Google Adwords vs. Direct Mail

We recently ran a test to see whether Google Adwords could outpower traditional direct mail advertising. Here is how we did it. We created a new Adwords campaign choosing a few of our favorite targeted keywords, mainly keywords such as “small business web design”, “custom web design” and “promotional print services”. We set a budget of $500 for the whole campaign with a ceiling of $20 per day per keyword. Also, we set the campaign to target two regions, California and Florida in this instance. At the end of the week we ran out of money and only had 1 valid customer contact. That’s right, 1! We assume that the rest of the clicks were either trigger-happy Web surfers, potential clients that moved on elsewhere or perhaps our competition clicking on our ads to help us kill our budget faster. That’s right, we said it! Anyone that has worked with the Google Adwords program knows about the obvious problems with competitors clicking on your ads. It has become a part of the “waste” formula for many companies. For our company however, we try to minimize as much budget waste as possible, especially when many keywords cost over $5.00 a click for a top sponsored position in Google.

We turned to our now favorite method of reaching our target audience, good old-fashioned DIRECT MAIL! In our opinion, there is simply no better targeted way to spend your marketing budget and have results to prove your efforts. We set up a new postcard campaign with our logo, marketing message and a call to action. Then we sent it out to our target list of 1,000 companies. Total cost was $500 for postcard production & postage, and a day or two of building the list. Guess what? We had over 75 calls that we could track based on the postcard message. Out of those 75 calls, we have already begun work on 4 projects. Not bad if you compare those numbers with what Google Adwords did for us. Just give it a try and let us know how it works out for your company. It may just sway you towards cutting back on your Adwords budget and allocating those dollars towards more productive marketing means.

Here are 5 rules to follow if you want to create a successful direct mail campaign:

1. Make sure that you build the right list.
Instead of going out and spending thousands of dollars on a bulk list from a mailing list company, we suggest that you take the time to build your own hand-picked winners. Take a couple of hours a day and visit the Chamber of Commerce websites that are in your target region. Most of these sites will have all of their business members listed by category with company name, address and phone number. That’s right… FREE LEADS. A little time & sweat on your part could save you a bundle.

2. Make it easy for your prospects to take action.
Be sure to include a “call to action” in your direct mail piece that helps steer your potential clients into purchasing your product or service. Maybe it’s a time-sensitive offer, “Free Hosting For 1 Year - Offer good until June 6th, 2005.” Or perhaps it’s a coupon code, “Buy One Get One Free - Visit our website or call 1-800-555-5555 and mention code BFREE.” Regardless, it is always a good idea to have your website and a 1-800 number listed on the mail piece.

3. Choose the path to least resistence.
Carefully select the type of mailer and message that you want to send. If you send a postcard, then your recipient doesn’t have to actually open anything. So many letters get thrown in the trash before ever being opened. A bright, high-color postcard doesn’t have to be opened and will most likely be read by the recipient.

4. Make sure that you can track results.
By including a coupon code or a unique 1-800 number, you will be able to track which mailing the prospect is contacting you from. You must keep good tracking records in order to figure out which mailing gives you the greatest response rate.

5. Stay committed to your marketing campaign.
So many novice marketers will try a mailing only once. This is a big mistake. Persistence and commitment are both vital if you want to instill confidence in your prospects. After several impressions made on a prospect, it is more likely that the prospect will trust your company and purchase your product of service.

If you have any questions or would like help with designing your direct mail campaign, feel free to contact EarthQuake Studios by visiting us at http://www.earthquakestudios.com.