Direct Mail

 

Union Church in Montclair Gets Good Response from General Mailers

 

For more than 5 years, we sent letters and brochures to new home owners in the ten contiguous zip codes.  The addresses cost us $43 and we produced letters and brochures in house.  The best ones were the ones that were hand addressed but that got old with the committee.  We’d have from 175 to 300 homes monthly.  When under 200 we’d save them for the next month for bulk mail (approx $60).  When over, we’d cut the least likely zip codes (usually Belleville).  We took this from the budget.  While we don’t know how many members we received directly from this, we know some of our most active members came this way or through a combination of this and invitation of others, church reputation etc.

 

            We discontinued that two years ago when we did an all-area mailer through a special gift.  It cost about $6,000 for postcard and mailing.  We used the “Still Speaking” postcard with our own copy.  It was sent to 2 zips in Montclair, Glen Ridge, Verona, Cedar Grove, Bloomfield, and Nutley. When we wrote the UCC pastors about what we were doing, it caused quite a ruckus.  If anyone came to us via the mailer from a community with a UCC church, we directed them to that congregation as well.  We’ve had a couple of people who have come because of the mailing AND, someone went to First Montclair over the holidays, very much in need of a church and thanked them for the postcard (made connection since they have the complementing signs up). Hurray, they got to a church!

 

            This past year we did the Valu-pak.  Good response from non-members; not great response from members.    It was a late summer, early fall “deal”; 55,000 homes (most of them counted 3 times for the 3 mailings) cost us $1,500.  Layout for coupon was done by members who are graphic designers.

 

            This year we are going back to the new homeowners.  The cost has gone from $43 to $63 because the average number of leads has gone from 181 to 237.  We’re doing postcards, instead of envelopes, because they don’t have to be opened. We will use the printed labels rather than handwritten addresses, since isn’t necessary to get them opened.  Will use “spiffy” cardstock and design them with the comma in some fashion--though we’re not sure we’ll use the red and black again.

                       

                                                                        --Stephanie Weiner

 

 

 

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