Marketing advice needed - anyone used Valpak?

[Luke Phillips]

Was wondering if anyone out there used Valpak for advertising and is so, what kind of response was recieved?
Thanks!

[Aaron Koehl]

I've never used them, but the postman certainly stuffs one in my mailbox every Wednesday.

[Vicky Orsini]

I've never used them and, since I throw mine out without even opening it, I can't see it being very effective.

[Bob Yeager]

I think one needs to define the market (customer type wanted) then find the best marketing tool to reach that market.

VALPAK is usually geared for the homeowner...if this is the market you want to reach, then I believe they send a packet directly to every home. The problem is...if the homeowner doesn't look at the packet...then they won't see your coupon/insert. Also, these are typically "deals"...meaning discount services and products.

Volume mailings can be expensive and the results can be disappointing. A more expensive direct mailing (less quantity) may result in better and more profitable results.

Postcards can be custom made and printed very inexpensively....check out some of the companies specialize in printing postcards. I just received a postcard from one source...you can get 2500 6x8 color postcards for $295. Check 'em out at: www.uspressdirect.com (http://www.uspressdirect.com)

Bob

[Ed Maloney]

I find the Paks to take more time than it's worth to go sorting through all the individual coupons.

[Mike Null]

Mine go unopened into the trash.

[Vicky Orsini]

Postcards can be custom made and printed very inexpensively.... Vistaprint (http://www.vistaprint.com) frequently has special offers for free postcards, as long as you use their template and pay for shipping (usually less than $10).

[Ed Maloney]

..and VistaPrint puts their own little advertisement on the reverse side. Extra $$ to not have it included.

[pat bogarin]

we have tried "valpak" with our last business (pool fencing). though it reaches many people it also reaches the trash,quickly! we then took out a 1/4 page ad in a more upscale family magazine for our area. roughly $400.00 per month for the ad and it was directed at higher income families. but it gave us a far better response then did the valpak. it was actually cheaper then valpak because they charge by areas. the magazine we used covered 2 counties. so i guess i would not recommend valpak.

Pat

[Luke Phillips]

Thanks to all that read and responded - I had also posted same question on the Sandcarvers forum. Everyone had the same experiences and advice, so, I'll put my ad dollars to better use elsewhere. Figuring out where that may be is a dilemma - outside of word-of-mouth, what has shown you all the best results/value? Any and all recommendations appreciated.
Happy Valentines Day! :D

[Dave Jones]

Who are the customers you are targeting?

Are you in a large City, small city, village, or countryside?