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1. What does 38¢ per piece cover?
38¢ per piece includes help with a concept, the design of the doorhanger, printing on 100 lb.
card stock, full color both sides and door-to-door distribution of the printed doorhangers in
your designated area. In other words, the full service from concept through to distribution.
Assistance with choosing target areas and demographics is also included.
2. Can we request distribution to homes only (i.e. not apartments, only houses)?
Yes, it is possible to specify distribution to homes only. Provided that by going to homes only
we are covering about 80% of the residents in the area chosen for distribution, then this works
and is included in the price. If the area chosen is predominantly apartments, then there will be
a different cost for doing homes only. (See also question 3.)
3. Can we do apartments only?
If the area chosen for distribution consists predominantly of apartments, then we can distribute to apartments only at the same cost. So we can do either homes only or apartments only
for the same basic cost if the area is predominantly of that type. If by doing only homes or
only apartments we need to go out much further in terms of distribution distance then there
might be some change in the cost. (See also question 2.)
4. How do we decide on areas and maps?
If you already have ideas about distribution areas, you can specify your requirements. But if
not or in addition we also have powerful mapping and demographic tools and, through an
on-line meeting, can help you determine the exact area to target and the demography within
the areas selected. There is no extra charge for this service.
5. Do you distribute/have coverage in my area?
The answer is we probably do. We have coverage in most parts of the country. There are a very
few exceptions such as very rural areas with very low population density. In almost all other
instances we would be able to do the distribution in your area. See also question #16.
6. What are your minimum quantities for printing and distribution?
The minimum quantity for any job is 5,000 pieces in a single printing and a single drop. A
minimum of 5,000 have to be printed and 5,000 have to be dropped at the same time. We
cannot stagger the distribution within the 5,000.
7. Do you do distribution-only if we have our own material we want distributed?
Yes we do. We can distribute doorhangers that you have had printed elsewhere. We also distribute other types of promotional materials such as flyers, post-it notes or anything else. The
usual cost for distributing materials provided by you is 25.5¢ per piece but it can go up and
down depending on other factors. If the item needs to go in a plastic bag (a calendar, booklet
or anything that needs to be in plastic) we charge an extra 2¢ per piece to put it in the plastic
bag for you.
8. What is the size and specification of your door hanger?
The doorhangers we print are 4 1/4” x 11”, full color both sides, 100 lb. card stock. They have
a hole 1” in diameter centered near the top of the doorhanger for the door handle, and a slit
from the hole to the top of the door hanger. The bottom of the hole is 1 1/2” from the top of
the doorhanger.
9. What are your turnaround times?
Standard turnaround time from concept to distribution is 3–4 weeks. If you need a special,
short turnaround time we can usually accommodate you and there may be additional charges. So if you are really in a hurry and are willing to pay a premium for the rush, we will do our
best to help. For distribution-only projects we need 1–2 weeks to schedule a drop.
10. How do you guarantee delivery?
All distribution is done by adult, experienced, supervised crews. In addition, independent verification is also carried out and reports submitted. We have a zero tolerance policy for unethical practices, and individuals working on distribution projects are fully aware of this.
11. How is the distribution actually done?
The doorhangers or other items are delivered to each door in the area specified. For every
distribution of 5000 pieces there’s a crew of 5 or 6 people. It takes a day for such a crew to
properly distribute 5000 pieces.
12. What is the response I can expect from my campaign?
This is a difficult question for any marketing campaign because there are many variables, such
as the nature of your business, seasonality, the area targeted and so on. What we can promise
is that we’ll do the best job from our side in terms of concept, design, helping you with demographics and actual fulfillment and distribution of your doorhanger. We can add that we have
a high percentage of repeat business.
13. What is the maximum distribution you can do in a day?
The distribution amount is in direct ratio to the number of the crew we employ for a particular
job. It takes 5 or 6 people a day to distribute 5000 pieces. We could do up to about 20,000 in a
day if we employed 20-25 people.
14. What works better, a direct-to-door campaign or direct mail?
This depends a good deal on the nature of your business and the aims of the campaign. If
you sell pizzas, then direct-to-door works best. If you are a dentist or a lawyer, then the direct
mail solution has a certain sophistication to it which is more appropriate. Many of our clients
have tried both and then gravitated towards concentrating on the one which got the best
response.
15. Do you use any emerging technologies such as GPS for tracking?
On some distributions, at our own discretion, we give our walkers GPS sets so that we can
track their progress. Due to costs we cannot do this on every distribution and still maintain
the same low prices. If you specify that you want the distribution crew to carry GPS sets on
your specific job we will do it but we may charge you more.
16. Where can you not deliver?
We can deliver to most parts of the country but rural areas could be a problem. We sometimes
cannot deliver to gated communities and areas where we cannot get access. However, most
of the time there is no problem delivering to your specified area, anywhere in the Continental
US (we don’t cover Alaska or Hawaii).
17. Do you distribute flyers and post-it notes?
Yes we do. See question #7 above. We also distribute other products such as flyers, booklets
and so on. If there’s a need to use a plastic bag we’ll use one and charge 2¢ extra. We do not,
however, at this time produce materials for direct-to-door distribution other than the specified doorhangers.
18. What are the Do’s and Don’ts in direct to door advertising?
The answer to this question could fill a book. But here are a few points to keep in mind.
Do have a strong offer. You’re spending a lot of money on the campaign, don’t ruin it by trying
to cut costs on the offer you are making.
Do keep your offer very clear. Be focused on your market segment or demographic segment.
Do have a well-designed, easy to understand piece which is not cluttered or confusing.
Do repeat your communication frequently with your intended public. Repetition is important
if you want to build up clientele.
Do be honest in your advertising. You can trick people once but they won’t come back and
you will ruin your word of mouth which in the end is your best advertising.
Do proof read the proof we send you. If you made an error in the original information you
sent us (wrong phone number or web site, for example) it will be repeated in the final piece. So carefully check what we send you.
Don’t just put out a general statement that you exist. This is response oriented marketing
and should have a clear call to action (“Call now for your free....” or some such direction).
Don’t put out a general branding type of ad designed to make people aware that you are
there and then complain that you didn’t get a response.
Don’t have unrealistic expectations. Advertising takes time to build.
Don’t overspend your budget. Plan for continued advertising over a period of time. Don’t
blow it all in one blast.
Don’t rush your project. Plan adequately. If you try to rush it all through you will end up with
a less attractive and compelling piece, typos, etc.
Don’t get dismayed if you receive one or two complaints. There’ll always be some, usually the
first couple of phone calls you receive.
19. I need more information: what do I do?
You can send us an e-mail at info@markots.com. You can call us on our toll free number
877-946-7253 or our regular number 650-855-9045. You can follow this doorhanger link which takes you to a form that you can fill
out and we’ll respond to that. That will give us a bit more information about what you want.
We’re here to guide you through the process.
20. I am ready! What should I do next and what are the steps that finally lead to the
actual distribution of my doorhangers?
Give some thought to the offer you want to make to your customers and what you want to
say. Then send us an e-mail to orders@markots.com or a fax (650-855-9085) with a description of what you want on the front and back of your doorhanger (if you know) and send any
graphics or text files you want us to use for the design process. We will get our concept people to work out a concept with you and then we’ll do a design. We will use any images that we
need to from our library without any cost to you. We’ll send you a proof. We’ll keep on making
changes until you’re happy with it and then we’ll go into production. Once the piece is finally
approved by you, we will print it and send it out for distribution.
21. How do I pay?
50% of payment is due on approval of the proof before it goes to printing. The remaining 50%
before the distribution date. We accept checks, Visa, Mastercard, Amex and Discover.
Question still not answered?
E-mail your question to info@markots.com and we will give you a speedy reply.
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