Is This Mailer a Mistake? Why You Shouldn't Let One Bad Review Kill Your Marketing

So, I’m checking my mail the other day—mostly bills and those flyers for pizza I definitely shouldn't eat—and I find this envelope from a company called Cozy Earth.

I open it up, and honestly? It felt like an epic failure. It was a card that basically said, "Hey, it’s the holiday season! Use this code and get 40% off." Now, 40% is a huge discount. That caught my eye. But here’s the problem: I have no idea who Cozy Earth is.

The envelope was plain. The card inside told me absolutely nothing about what the company actually offers. Are they selling bedsheets? Organic soil? Self-help retreats for tired marketers? I had no clue. It had a QR code and some "handwritten" fonts that were clearly printed by a machine (nice try, guys).

For me, personally, this thing was a total dud. It went "nuclear"—straight into the trash. In my mind, I was ready to call it a complete waste of postage. But then I had to stop myself. Because while I might think it’s a mess, the company might be laughing all the way to the bank.

If you’ve ever looked at your own marketing and asked, "Is this mailer a mistake?" just because one person didn't like it, you need to read the rest of this.

Perspective: Your Marketing Isn't For Everyone (And That's Okay)

Here is the reality of the situation: Cozy Earth is likely a massive company. They probably sent that mailer to 500,000 people.

Even if I, Tyler Williams, think the mailer is vague and annoying, if 5,000 of those other people saw "40% off" and went on a shopping spree, that campaign was a home run. If a marketing manager at Cozy Earth heard me complaining and decided to kill the campaign based on my one negative opinion, they would be losing out on a ton of money.

As a plumber, you’ve probably felt this pressure. You send out 5,000 postcards to a neighborhood, and you expect 5,000 people to care. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that’s just not how the world works. Marketing is a numbers game, not a popularity contest.

The 40% Rule: Go Big or Stay Home

One thing Cozy Earth did right—even if I didn't know who they were—was the offer. 40% off is a real "stop-what-you're-doing" discount.

I see this mistake in the plumbing world all the time. Guys will send out a mailer that says, "10% off your next drain cleaning!" Guess what? Your market doesn't care. In the world of direct mail, 10% is basically the same as 0%. If you want people to pay attention, you have to go deeper and bigger.

If your mailer isn't getting hits, don't ask, "Is this mailer a mistake?" Ask, "Is my offer too boring to notice?" People will forgive a lot of "bad" design if the deal is too good to pass up.

The Skeleton in My Facebook Ads

I see this "fear of feedback" happening all the time, especially on social media.

Right now, I’m running a Facebook ad for Mammoth Marketing where I’m dressed as a skeleton. The caption says something like "Worked to the bone—hiring an assistant." It’s a bit of a joke, right? Well, I had one person comment and go absolutely off on me. They said, "Who would ever work for you? This is the dumbest thing I've ever seen!"

My reaction? Good.

That ad has been served to 40,000 people. One guy thinks it’s dumb, but guess what? I got a pile of high-quality applicants from it. Those applicants saw the ad, understood my personality, and liked the humor. The "hater" actually helped me by filtering himself out.

If I had seen that one negative comment and thought, "Oh no, I need to stop this ad right now, it's trash," I would have missed out on my next great hire.

The "Silent Majority" of Happy Customers

Here is a tough truth about human nature: Negativity is loud; positivity is silent.

If you do something wrong, people will run to their keyboards to tell the world. If you do something right—like sending a helpful mailer or running a funny ad—most people will just think, "Huh, that’s cool," and move on with their lives. They might even call you and book a job, but they probably won't leave a comment saying, "I loved your marketing piece!"

When you’re looking at your stats, pay attention to the math, not the noise.

• How many pieces did you send?

• How many complaints did you get?

• Most importantly: How much money did you make?

If the math says you made money, who cares if Mrs. Higgins on 5th Street thought your postcard was "too bright"?

Don't Let the One Percent Derail Your Growth

The biggest danger in your plumbing business is changing your course of action based on a tiny subset of people.

If you try to make everyone happy, you end up with "beige" marketing. You become the guy who is so afraid of offending anyone that you end up interesting no one. You’ll move all your marketing into this safe, boring zone where it just gets ignored.

Is this mailer a mistake? Only if it fails to make you a profit. One or two complaints aren't a sign to quit; they’re often a sign that you’re actually being seen. You can't make everyone happy, so focus on making the right people (the ones who pay you) happy.

Let’s Take a Look at Your Strategy

Look, I get it. Marketing can feel like a minefield. You don’t want to waste money, and you definitely don't want to be the talk of the town for the wrong reasons.

If you want the Tyler Williams crew to take a look at your current strategy—whether it’s mailers, digital ads, or that skeleton costume you’re thinking about wearing—let’s talk. We’ll help you figure out what to focus on so you can actually grow your business without sweating the small stuff.

Schedule a consultation at my website right here: https://tylerwilliams.net/

Let’s get to work and build something mammoth. (And maybe leave the boring 10% coupons in the trash where they belong!)