Prographics is doing very well. They send out a lot of shipments every year. This is a huge resource. Seriously, there are few things more exciting than ripping open a box of something that you ordered in the mail. The idea is that my client would include another company's sample products in each of his shipments. It's the best kind of advertising, really. Here's the letter I wrote for him to send to various companies.
Dear [name of contact]:
Put your product into the hands of tomorrow's decision makers, today.
We are a college apparel company that sells mainly to Greek organizations through the internet. Our customer service is unbeatable and attention to detail is razor-sharp. Our volume is quite high, shipping over 250k shirts per school year. On top of this, while other companies have been floundering and have remained, at best, stagnant for the past three years, Prographics has grown, on average, 25% a year during that time.
Fact is, we are a company who is loved by its customers and our growth is best described as robust. And we want you to get in on it. Here's how.
See, we've been in this business for over 20 years now, and we've come to realize that not all customers are created equal. Some customers only make one or two orders a year and are not considered to be leaders on campus. Others, the groups we are interested in, have made more than 6 purchases in a year's time, have been with us for more than 6 months and are leaders on campus. Out of these customers, we use a proprietary algorithm to decide which ones are 'Quality Prospects.'
In this age, where information is king, we have the upper hand. We use this information ourselves, reinvesting between $15 and $30 of our own merchandise in each shipment to Qualified Prospects. We want your products to be included in the shipments to these important customers.
Let's talk demographics. Who are the people that will you will be reaching? Our customers are 80% women and 20% men between the ages of 18 and 22. They tend to be from the middle class and are comfortable making buying decisions on behalf of a group. 73% of all student groups are lead by a member of a Greek organization.
Not only does this demographic have an unprecedented level of spending capacity, but they are going to be the future business leaders and household decision makers. Consider this: 47 CEOs of the Fortune 50 were part of a Greek organization. 71% of the people listed in 'Who's Who' went Greek. The people who consume your product today will be the movers and shakers tomorrow.
It won't just be our customers that see your products. 73% of student groups on campus are lead by a member of a Greek organization. These gals and guys are student leaders and will show off your products at class, in meetings and at parties. There's no better way to reach an entire campus, period.
This is your chance to reach these people while they are still choosing their direction in life. College is the last time they will be able to make major purchasing decisions so freely. When they have a 'real job' and responsibilities, they simply aren't going to be willing to try new products. They'll stick with what is tried and true.
One problem with this group is that they are more connected than ever. The average person between the ages of 18 and 15 sees over 5,000 advertisements a day. A print ad is simply not going to work in that conspiracy of distractions. The trick is to engage these guys with as many of their senses as possible. We all know the difference between seeing and touching. Putting the product in their hands means a stronger link to your product in their brains.
T-shirts are practically currency on a college campus. A student is defined by the collection of shirts that he or she has amassed. That's why, in a sorority, one of the most exciting times of the year is when everyone is gathered around the box of T-shirts and the tape is being ripped off. At that point, when everyone's heart is jacked with anticipation, your product will be the first thing they see. For the rest of their lives, there will be a physical, Pavlovian connection between your product and the greatest time of their lives. No ad can ever do that.