Jobsite Proximity (radius) Marketing…The Goldmine Next Door!
“The best place to find a customer is right next door to your last customer!”
After all, the fact that you are already
working in the neighborhood adds credibility to your company – the neighbors see your vehicles, your yard signs and your WORK! But beyond that, neighborhoods tend to be homogeneous in nature. Homes are of similar age and value and the people who live there tend to have similar earnings and needs. On top of this, you got the “keep up with the Jones” thing going on. And the best part… It’s so easy to do proximity marketing with the help of your MarketSharp system!
Even though you may have already thought about this… Chances are you never really consistently implemented a complete proximity marketing program. At best you may have done a couple mailers or dropped off some door hangers around a few jobs, experienced so-so results and gave it up. Well, effective proximity marketing is a simple process that involves 5 easy steps and, if followed, can result in at least
another sale for every job you install!
MarketSharp makes implementing the “Proximity” function easy!
The Pre-Job Mailer:
Studies show that the average person needs to be exposed to an advertisement multiple times before they respond. With this in mind, we begin our process with a pre-job mailer of some type that goes out to the closest 75-150 homes in the area encouraging them to “watch for us” at their neighbor’s home. The “Coming Soon” postcard is a perfect touch for the initial contact.- The In-Progress Job Mailer:
An optional, but very effective second exposure is to send a courtesy note about starting the project to the same 75-150 homes. A simple “Pardon Our Dust” postcard does a great job of making neighbors aware of work in progress. But better yet, send the second in a mailer series like the “Now Playing” postcard.
The Yard Sign – Job Presence:
Yard signs are very important in successful proximity marketing. The sign, a) allows the neighboring homeowners to learn about the project, b) builds name awareness, and, c) reinforces your other advertising. Inform your new customer that you’d like to use a yard sign as a way to identify their home for delivery people and your staff. Also, let them know that if anyone in the neighborhood decides to do business with you from seeing the sign, you will compensate them with something of value (cash, dinner, show tickets, etc.) Not only will you find your customer to be agreeable to allowing your sign, but you will also find them actively involved in promoting your company since they now have something to gain by it! Plus, this is the beginning of your referral program.
The Post-Job Mailer:
This mailer acts as your fourth exposure to your prospective customer. It goes out to the same 75-150 people that received a pre-job/in-progress mailer. Again, it may be a simple postcard like “Two Thumbs Up”, although many dealers have great success with a personal letter for this mailer. It should encourage the prospect to look for the job sign and talk with your new customer about their new windows, siding, roofing, addition, etc. To be most effective, this mailer should also have a time sensitive ‘special offer’ to encourage the prospect to act NOW. Some companies are offering a marketing magnet like “How to hire a contractor?” or professionally produced company videos to increase their results dramatically.
The Follow-Up Call/Canvass:
Although some homeowners will call you directly after seeing your marketing messages, you will dramatically increase your results by making a soft phone follow-up call (be sure to comply with state or local Do-not-call laws) shortly after your last mailer arrives. As an alternative, you could canvass the neighborhood with a door hanger. The follow-up contact is VERY laid back – you’ll want to simply reference the job, the neighbors, your marketing impressions and then, offer a convenient time to have a representative drop by for a consultation.
So, that’s it. A recent survey done by Better Homes and Garden Magazine reveled that
“Saw Similar Job by the Company” was the second biggest reason purchasers of remodeling projects decided on their contractor to do their project. Seems to make sense to make sure that the neighbors are fully aware of the project and most importantly WHO is doing the project.
What To Do Next…
Action Plan: Schedule a staff meeting to brainstorm exactly how you are going to begin your implementation of your Proximity Marketing Program. It is truly worth the effort. Additionally, take advantage of the industry-specific, turnkey resources (mailers, messages, marketing kits, etc.) available to you from MarketSharp to make this important process as easy as it can be.
Note: As an option, you may also want to check out
MarketSharp Mail – an online resource to easily accomplish sending custom mailers and printing door hangers.