Back to the Future with Circulars, Hotsheets and Folios
 

OK. FUN stuff. And maybe profitable too.

I've just mailed out the last of my circular samples and I've generated some interest.

Some of you may recall I studied Astrology here in Akron under the late, great Annie Hershey. One of her students I started with is now a full time astrologer.

Every time I pass a "Psychic" business...I always say,
Bet you knew I wasn't going to stop.

HA.

A few years back GrannyC, future star of my new circular/hotsheet program got a kit from a guy, Bart Baggett, and spent hundreds of dollars to learn Handwriting Analysis.

You know, American Courts recognize the testimony of these professional handwriting experts...anyhow.

As I'm pouring through OLD boxes stuffed with all things mail order from what seems like eons ago, I'm amazed at some of the things I bought and other items which are still good products.

Sure, kindle is hot, ebooks have replaced many books...and we don't get the offers like we used to for booklets, folios, hotsheets and circulars.

I just wanted to share with YOU what a few of the HOTSHEET PUBLISHERS are going to do.

I'll be publishing at least two of my own, one on CHATTELING and the other on BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES. I'll be contributing to GrannyC's Hotsheet on her Recipe Club, since I've got thousands of those too.

GrannyC will offer FREE Handwriting Analysis along with Dumpster Diving Tips and her Recipe Club.

Another women will be running ads in GrannyC's Hotsheet as well as publishing her own on Backyard Gardening and Canning. Deborah Lynn's Stay at Home Mom Hotsheet will have all kinds of tips on child care, healthy eating and gardening.

I'm starting to get a feel for these, and NOT all of them are going to be Biz-Op or Internet Marketing.

IF they take off, I'll be able to segment the lists. The initial 1000 will be sent to biz op list, so a slant on making money would be good for the ads.

I'm also surprised at the USPS, it is going to be affordable to mail up to 10 sheets of paper, and I'm looking forward to it.

I'll be advertising my OnDemand Printing for booklets, folios, plans, hotsheets, ad circulars, cook books, etc., etc.

Will probably burn through several small biz laser printers quickly, which will allow me to upgrade to a professional printer/copier which can be picked up pretty cheap (and at that time, offer services mentioned here in the last few months, print on demand for YOUR booklets, folios and what have you).

I can't remember whom but there was a lady who used to do Tarot Card readings at fairs and such.

There is SO much going on in the REAL world, where people have all kinds of interests and actually get out and about, it is like being taking through a time portal back to the future.

People still cook, believe it or not, and cook books are still best sellers. Can anyone have too many cookbooks?

The NEW modern recipe club will collect and publish recipes and the people making contributions could pick up hundreds, if not thousands of dollars along the way.

It will begin as a very eclectic hotsheet from woodworkers, wreath makers, work at home moms, Crones, Astrologers, Handwriting Analysis, it will be like the county fair coming to your home every month...maybe even sell cotton candy makers...

Anyhow, I spent a full day at Books a Million store, read scores of magazines and still see classified ads to full page ads...so, perhaps...

and MAYBE...this revival of the old world ways, will be a Renaissance for all of us, oldsters and youngsters alike.

I'll have a sign up sheet posted soon if you'd like to receive the Premier Issue of my new InterConnect Hotsheet.

Thanks for your comments, ideas, questions and feedback...much appreciated.

Gordon J. Alexander

Of course, the success of the circulars depends on WHO receives them.
 

GULP! Have I bitten off more than I can chew?

Well, we'll see. But here's the deal.

Since the response has been overwhelming and there are so many great ideas to choose from, it should be a very interesting test.

It appears that each package I send out will have 6-7 pieces of paper, 12 to 14 pages. Some may be 11 x 17 folded in half, most will be single pieces of paper.


That means about 6 to 7 thousand pieces printed and mailed PER 1000.

It could get messy (for me) very quickly, as in keeping track and getting mailings out...I AM taking Ankesh's very good advice and outsourcing almost everything.

Here's ONE problem I'm facing, so if you have a solution, shout it out.

Should I have a web site where people can select the 5 TOPICS they want to receive? Since I already have over a dozen topics, and a commitment from people who are eager to do them...

I'd like to be able to segment, or at least give people a chance to choose which ones they would like to receive.

So, my THINKING, which may not be great on this...is...

I'll give people 5 HOTSHEETS and charge 2 dollars and then 50 cents for every other one they select. Does this sound fair?

So far, I like a couple of ideas, tell me what you think, OK?

GrannyC is offering a hotsheet on her dumster diving expolits and two, back to back...others...one on a Coupon Clipping Club, where people send in ten coupons and get 20 back on things they want...


And a RECIPE club, where people REGISTER their recipes to be included in future cookbooks as well as being guaranteed to be put and mailed on 1000 circulars. She has priced all recipes at 2 bux, and the idea is to sell your registered recipes and start a club/group of people who buy and sell recipes.

Another lady is a backyard garden specialist, she does something called a Pyramid garden, it looks like a pyramid and goes about 5 feet up with spreading plants on the bottom well and she teaches gardening/cooking specializing in heirloom and organic vegan type stuff. I'm not sure the market is big enough for this however. .....

Another lady wants to write on getting grants, which is her full time job, and her back end would be to help people write them...she claims there is a lot of money out there in grants, again, I'm not sure how big the market might be on this one.

So, would a web site which allows a person to pick and choose which circulars she wants, and charge a minimal fee be feasible?

I'm tempted to just keep it to the original 5 and test and see what happens, which is probably what I'm going to do, but, looking ahead, and IF it works and takes off, why not expand it...

I remember several little reports and folios from the 60's which turned into magazines, like Soldier of Fortune and Entrepreneur and Mother Earth News. Who knows?

While magazines are dying off like crazy maybe hotsheets and newsletters can take their place??????

Good news is there is some great mailing list software, and so many hungry printers/mailers out there, outsourcing won't be a problem...the question is can I get it quickly to scale up and be a hands nearly off project for me???? If other people write their own hotsheets and provide what we used to call camera ready copy....why not?

Thanks for any and all feedback, even that by PM or email, it is greatly appreciated.

The first mailing will have 7 sheets of paper and go out to 1000 people.

Next, is to create a free report to build a list of niches from.

Gordon Alexander