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  #1  
Old July 26, 2012, 05:55 PM
GordonJ's Avatar
GordonJ GordonJ is offline
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Default Survey for friend...Outer Circle Publications HOTSHEET, Your opinion valued...

Back in the day, I used to send out HOTSHEETS for the so-called Inner Circle Pubs. Basically, without a lot of detail, it was a cheap way to publish and send ads to people, the Inner Circle...most often full page on one side, and space and classified on the other. Here is an old one.

http://www.angelfire.com/biz/gjbiz/imbuying.html

The publisher would then add his own ad and copy on the back, I paid a small amount and provided camera ready copy, today, it would be a pdf file.

These were supposed to go out in groups of 1000.

So my friend wants to revive this, she thinks it could work today. I'm not so sure, however, it may be worth a try. Doesn't hurt to test.

The TARGET would be Money Making Opportunity Seekers, mostly online people who would sign up for a FREE copy and be offered a discount rate on running ads. They only pay a small USPS mail fee, whatever the USPS charges.

It would arrive in a large envelope and consist of at least 10 pages, maybe more.

There would be a fee for advertising, from very small amounts like 10 bux for a classified ad up to maybe 100 bux for a full page ad.

She would make her money via the ads and also by selling stuff, both digital and real products.

Her concern is MANAGING the list. I'm out of touch, what would YOU use to collect the names from the free thing offer and put them into a zip coded folder to be used to print out addresses?

I don't have a clue. Back in the day, I used MS Office and their junk.

What do you use to generate mailing lists, USPS labels and such?

She would offer a choice of first class or EXPRESS mail, whatever the customer wanted.

I may help her to get 1000 plus 10 percent to test mail to, just to see what happens.

Any thoughts or questions regarding this would be appreciated, thanks in advance.

Gordon Jay Alexander

PS. Sorry, nothing here about bums and late night visits to gas stations seeking your riches, whatever it is, good luck with that...

IF you have something to sell other than a blind ad, I'd help you to get it into the first edition, planned on being mailed the first of September.

Thanks again for your feedback.













t
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  #2  
Old July 27, 2012, 02:00 AM
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Ankesh Ankesh is offline
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Default Re: Survey for friend...Outer Circle Publications HOTSHEET, Your opinion valued...

1. You don't want to print and do your own mailing. You want to outsource your mailing. There are companies who will handle bulk mailing and all you have to do is send them 2 files. 1 PDF file with the mailing content. 1 csv or excel file with addresses in it. If you use aweber or some such service for collecting the addresses, then importing a csv file from them is a breeze.

Also, outsourcing the printing and mailing is not so expensive. Because these guys make their profit in getting a discount for mailing thousands of pieces from USPS - but don't pass that discount to you. But because of them earning the difference between normal mailing price and discounted mailing, you can negotiate pretty well on the price per mail that they charge you.

2. I'm not sure if money making opportunity seekers is a good target audience for something like this. You want a target audience that buy and sell from each other constantly. So a better audience is people who collect stuff. Maybe a list for stamp collectors. People can either list the stamps they want to buy. Or list stamps they have for sale. Multiple stamp listing = more money.
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  #3  
Old July 27, 2012, 09:28 AM
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GordonJ GordonJ is offline
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Default Thanks Ankesh, good advice

Both mail houses I used frequently have gone out of business, but I will shop around.
Unless she gets to quantities, she'd like to keep it simple, maybe 2,000 max.

How this would work is,

anyone has the ability to create their own HOTSHEETS to be mailed along, this could be 2 pages (one sheet of paper) or 4 pages on an 11 by 17 folded piece of paper.

A 2 page hotsheet can have front and 3/4 of back, the bottom 1/4 reserved for the publisher to use

A 4 page would have 3 1/2 page of content with back bottom 1/2 for publisher.

Example could be

CARRIER Hotsheet (Publisher) Granny C's Dumpster Diving Diva Hotsheet, a 4 pager which is about buying and selling other people junk's and Granny C would advertise her reports and affiliate programs along with her content...

Some of the 2 pagers which ride along could be

Gordon's Chattel HOTSHEET
Art's Ephemera Hotsheet
Bill's Toy Collectibles
Cathy's Tea Cups for china collectors

Old IC pubs contained as many as 15 to 20 hotsheets, and all had to be camera ready...but each accepted it's own paid advertising...

There were a few that were even printed on newsprint and came as tabloids, still several in the collectibles market you mention...stamps, coins and other collectibles still have these monthly news papers out there.

I FEEL she should do everything her self until she needs to scale up that way she knows how to troubleshoot future snafus...and understands her business.

Biz OP could include trading, collecting and bartering...or anything at all.

Recipes were big, I think they still are so Felicia's Recipe Club could be a seperate hotsheet inserted into the publishers hot sheet.

With a 1000 pieces she can get a pre sort from USPS and not have to pay full first class retail. But, if she gets up to 20 or 200.000 subscribers (FREE)
then she needs to go to economies.

I still like to get mags and newsletters in the mail and perhaps people would enjoy these throw back type of personalized little hotsheets.

Thanks again Ankesh, always great advice from you, she'll see it.

Gordon Alexander

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ankesh View Post
1. You don't want to print and do your own mailing. You want to outsource your mailing. There are companies who will handle bulk mailing and all you have to do is send them 2 files. 1 PDF file with the mailing content. 1 csv or excel file with addresses in it. If you use aweber or some such service for collecting the addresses, then importing a csv file from them is a breeze.

Also, outsourcing the printing and mailing is not so expensive. Because these guys make their profit in getting a discount for mailing thousands of pieces from USPS - but don't pass that discount to you. But because of them earning the difference between normal mailing price and discounted mailing, you can negotiate pretty well on the price per mail that they charge you.

2. I'm not sure if money making opportunity seekers is a good target audience for something like this. You want a target audience that buy and sell from each other constantly. So a better audience is people who collect stuff. Maybe a list for stamp collectors. People can either list the stamps they want to buy. Or list stamps they have for sale. Multiple stamp listing = more money.
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  #4  
Old July 27, 2012, 05:40 PM
Cornell
 
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Default I concur

Quote:
Originally Posted by GordonJ View Post

I still like to get mags and newsletters in the mail and perhaps people would enjoy these throw back type of personalized little hotsheets.


Gordon...I concur with you on receiving print. I garden for my fresh supply in summer and stored for winter and I only grow heirloom. When I decide to buy new seed (usually save my own) I only purchase from companies that send out catalog and then either visit web site or phone in to order.

I kind of miss the old Tyler Hicks monthly newsletter and the Business Opportunities Digest arriving in the mail and being able to carry them with me to read whenever I had a couple of minutes...much easier and more relaxing than toting electronics around.

I feel the printed hotsheets would be welcomed by the boomers more so than the young uns and probably should be targeted at them.

Incidentally ... the booklets report is forthcoming...you can't believe the nightmare (healthwise side effects) the tick infection has caused...vision, hand and finger disfunction, and more...I am only able to work at the computer less than 2 hours a day...so the delay is unavoidable.

Cornell
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  #5  
Old July 27, 2012, 06:22 PM
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GordonJ GordonJ is offline
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Default I had a good friend die from Lyme's, so, I know it is a serious deal.

Health first, work last.

I've been chatting up some young moms who are into couponing...
and also getting into cooking. Unlike their grandmas, who had home ec in school, these younger career women are getting more and more into the domestic thing, especially after the first kid.

I think there is a whole NEW generation, as well as the oldies like us, who would like to see some printed hotsheets.

See, the nice thing is you can custom tailor, and so, gardeners might receive hotsheets from other gardeners with tips, and offers...and reports or whatever. I can do a HOTSHEET on Anasazi Beans, for example.

Share my pan cookie recipe one month and then the ice cream...build a whole hotsheet around legumes for example.

OLD timers might enjoy the look and feel of the old guys newsletters, I always liked Dean DuValls everymonth...

But I loved those little mom and pop rags, one came out of Lake Worth, FL from a woman living in a trailer, a senior community and she always was a hoot to read.

MAKE it interesting, as well as an opportunity...I remember running ads for a buck or two...classified ads. Quarter page ads ran about 25 and full pgs for 100. Ten cents a prospect is not bad testing.

NOW, I'd have Granny C mix in some dating hotsheets, some cheat sheets hotsheets for gamers, and grow the numbers as they niched out.

Maybe a hotsheet for single guys, how to get girls type thing...

I don't think it has to be strictly biz op, and as I think about it, since most are only one or two pieces of paper, I'd offer FREE classified ads in my Chatteling Hotsheet.

10 to 15 pages should keep a reader busy for awhile.

I like the concept, but, want to TEST, not yet sure how to do that.

Maybe, I'll do like Glenn did with the book and post up 5 hotsheets and have readers vote, and the winner gets published, that seems to work.

Thanks Cornell,

PS. We have a squirrel problem, any hints on that?



Quote:
Originally Posted by Cornell View Post
Gordon...I concur with you on receiving print. I garden for my fresh supply in summer and stored for winter and I only grow heirloom. When I decide to buy new seed (usually save my own) I only purchase from companies that send out catalog and then either visit web site or phone in to order.

I kind of miss the old Tyler Hicks monthly newsletter and the Business Opportunities Digest arriving in the mail and being able to carry them with me to read whenever I had a couple of minutes...much easier and more relaxing than toting electronics around.

I feel the printed hotsheets would be welcomed by the boomers more so than the young uns and probably should be targeted at them.

Incidentally ... the booklets report is forthcoming...you can't believe the nightmare (healthwise side effects) the tick infection has caused...vision, hand and finger disfunction, and more...I am only able to work at the computer less than 2 hours a day...so the delay is unavoidable.

Cornell
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  #6  
Old July 27, 2012, 07:29 PM
Skip Rosell
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: I had a good friend die from Lyme's, so, I know it is a serious deal.

Quote:
Originally Posted by GordonJ View Post
Health first, work last.

I've been chatting up some young moms who are into couponing...
and also getting into cooking. Unlike their grandmas, who had home ec in school, these younger career women are getting more and more into the domestic thing, especially after the first kid.

I think there is a whole NEW generation, as well as the oldies like us, who would like to see some printed hotsheets.

See, the nice thing is you can custom tailor, and so, gardeners might receive hotsheets from other gardeners with tips, and offers...and reports or whatever. I can do a HOTSHEET on Anasazi Beans, for example.

Share my pan cookie recipe one month and then the ice cream...build a whole hotsheet around legumes for example.

OLD timers might enjoy the look and feel of the old guys newsletters, I always liked Dean DuValls everymonth...

But I loved those little mom and pop rags, one came out of Lake Worth, FL from a woman living in a trailer, a senior community and she always was a hoot to read.

MAKE it interesting, as well as an opportunity...I remember running ads for a buck or two...classified ads. Quarter page ads ran about 25 and full pgs for 100. Ten cents a prospect is not bad testing.

NOW, I'd have Granny C mix in some dating hotsheets, some cheat sheets hotsheets for gamers, and grow the numbers as they niched out.

Maybe a hotsheet for single guys, how to get girls type thing...

I don't think it has to be strictly biz op, and as I think about it, since most are only one or two pieces of paper, I'd offer FREE classified ads in my Chatteling Hotsheet.

10 to 15 pages should keep a reader busy for awhile.

I like the concept, but, want to TEST, not yet sure how to do that.

Maybe, I'll do like Glenn did with the book and post up 5 hotsheets and have readers vote, and the winner gets published, that seems to work.

Thanks Cornell,

PS. We have a squirrel problem, any hints on that?

Hi Gordon,

Thanks for asking.

Don't know about the rest but as far as the squireel problem there is only one solution. MOVE!

Best of success,

Skip Rosell
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  #7  
Old July 27, 2012, 07:44 PM
sandalwood
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Survey for friend...Outer Circle Publications HOTSHEET, Your opinion valued...

Gordon.

Back in the old days, .22 was the solution. It also helped we liked squirrel especially with curry and rice.

Just a thought...

Tom
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  #8  
Old July 27, 2012, 08:19 PM
Cornell
 
Posts: n/a
Default Funny you should ask...

Quote:
Originally Posted by GordonJ View Post
PS. We have a squirrel problem, any hints on that?

Before I go there...perhaps consider antiques for a hotsheet...I used to do a newsletter for them...great for paid classifieds and small display ads.

Funny you should ask....I mentioned about feeding the critters in another post....that's how it started when I moved to this location 18 years ago.

I had squirrel, raccoon, skunk, and opossum problems.

Squirrels chewing into everything looking for food , the other three would constantly find a way to get into the garbage and scatter it everywhere....and all of them liked the garden....not to mention a deer that liked parts of the garden (right now I am having a problem with a flock of wild turkeys).

My solution was if I couldn't beat them ...feed them

I feed them and they leave the garden and garbage alone (actually we had a verbal agreement - at least me talking and presumably them listening)...and when they try to take up a residence where I don't want them I scatter a few mothballs (have to be careful though as not good for kids or pets).

However having said that I caught a young squirrel (not yet a regular at feeding time and may not be any time soon) last week plucking small green tomatoes from the plant and chowing down...shooed him away. Spotted him a second time only with a baby cucumber....walked silently into the house and back to the deck...lit the fuse and let her fly....firecracker went off about 6 feet above him...he hasn't been back.

I use the firecrackers for stray cats also...they like to hover at feeding times for the birds and rabbits. I just launch the firecracker to go off about 3 feet behind them...usually only takes one or two of these episodes and they look elsewhere for an easy meal. I know they have a right to eat, and I will feed them if they come to the deck...but to prey on the other critters eating - that's a no-no around here....everybody gets along or they aren't welcome. Regular rabbits and squirrels have become accustomed to me and the firecrackers and when they go off they just check me out to make sure that's all it is and continue munching. Birds scatter every time.

I don't use feeders...the food is scattered on the ground in the same 10 x10 area every day....and all eat harmoniously together (birds, squirrels, rabbits)...raccoons get hand fed on the deck and there is a small supply left for during the night (every once in a while I have to step out in the wee hours and settle an argument between a couple of them fighting over the peanuts...and it is always the same two). Skunk is fed in a different section and the opossums have a green garbage bag that their food goes in on another corner of the deck....it seems they like to think they are stealing it.

Snakes I am not very fond of, but the non aggressive ones I exist in harmony with...the aggressive ones I attempt to discourage and send on their way...however if they persist it usually means their demise....I don't take any chances with them.

And a new welcome guest arrived 4 weeks ago and has been added....built and put up a house for him....a bat....now I don't have to spray my garlic spray weekly for the mosquitoes...the bat is just merrily gobbling them up every night.

Gotta love Nature.

Cornell
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  #9  
Old July 27, 2012, 11:45 PM
Bozo
 
Posts: n/a
Default Critter discourager

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cornell View Post
Gotta love Nature.

Cornell
Not all Nature is lovable. Here the skunks and bats carry rabies. My county is in a rabies epidemic right now. They've put down over thirty dogs at the last count I saw. I had to kill one that chased me into my house, and invited me to come back out and play. That was a scary encounter.

The cottontail rabbits came in the yard and ate the wife's flowers, so I got her a Daisy Bunny Discourager for her birthday. They're just smart enough to start running when they hear the lever **** after they've been popped a time or two.

LOL...sowpub doesn't allow one to move the lever on a rifle that charges the chamber for firing. See the **** above. Wonder what happens when the **** crows at dawn...can anybody hear him?
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  #10  
Old July 28, 2012, 06:35 AM
Cornell
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Critter discourager

No offense intended but glad I live where I do.

Skunks and bats also carry rabies here, as do the odd raccoon, fox, and coyote.

I am always vigilant of animals acting out of the norm. Any nocturnal animal out in the daylight spells trouble and a call to the authorities.

Had a rooster camping out under cedar bushes by house 2 years ago ( a bylaw officer cracked down on a property owner a couple of roads over so he just turned them all loose)....you would swear the little sucker was sitting on the bed. Tried everything to deter him...hot water, cold water, firecrackers....he would flee but would be back the next morning.

Finally had enough. Took my trusty puppy dog (Siberian Husky/Chow) out the back entrance and to the front corner of the house...at the first ****-a-doodle-do I turned her loose...last I saw of him he was making like Wylie Coyote (the road runner cartoon) heading off into the bush.
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