Co-op Mailing?? YEs or NO??
 

HEllo Everyone! I am working on marketing a product that I have been interested in for over a year. I will probably market it through fundraising, its a unique product that i have never seen anyone with. I have been thinking about some effective ways to market it. I have some good ideas to work with but I want to get advice from the members about co-op mailing.
HEre is what i am thinking:
Purchase a mailing list for my zip codes in my local Cincy--Northern Ky area. I want to contact local businesses and see if they would co-op with me. I would do about 1000 mailings bi-monthly to start. I would charge about $60 to mail and distribute 1000 fliers that they would provide. FOr there $60 I would handle the bulk mail permit and the actual mailing of there flier. I figure I could place 2 fliers of my own in the mailing. A flier that provides info for them to join my co-op mailing group and 1 to market my own products. So they would save a fortune by not having to purchase a mail list, postage, envelopes or mailing 1000 fliers. I figure that's a hell of a deal for a mere $60.

To start, I probably don't really care about making money off of the co-op mailing, but once i develop a regular clientele i would gain trust in my community. I may even market people's home biz offers as well. I am seeking enough co-ops to mail my offers for free. This is my motivation but what the hey, if i make a profit, good otherwise, I get to market my fliers for free.
I am looking into the bulk mail permit info and all the expenses to it before i go this route. Does anyone do this on the board?? Or anyone else give me some pointers here?? I would like to try this out to see if it works?? Does anyone know anything about bulk mailing?? Please Help!!!!

Thanks,the big dog!

Re: Co-op Mailing?? YEs or NO??
 

BD,

$60 per thousand to an untargeted list isn't a good deal. Typically one can get involved in a co-op targeted to a specific group of consumers for about the same money or even less.

But considering that you're dealing with folks that aren't familiar with the going rates of co-op mailings it probably won't make much of a difference.

The bottom line is if you can get sale's for your partners in mailing, then you should do well. I would suggest helping them do their flyers. My experience has been most retailers and the types of businesses you'll be partnering with don't have a clue when it comes to putting together advertising pieces that get results. You give them results and they'll be eating out of your hand.

Take care,

Mike Winicki