719: $1,000 per Postcard: The Every Door Direct Mail Side Hustle

0:00A thousand bucks per postcard. This is the Every Door Direct Mail Side Hustle. So here's the play. the postal service lets you get in just about any mailbox for about 25 cents a piece now you could use that to promote your own business or you could do what today's guests do and sell that as a service to other businesses you stack up a bunch of those on the same mailer to spread out the costs and you got yourself a creative extra income stream they've done it 15 18 20 times already so definitely repeatable and they're breaking down how you can do the same in your own area today From BigSkyAutomation.com, Rachel and Dalton, welcome to the Sci-Hustle Show.

0:41Hey, Nick. Thanks for having us on today. We've been doing this for a year or two. How did you come up with the idea? So we had something similar. It was a larger postcard. Here, I'll show you what ours looks like here. It's on a 6.5x12 postcard. When we initially started doing this, we were actually doing a 9x12 postcard, which is just a little bit bigger. But the play on that one was that it goes to 10 ,000 homes at a time. And when you're doing that, the cost range for the participating businesses is around$600 per mailing. So we did a couple of those cards. We quickly realized that that price point was not going to go over well for the participating businesses.

1:20If you think about it, you want to do multiple of these at least one a month, if not two a month, like we currently do. And that was just not really affordable for the businesses participating. So we said to ourselves, We're actually driving to the Oregon coast on a vacation and we were having a serious conversation of how do we keep doing this, but make it affordable. So we actually decided to scale down on the number of homes and focus on specific communities within our area. So we're in Missoula, Montana. So we narrowed it down to popular neighborhoods that businesses like to target already for their marketing.

1:56And we mailed just to those. So they work out actually pretty perfectly to be about 2 ,500 homes each. And we mailed to two neighborhoods per month in our area. So bringing it down to that 2 ,500 mailing range brought the cost down for the participating businesses tremendously. So now we were able to continue doing this on a mass scale where we just continue to do it month by month. And we have people hopping on for multiple mailings and it's no longer unaffordable. for them. Okay. So shrinking the size of the mailing, shrinking the physical size of the thing, in addition to the list, so it makes it more affordable and more highly targeted at the same time becomes an easier yes to get from the business owners.

2:43Did you find like, as you're knocking on doors or calling up different businesses that were like, Oh yeah, we already tried that. Are we done Valpack or like, were other people doing this? It seems like I personally get the promotions for like a single business. But I don't know if I've seen anybody try and send like multiple, I don't know if anybody's packaging up this way in my area, at least. Yeah, so ValPack is a really good example of something similar. But what we do a little bit differently than them is, obviously, it's a postcard with up to 16 businesses on the postcard. ValPAC can be up to 75 businesses.

3:21So it can be a really thick envelope of many, many businesses. And another thing that they do is they allow competitors in the same envelope. So we get up here at our house and one day we pulled it out. We were going through it and there was two roofers back to back. And actually we called one of them and he ended up switching to us because of that. It's a great way to source people who are already investing in direct mail. Correct. Yes. And they already understand the idea of the shared thing. And then when you present this option and you say it's local businesses and no competitors, that is a really, really big selling point for them.

3:57So I think that people are starting to feel like they can get lost in like Money Mailer, ValPack, things like that, because there's so many businesses and you might be right next to your competitor. And then as far as solo mail, that can cost thousands upon thousands, which is money that most small businesses just don't have. From like the ValPack perspective, I got to open the envelope. I got to like leaf through all these things versus having a postcard that's front and center. Yeah. Right. And I'd say businesses, they either get this kind of marketing or they don't. This is a form of indirect advertising where the whole purpose of it is like a billboard.

4:31It's not really to drive responses to basically drive a bunch of brand exposure. So, you know, it's hit or miss on an owner and you might have to educate them in the process. But the fact that you target owners that are already advertising as well, those ones will be a lot more receptive to this idea. Yeah. And when you try to pitch a business owner on indirect advertising when it's not about response and you say it's going to cost you a few grand, they're going to slam the door in your face. But when you tell them that you can get your name out there and get your brand all around town for$150 per mailing, I think they're a little bit more receptive to hearing that.

5:06That maybe it's not about immediate ROI. It's just about getting your name out there. So I think once you explain it and frame it that way, it's greatly appreciated. Then you can start to compete with the big guys in town and end up in people's mailboxes. And direct mail is like one of the few advertising methods that is 100 % localized. Yeah, makes sense. from that standpoint and kind of try not to overpromise the direct response element of it. It's like more like the local real estate agent or another touch point, another I want to be first in mind when somebody thinks of XYZ, if it's pizza or dry cleaning or whatever it is, like just I'm going to get in front of these homes for a relatively low cost per impression to put it on like an online advertising type of terminology.

5:51There starts with like, OK, I got this idea. And what was the what was the size that you mentioned? Six and a half by 12 inches. Okay, six and a half by 12. And you said, I'm going to have up to 16 advertisers. And so from there, is it just a matter of picking up the phone, sending cold email? Like, what have you found effective? Or what types of businesses like to be in this space? I guess opening up the ValPak is a good place to start, like people who are already spending money on mail. Yeah, that's one of our starting points is ValPak. Any local magazine that we get with like a flipbook about advertisements, we always check that out.

6:24And then what we personally do, because we've found that with cold calling, the person that you're trying to get to that's going to be able to make this decision is busy. And nine and a half times out of 10, if you cold call, you're not going to get to the right person. So we kind of just allow the space and the time for them to be able to respond on their own time. And how we do that is Facebook Messenger. So we'll actually message their business page because we know that's typically manned by the owner or a manager, somebody who can make those decisions. And then we'll also send emails. So we do that.

7:00It's a little bit less invasive on their time. And if they're interested, they'll respond and then we call them. So instead of just bombarding with cold calls, we just go ahead and send out some messages. And our response rate is really good, especially on Facebook, because they can easily go check out our page. They can see that we're posting about it. They can see that we're real people. And then, yeah, like I said, we'll get on the phone with them right away when they're interested. And we've gotten comments about how, I'm so glad you called me. I really wasn't sure if this was real. Oh, okay.

7:37Okay, so maybe step one, you have this agency at Big Sky Automation. So you have a business profile page to reach out to people through and it points back to the portfolio and all this stuff. And so barring that, you almost have to set something like that up in advance to have kind of a presence or a home base? No, it's honestly something that you can build as you go. And so we have people in our community that we teach to do the same strategy in their area. and most of them don't have an agency like Dalton and I do. So we teach them to just look professional on your Facebook page. If you're going to be reaching out on Facebook, share digital copies of the cards, get some sample cards, post pictures of them, and then post pictures of you just in your local area.

8:24That way they know they can see you. You took a walk at the local park. You ate at a local restaurant. Just kind of start being this community person. It's not something that you need to start. It's just something that you can build over time. And there's plenty of people that we know that don't even use Facebook because they're old school. They don't really like Facebook. They don't have a Facebook. And those are our emailers, our cold callers. Even some people do door to door. We've seen that work for a lot of people just stopping in and leaving a card behind with your business card and and asking for the owner to give you a call.

9:01So there's multiple strategies that can kind of work for that. What's that initial message say? So mine is, hey, I'm Rachel. I own Big Sky Automation Services. We're sending out a postcard going to 2 ,500 homes in Miller Creek. Spots start at$150. Would you be interested? I have it down because I've done it so much. Copy and paste or you have the text expander shortcuts and off to the races. Yeah. Yeah. So we like to include the price because it's such a low cost that we want them to know we're not asking them to commit hundreds or thousands of dollars. And that has increased our response rate greatly.

9:40So we do include that price. I know that's a little counterintuitive for what you get taught in sales, but for being such a low ticket item, it does work in its favor. Well, I imagine that leads to better responses because it's always like, well, if I have to ask, I probably can't afford it. And then you get this back and forth. People really aren't qualified. And it's like, okay. And you can start to do the math in your head. Well, 150 bucks, 2 ,500 homes. It's like a nickel a piece, six cents a piece to get in front of my target market. Like, yeah, all of a sudden, I'm curious to learn more.

10:11Right, exactly. They're even willing to be like, this might be a scam, but I'll give them a phone. They're like, wait a minute, how does this work? Right. So we don't get the postcards, but we do get this magazine. It seems to be pretty well established because it's been coming for four or five years. And it's not like, you know, Better Homes and Gardens, but it has like a similar sounding name. And it's just a catalog. It's just a brochure of like roofers and home remodelers and cleaning services. And it's just, we'll do your backyard paver project or we'll redo, finish your driveway or something.

10:42It's a similar model where it's like, okay, we're going to cover this mailing cost by spreading the cost out amongst all these different advertising businesses. Yeah, absolutely. So different ways to get it done. Have you found, I mean, the breadth of small businesses, like is it the pizza place? Is it the real estate office? What kind of businesses have you found most responsive? So that could be anywhere. I'm looking at this card in front of us. One of our most consistent customers has been one of the dentists in town. He has been on almost every single mailing and he buys the biggest spot. Okay.

11:17He absolutely loves it. HVAC, that's another really consistent customer of ours. and then we've got like a body contouring salon where they do like the fat freezing. Of course, a restaurant, and we always recommend trying to get a restaurant or a coffee shop because what that does is make the card sticky. So then the people who receive it, they're like, oh, coffee, or oh, there's a coupon for burgers. You want to go there Friday? They put it up on their fridge or they put it in their drawer, and everybody else sits there with it. Yeah. And usually businesses that have high margins, like most home service businesses where they need multiple touch points, like a roofing company, nobody needs a new roof until they need it.

11:57It's not like a buy on demand. But I would say home services definitely are strongest and they understand the indirect advertising piece of it. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Thinking of dentists, like a very high lifetime value of a customer. So I could see them being a good candidate. The, you know, higher ticket services or kind of like the roofer, like example, big ticket, you know, once every 30 years expense kind of a thing. Like I got to be top of mind. I got to be the first phone call that they think of. Yes. When, when it comes to that time, similar would be like the plumbing services. And there's a few in our area where it's like, stop freaking, call Beacon.

12:33And Beacon Plumbing is like, you know, the one that comes to mind for the Seattle area. And they would hire Seahawks players to come in their commercials. And it's just, if I have an emergency, like, you know, they're top of mind. So good on them. Right. So that type of stuff definitely makes a lot of sense. And I liked what you said earlier about we're going to have exclusivity on this mailer. Like you're going to be the only roofer that we feature. Because I think for a lot of local stuff, you mentioned the ValPAC, where it's like, I might have two or three other roofers that I'm kind of competing with for attention.

12:59And in that like magazine example, it's like, well, there's every other page is a kitchen remodeling service. It's like, well, how do I differentiate? Right, exactly. And that was basically what sold that roofer. When I called him, he was like, I said, you know, you're back to back with another roofing company. He goes, yeah, I'm kind of sick of seeing that. And I explained to him that ours is category exclusive. And he was like, I didn't even know this was an option. This is great. Yeah, and we've had cases where we'll pitch it to them and then like, maybe they don't want to sign up, but we pitch in the idea that it's exclusivity.

13:31And then they're like, if you get on here, you'll keep somebody else off of your competitor. And they're like, oh, that sounds good to keep my competitor off of there. Yeah, it's almost a scarcity game of like, well, you know, I'd love to offer this to you. But if you don't take it, you know, there's three or four others on my list to call next. Right, exactly. more with rachel and dalton in just a moment including a look into the actual costs to print and mail one of these things plus how they're able to do it without ever touching the postcards january is the season for leveling up not just personally but in your business too make it a resolution this year to simplify and automate the parts of your business that you don't love or aren't core to driving revenue like running payroll or guessing at tax forms our partner Gusto is the online payroll and benefits software built for small businesses like yours.

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16:17Try Quo for free. Plus, get 20 % off your first six months when you go to quo.com slash side hustle. That's q u o.com slash side hustle. Quo, no missed calls, no missed customers. so i'm going to bring up the every door direct mail this is on the usps site so i've targeted a zip code every purple dot i guess is a it's potentially a household which is kind of cool and so you can click on yeah the different areas you want to get to and it'll show you the income in this area it'll show you kind of like the age demographics of this area really kind of interesting stuff that i didn't know existed and so this is pretty high income area and it says okay now you said that targeting total mailers kind of in that 2500 ballpark so i gotta like okay if i you know say i want this area instead okay i'm at 2700 maybe that's close enough and it's gonna say this is the approximate cost for that mailer at 683 so my next step obviously i want to try and fill that up with 10 15 different businesses front and back and like i guess you could define to design it in canva and like actually that probably makes a good question like are you designing it yourself?

17:28Are the people submitting graphics? Like that could be kind of the next hurdle of like, how do I make something that looks decent or even stands out here? Yeah, we do use Canva. And nine times out of 10, the businesses do want us to design it. The roofer that I mentioned, he actually had his team design all of their mailings, which was a huge help. That was awesome. But most of the time, they do want us to design it. So we have a lot of templates that we use and just kind of switch out the information and just make sure that we highlight them, but keep it simple. We don't want to overflood it with too much information.

18:02So I think a lot of people get nervous when you're talking about designing a postcard, but the simpler that you can make it, the better. And there are so many templates inside of Canva that you can go in there and you can search for like roofing and you have a beautiful roofing template they can go off of and just insert their information. And we also have a template where basically it's plug and play a coupon and a logo and a phone number. So you don't even have to have a high creativity. I mean, we've tried to make it as super simple as possible where you don't have to get into graphic design.

18:35So that's something we also teach as well. We try to keep this low tech as possible. Yeah, there you go. Yeah, like tons of really nice looking examples of what you could fill in to your postcard here with the, oh, here's the solar installer. That could be a good one too. Yes. Plug in your business name, your phone number, and you're off to the races there. Yeah. All right. So now we're back over here. Okay, it's going to be estimated 680, call it$700. And if I've sold 15, what do we say, 15 spots at 150 bucks a piece, now I've got$2 ,200-ish in revenue to play with. And so you see that$1 ,500 in margin in the middle there, but there's still like printing costs, fulfillment costs.

19:20So like maybe let's go through the next steps there. Yeah. So the cool thing, this is probably one of my favorite things. So I'll preface this by saying you can handle the mailing portion yourself. We don't because we don't want to deal with 2 ,500 postcards landing on our doorstep. And then we have to organize them for the post office. So our printer will actually handle the EDDM fulfillment. And so what that means is he bundles them. You have to bundle them in bundles of 100. And then you have to have the proper facing slips that explain what routes it's going to, what zip code, everything like that.

19:54And then he will ship them to our local post office. And then from the post office, they just go out immediately onto the carrier truck. So we don't ever touch a postcard unless we've got extras from a mailing. Okay, so finding a local printer that has the capabilities to do the EDDM. Basically, that's the unlock. Like, I don't want to touch it. I'll send you the digital files and maybe get a proof. And then you're like, okay, go, go. You do it. Right. And you don't even have to have a local printer. Our printer is in New York and he gets them into Montana in like two or three days. It's phenomenal.

20:26Oh, okay. I didn't even think about that. Yeah, I guess if it's all digital and then, yeah, send it to the post office. They'll send it out. Yep. Okay. Do they charge per piece or is it like bulk pricing times the 2 ,500 units or how do you typically have that set up? Yeah, it's around$0.07 per card for fulfillment, right? Yeah. Yeah, so I think it works out to be$175 extra for us to have him fulfill. And for us, that makes sense. So we pay him the extra$175, and he handles all of that. We live about 45 minutes from the town that we target, and doing two a month, we don't want to have to drive up there to drop off our postcard.

21:06So it makes sense for us. But yeah, so you bring in about$2 ,400 and then it's around$1 ,300 for full fulfillment. That's print, postage, and his fulfillment for him to bundle and ship. So you're left with about$1 ,100 in profit. Okay. Okay. So the$175 doesn't include the printing costs, but all said printing, postage, and the EDDM printer magic sauce around$1 ,300 in total cost. Correct. Helpful. Okay. Yeah. So if you charge more for the spaces, then you keep more. $150 is a really good spot for our market, but we've seen people charge more. Okay. And so then the question becomes like, I've had my first taste.

21:50Now do I go back to the well with the same advertisers and say, you want to do it again next month? Hey, this was great. Just kind of set them up on a recurring contract. Do you find that's common? Or is it, well, I got to go to the next town over? How have you seen this kind of play out? Yeah. So we have done from May of 2025 to the end of December, we did 20 cards. So in about a seven month span, and that was mailing to the exact same two neighborhoods every single month since May. And we have about a 60 to 70 % retention rate. And it's because we set the expectations up front of this works best when you have multiple touches.

22:35So we've actually gotten to the point now where we're only selling like packs of these postcards. so we sell them from three to six months where they pay up front and they're on the postcard and it's just kind of maybe switching out a few ads so when we were first getting started in order to build the trust and to build our confidence and make sure that this was going to work obviously we were doing one mailer and at that point we would go back to all of the same people that were on the previous postcard and again we were seeing that 60 retention rate where they all wanted to hop on the next postcard because it was so affordable.

23:14Yeah. Recognizing, look, this is a game of repetition and awareness versus direct response. And because, well, what's another six cents? I'll get to another house. Right. Exactly. Okay. But now pre-selling people on kind of longer term, okay, we'll space it out every two weeks or we'll space it out every month. And imagine not necessarily billing upfront, but kind of pre-booking a lot of those slots. Yeah. So we're actually doing it where they do pay us up front. And we've seen other people put it more of like a subscription model where they have like a six month contract, but they can pay monthly.

23:47So they can't back out after month three. They're locked in for the six months. But the way that we're doing it, we are just charging up front. So if they want six months, they pay for six months in advance. Oh, okay. And then expanding to different neighborhoods, different geos. I mean, because it's so targeted, it could be just on the map that I pulled up as like, you could go to the next town over and the next town over and it's a completely different set of local businesses. Yeah, absolutely. We've done a couple cards in Bozeman, Montana, which is about four hours from us. And we never even went to Bozeman to sell these postcard spots.

24:24We were messaging them on Facebook, sending emails, and then getting on a call if they wanted to talk to us. So, we've done it up to four hours away from where we live. So, it's absolutely possible, especially Montana is a little different than, say, Seattle. So, Bozeman is four hours, and that's the next big town from us. So, you have to go four hours. Other people could probably go 30 minutes in the other direction and see a whole new set of businesses and homes to mail to. So the opportunities are really endless when it comes to this. Yeah, that's really funny about Montana. Oh, it's only four hours away, but it's like, hey, that's like, you know, a typical morning drive, you know?

25:08Right, exactly. Okay, so expanding geographically, and then really the repeat business. But what is kind of interesting is it's almost this foot in the door, like build trust, drive value. In the case of your agency and getting more customers be like, well, this was cool. What else do you have to offer? And it's like looking at big sky automation, you know, the typical suite of services with reputation management and web design and all this stuff, you know, marketing, done for you marketing. Have you found that like, okay, now because we've built this upfront level of trust and now people are kind of warm leads coming in?