The great thing about owning a home service business is that there is always someone that can use your skill or expertise. However, there are issues with competition and trying to set yourself apart.
When the competition gets tough, and you need to bring in some more business, one of the best strategies is direct mail. Direct mail has a number of different options and methods; the trick here will be to find something that is a specific fit for your home service business.
Let’s look at how home services companies can benefit from direct mail marketing; you may be surprised by the number of opportunities out there.
Which Home Service Companies Can Benefit From Direct Mail Marketing?
Before we get into some of the best choices for direct mail marketing for home services businesses, we will break down a few of the most popular industries to use direct mail and how to approach direct mail.
Home Cleaning
A good majority of home cleaning business is picked up on a referral basis. Home cleaning requires a great deal of trust from the customer, and therefore they are happy to recommend their cleaning person to their friends.
One great way to utilize direct marketing here is to ask for a referral via direct marketing. Go after your current customers and give them a free cleaning or a 50% off coupon for recommending you to another client.
In addition, direct mail can be used to try and attack neighbors of current customers. As a home cleaning business owner, chances are you would love to have a few houses next to each other that your employees could service without driving around town.
When direct mail is targeted like this, it tends to be very effective.
Appliance Repair
Appliance repair requires you to be on your game at all times. No two days of owning an appliance repair business will be the same. With appliance repair businesses, direct mail is about getting your name in front of the customer, typically more than once!
People are frustrated and overwhelmed when their appliances stop working. If you ever had your refrigerator go down in the middle of the summer, chances are you understand!
If you have been properly targeting the neighborhoods where you would like to do the majority of your appliance repair, your name will be familiar to the customer.
Even if they don’t have your mail in place, and they google “appliance repair,” your name will be familiar to them in the search results. This is the power of direct mail for those in the appliance repair industry.
Plumbing
Plumbing businesses need to go after customers doing full renovations and those that could run into problems within the home (which is everyone). One of the best direct mail strategies plumbers have used in the past includes a welcome letter to new homeowners.
The letter can talk about how you are considered the local plumber and that you are happy to handle any renovations they want to make or to take a look at any issues that came up on the inspection.
Contacting new homeowners right from the start of their homeownership journey is very smart.
In addition, plumbers can take the strategy of sending out postcards with tips on keeping your plumbing and septic system running smoothly. Chances are you will get a few phone calls from customers who are not sure if their system is functioning as it should.
The most important thing here is that the lines of communication will be open!
Electrical
Electrical and plumbing contractors tend to be in the same boat when it comes to recruiting new businesses. Electrical contractors need to grab regular customers for projects and renovations and then get in front of the customer for repairs and issues.
One of the best ways to ensure you are on the top of a lead’s mind is to work with a direct mail drip campaign. The drip campaign will send various mail pieces to a potential customer or targeted area.
These will include a mix of generic and personal mail pieces. The idea is to ensure that the customers know who you are and how your business operates. When the time comes for an electrician, they will know who to call.
Pest Control
Most pest control business owners can agree that the recurring business is the most important aspect of success in the pest control industry. People must come back to you month to month so that you can grow equity in your business.
One of the most important features of pest control direct mail marketing is education. Customers often have no idea that they are leaving their homes open to pests and infestations. They also may not know there is a solution for some of the issues they are currently experiencing.
With pest control direct mail, you will want to target specific neighborhoods and give them information about the pests that they may be seeing. Let them know there is a solution, and they can contact you.
We love the idea of the handwritten letter to a potential pest control customer explaining the recent issues you have seen in similar homes. The letter is not meant to scare pest control leads; instead, it educates them.
Roofing
Roofing jobs don’t come up nearly as often as plumbing or pest control. Most roofs have a long life span, making winning a job even more important.
Direct mail can be used to send to homeowners that are selling their homes and those that have just moved in. Sellers often run into issues with their roofs during an inspection, and they need a quick fix so that the house can close.
Some homebuyers know they have issues with their roof and choose to take cash at closing to fix the issue. These are two groups of people to stay in front of.
Another way to use direct mail for a roofing company is to offer an incentive for a roof inspection. These inspections can be a great way to pick up small projects and ensure that you are building a large pipeline of customers over the next few years.
When people spend $20,000 or more on a roof, they will be happy to go with someone they have seen and had conversations with through the years.
Handyman and Home Repair
As a home repair business owner, you know that everyone has some type of home repair that could be done at their house right now. That’s just part of homeownership.
One of the most important ways to use direct mail as a handyman or home repair business is to show your knowledge. Share useful and helpful information with customers via direct mail, and it will make a huge difference in the amount of business you are able to bring in.
Simple things like switching some outdoor lights to LED or ensuring your home is prepared for a cold winter. Don’t worry about giving away tips that homeowners can do on their own; at some point, they will run across something they can’t do, and you will be the first one to call.
Most importantly, home repair business owners need to be consistent with direct mail. You never know when a home-related issue will come up, and staying in front of the customer’s face consistently is very important.
Lawn Care and Landscaping
Lawn care and landscaping is a very competitive service business. There are large, well established companies, as well as the mom-and-pop type, and profit margins can be small. To increase the margins, grabbing all of the neighbors in one specific area can be a massive win for your business.
With a well targeted list and excellent communication through direct mail, this is a real possibility.
One of the things to be smart about with landscaping business direct mail is to make sure you are personalizing the content that goes out to customers. Personalization makes the customer feel as though you care about their property. Attention to detail and care are crucial in the landscaping industry.
Direct Mail Marketing Strategies and Ideas for the Home Services Industry
Now that you have some ideas as to how individual businesses can benefit from direct mail marketing, let’s take a look at a few of our favorite strategies. At Yellow Letters Complete, we know that when direct mail is done right, it’s highly profitable.
Do Some Market Research (Invest In A List)
With home services businesses, it is essential to target the right customers. If you are not sure you have a strong enough list, invest in one. The list will allow you to recuperate your money. Also, make sure to take current customers off the potential list; it’s never great to send an incentive to sign up to a paying customer.
Personalization Matters
Personalization makes a huge difference in the home service industry. Always make sure your letters are personalized. Better yet, use handwritten letters when you can to help customers know you go the extra mile.
You don’t have to handwrite these letters; Yellow Letters Complete can handle it for you.
Cost Effective
Direct mail can be a cost-effective way to gain more customers. Compare the cost to internet campaigns that may end up targeting too large of an area for you. Spend your money where it counts and get in front of the customers that are ready for you.
Easy To Measure The Success
When sending out a direct mail campaign, make sure you have determined a way to make the success measurable. Whether you give a customer an incentive code or you simply ask when they call you about how they heard, always give yourself a way to track how well the campaign is working.
Some areas should be targeted over and over again if the direct mail is helping you win customers.
Tangible For Potential Customers
It’s very easy to delete an email. It’s much harder to throw away a handwritten envelope with a letter inside. Think about that when you are deciding which way you would like to target your customers.
Create a Clear Call To Action
Potential customers and even current clients like to know what the next steps are for them. Whether you use a post-it note on your direct mail piece that says, “call me for a quote” or “I’ll be in your area on Wednesday,” make sure there is a clear call to action.
Sell Yourself The Right Way
Take a long hard look at the way your direct mail will appear to potential customers. If you really want to stand out, make sure your direct mail stands out from others on the market. It should be clean looking and showcase your business and brand.
Mix It Up
Remember that direct mail marketing is not only used to recruit new customers. In fact, you can use it to sell projects or upgrade current customers; it can be used for thank you and referrals as well. Direct mail also has had great success for business owners trying to bring back former clients. Mix up the ways you use direct mail to see the greatest results.
Final Thoughts
We hope you have some ideas that make you excited about the way you can use direct mail in your business. Whether you have a new or an old home service business, there is still a way to use direct mail to help you grow.
At Yellow Letters Complete, we help customers all across the United States with their direct mail ideas and campaigns. With straightforward pricing and excellent customer service, we handle everything for you so that you can focus on running your business.
