
*"Three Building Tips and a Dumb Joke" has a nice ring to it.
*I got my title, and I've pretty much got the first issue written. Title: Cruzan Construction News. (pretty spiffy huh?)And it only took me one afternoon to write four articles. One on a carport I built, on one vinyl fence I'm hoping to start selling, one on tips to make additions, garages, etc look like part of the original house, and one on deck care. Also a friendly letter from me with a pic of my wife and I and a column of "Summer maintenance tips"Fills the four pages, took only one afternoon to write and a couple of minutes here and there to tweak.My wife veto'd the centerfold model I wanted to include. (I really just wanted an excuse to take some pictures)Now I've got to sit down with the post office, go over the map, and figure out where I want to mail this thing.The cost is turning out to be higher than I had first thought.$100 application fee for permit$100 for permit$200 for printing$58/thousand for mailing.If it works, it's still cheaper than some stuff I've tried.
*Ryan; where are you at with this? Results? Are ya rich? I'm beavering away at a database for targeted marketing to the people i want to work for, and wondering what sort of a response the newsletter turned up.
*adrian.... he's gonna die poor just like the rest of us..y don't u ask 'em an easier one ... like are u fulfilled ?gud pic of the wee one , BTW...will ya be shippin some o' yur single malt to pete's fer a wee taste?
*I hate to admit this but the things still sitting on my desk. It's just been a busy few weeks. I haven't even gotten the mailing permits yet. I've got to do something with it but when you're busy, there's not alot of motivation to seek work. Of course with forsight, I'd realize that winter is comming and I need to do something.
*Okay, I'm going to tell you what I'm doing in this direction, and then you can all rip me to pieces with your stinging criticisms. Just to recap my situation briefly: like Ryan, I'm in a rural/small regional centre type area (about 90,000 people in five towns within a small radius, surrounded by country and smaller towns.) It's an Island off the east coast; very closed community, and we are the new guys. Going full time in our present location I guess less than three years. The economy is pretty bad (take a look around, wherever you are, and imagine the top three industries basically eliminated in the space of a few years, and the next two or three biggest industries also taking a hit). We have seen nothing of the boom that's been going on, but there is an affluent class of professionals and business types that are doing very well, and that's my target market. We (mostly I) do good work, and we're building up a clientele and our name is definitely getting around, but we need more, profitable, work.Instead of mass mailings, I'm building a database to do mailings to only the top income earners in the area, as I can identify them (doctors, dentists, lawyers, business types, eventually I will add as many of the rich American and German residents that are moving into the place as I can, etc). The place isn't so big that a list of these types is unmanageable; I'm setting it up in a spreadsheet program, and for example all the doctors and lawyers (minus a few with bad reps I don't want) is a little over 160 names. Once I get done, I expect it to be around 300 of the top earners in the community. I only need a dozen or two good sized projects a year at this point, so this seems a good base to start with. The first mailing from the list will be a brochure, card, etc, in a stamped envelope, but the database is set up to include email addresses so at some point I can maybe save on some of the postage. The main idea here is to increase name recognition; it is a small community, and word of mouth is very real, but people still need to keep hearing the name. From this point on, the plan is to keep milking the database; maybe a newsletter, postcards of new furniture pieces or cabinetry projects, Christmas cards to clients, that sort of thing. I'd rather put my money into this than a mass market thing, but we do fairly specialised stuff. It does take time though (especially when you have to learn this piece of software, then how to make that piece of software print labels from a database, etc), and the nickels and dimes add up.Anyway, I'm going to give it a hook.
*Adrian,Sounds like a plan to me.Rich Beckman
*Yeah, that sounds like a well thought out plan. You have identified an income strata you want to service and are targeting them. That's impressive Adrian. You think this up, or have you studied Marketing, or what? Any chance you could have a "showing" in a gallery or something? Do you have a web "gallery" yet?
*Go to the local library to see if you have a "Coles Directory" for your area. They have these big-ass dircetory books for most good sized places in the states, don't know if they'd be in your area. The streets are grouped by average income level of the individule street. And broken down to "A" "B" "C", etc. At a carpet cleaning service, we'd cold call the phone numbers of A and B level streets. Gives ya names, numbers, years at address, and some other stuff I can't remember....may even have e-mails by now! Jeff
*Thanks Jeff; I've never seen such a thing there, but I'll see what I can turn up.
*Ryan --In my job as marketing director for a small hospital, I stumbled upon a bulk mailing technique that has saved us a bunch of mailing costs and helped us target our mailings into specific neighborhoods we choose. I think it works anywhere, but then again, I could be wrong.... You'd have to check with your local post office.On the mailing panel of the newsletter, simply have this address printed: POSTAL PATRON — ECRWSSThis ECRWSS designation (Enhanced Carrier Route, Walk Sequence Somthing-or-another) allows you to choose the exact postal routes you want to cover in your city -- then hit virtually every home on those routes. You get 100 percent coverage in the neighborhoods (postal routes) you choose. You don't have to buy a mailing list or attach labels. And it costs just over 10 cents per piece to mail.It takes a little digging to learn from the post office which routes cover which neighborhoods. They also make you count out your mailing pieces and put them in trays, labelled by route. But I've found it's worth the work.The Postal Service is REAL picky about the exact wording on your mailing panel. But I've found that they'll work with you to get it right, if you play nice. Good luck.
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I know this group is good with creative names. I want to start a quarterly newsletter and I need a good name. One that says:"integrity, quality, easy to get along with, and just an all around good guy to hire."
I considered posting this under breaktime but maybe here in the Business section, it will get alittle respect.
sitting back waiting for the hilarity to ensue.