BUILDERmarketingIDEAS

Archive for the ‘Print & Press’ Category

Q: We put out a client newsletter for our building company but haven’t really seen any results. Do you have any tips on how to improve response?  – Anonymous

A:  I really feel that newsletters are a passive marketing medium. If you want to talk about any offers you have pending, by all means do it but the purpose of distributing a newsletter is to MILDLY educate and entertain.

Newsletters are a great way to stay connected with your past clients.

Newsletters DO get read but don’t hope for any sort of shelf life.  At the very least, you’ll get someone to scan through it over a cup of coffee before it hits the trash.

You will find increased success with readership enquiries if  you can actually have the discipline to mail them out quarterly. After 15 years of doing this, I have yet to meet anyone who has actually done this 2 quarters in a row.

Promote interactivity by asking your customers to share experiences.

Consider hosting contests and giveaways for stories, videos, etc that you can use in your advertising.

Some Do’s and Don’ts

DO include some helpful (seasonal?) tips to your homeowners and prospects.

DON’T use it as a medium to discuss your opinion on the housing market.

DO talk about awards, achievements and positive news about your company.

DON’T try to use this as a profit center by stuffing it with ads from your suppliers.

DO have fun with it.  Keep it light and peppy. Say what you have to say, be brief and be relavent.

All in all,  by keeping to a regular schedule and providing your customers with stuff that is interesting to them, you’ll increase interest in your newsletter.

One of the things that I consistently see in builder advertising is the want to cram as much information as they can in their ads and sales sheets.

Advertising is meant to make your phone ring. Ads are meant entice and extend the conversation…same with your sales sheets.

If you tell them everything – then why should they call you?

Ease up a little and focus on the ONE THING you want to say because if you start rattling off a bunch of facts and figures and load it up with callouts, it’ll turn into a box of static.

Say one thing. Say it a lot.