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Direct Mail ROI Calculator

Estimate responses, booked jobs and contribution after marketing, across the typical 0.5% to 2% range for cold prospect postcards. Adjust the assumptions to see whether a campaign can work for your business.

Your campaign assumptions

Planning inputs, not a forecast. Both scenarios start at 1%, the middle of the typical range for cold prospect postcards. No personalization lift is assumed.

Of the people who respond (call, scan or reach out), the share that book a job. Apply the same sales assumptions to both scenarios.

Revenue remaining after direct job costs, before this marketing spend. This is not company net profit.

Generic mail assumptions

Enter a current quote including list, creative, printing and postage. The default is illustrative.

Typical cold postcard range:
CurbMailers assumptions

From $2 per card. Use your campaign quote and include any separately scoped extras below.

Typical cold postcard range:

Generic direct mail

Campaign cost
$750
Expected responses
10
Expected booked jobs
3
Expected revenue
$4,500
Cost per response
$75
Cost per booked job
$250
Contribution after marketing
$1,500
Contribution ROI
200.0%

CurbMailers

Campaign cost
$2,000
Expected responses
10
Expected booked jobs
3
Expected revenue
$4,500
Cost per response
$200
Cost per booked job
$667
Contribution after marketing
$250
Contribution ROI
12.5%

CurbMailers across the typical range

Same cost and sales assumptions, at the low end, middle and high end of the published range for cold prospect postcards.

Response rateResponsesBooked jobsRevenueContribution ROI
0.5% (low end of typical)51.5$2,250-43.8%
1% (typical)103$4,50012.5%
2% (high end of typical)206$9,000125.0%

Median response for postcards mailed to prospect lists was 1.0% in the DMA Response Rate Report 2015 (1.12% in 2012). List providers typically quote 0.5% to 2% for cold prospect data. Those surveys count calls, coupon codes, website visits and matched sales over the full campaign, so a scan-and-call count usually reads lower.

Negative contribution means the assumed jobs do not cover campaign spend after direct job costs. Fractional inquiries and jobs are expected values, not actual bookings. N/A means the denominator is zero. Results exclude fixed company overhead, tax and future repeat business. Change the assumptions to see both downside and upside.

How to read your results

Responses are not jobs

Apply a close rate to responses. A QR scan is engagement, not a booked job, and repeat scans should not be counted as new prospects.

Revenue is not contribution

Account for direct job costs before subtracting marketing spend. This shows contribution after the campaign, not company net profit.

Test your own assumptions

Defaults sit in the published 0.5% to 2% range for cold prospect postcards. No response rate or personalization lift is promised. Use actual results and quoted costs when available.

Direct mail ROI: frequently asked questions

What response rate should I use?

Response rates depend on the audience, offer, timing and follow-up. We do not guarantee a response rate or a lift over other mail. Use your own response and close rates to plan, then measure the campaign's actual results. Both scenarios start at 1%, the middle of the typical 0.5% to 2% range for cold prospect postcards (DMA prospect-list data: 2015 median 1.0%, 2012 prospect postcards 1.12%). These are planning inputs, not a forecast, and no personalization lift is assumed. Change them to test your assumptions.

How is campaign ROI calculated?

Responses = mailed cards × response rate. Booked jobs = responses × close rate. Revenue = jobs × average collected job value. Contribution after marketing = revenue × pre-marketing contribution margin − campaign cost. Contribution ROI = contribution after marketing ÷ campaign cost × 100. Fractional jobs are expected values, not actual bookings.

What does the contribution margin include?

Use the share of job revenue remaining after direct job costs such as materials, installation labor and other variable fulfillment costs, before this campaign's marketing spend. This estimate does not calculate company net profit, tax or fixed overhead. Include additional campaign expenses in the separate cost input.

What does a CurbMailers campaign cost?

Managed campaigns start at 1,000 postcards, from $2 per card (about $2,000). List preparation, AI creative, proofing, printing, postage and per-card QR tracking are included. Optional call tracking, additional enrichment and any other extras are scoped in your quote. Agency and volume pricing are quoted separately.

How many postcards can I send?

Managed campaigns start at 1,000 postcards. This is our commercial minimum, not a guarantee of statistically conclusive results. We agree on the audience, offer and measurement window before mailing.

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