goal for the newsletter was to prompt referrals from those who couldn’t buy from us and remind those who could buy that we were “still here.”
For our newsletter, I chose three focus areas:
- Promoting our business locally, what we’re working on, what we’re up to, etc.
- Incorporating information on products, methods and processes that would educate a potential customer. We also highlight a current project.
- Endorsing the industry. I include information about my membership in NAHB and described board meetings, shows and conventions I attended, committee work and association news, etc.
Your focus may differ, but there are several points to keep in mind when creating an effective and successful newsletter:
- Presentation and Image. Your newsletter represents you, so make it count. Put in the time, effort and money to make it good looking and informative. Remember, it has to be something your readers will value. It has to be worth opening, reading and keeping.
- Content. Readers should find your newsletter useful. Include current information about the latest trends and offer tips on relevant subjects. With the right content, you give your readers (or their associates, friends, neighbors, etc.) a reason to believe you are the right choice for them.
- Target. Newsletters don’t necessarily work in a “shotgun” approach to marketing. Sending one to every apartment complex in town, for example, is not the most efficient use of the format or your resources. Instead, choose the right target audience — the zip codes, home values, median incomes, etc., that you want to target for your business. You’re not wasting marketing dollars because you are talking to an audience that can identify with what you have to say. To target effectively, enlist a company that specializes in developing mailing lists to suit your needs. Be specific and know what you want.
- Don’t Forget the Reason. Remember why you are investing so much time and money into this newsletter: to grow your business. Promote your company’s activities and qualifications in a subtle way. Let folks know what you’re doing, highlight a past project, talk about the latest meeting or convention you attended, mention any credentials you’ve earned or renewed, etc. Make sure the reader understands what you do, how well you do it and how they can contact you to work with them.
- Bonus Content. Consider including bonus content that would be useful to your audience, such as listing a few of your trade contractors. Of course, you need to make sure you have the kind of trade associates who will maintain loyalty regarding lead sources. You can probably receive some financial support for your newsletter from various trades and suppliers, too. Just be careful not to make it look like an ad supplement to the Sunday paper. You also could include a “‘referral coupon” for successful referrals from readers (such as a dinner for two or four).
Don’t Do It All Yourself
Remember, you can approach this “project” just as you would any remodeling project. That is, you don’t have to do it all yourself.
Freelance writers are almost as prolific as remodelers, and local publications can be a good place to find them.
Then find a printer who can provide some basic layout and design; add a database supplier for the mailing list and data sorting of each issue (you’ll want to have them hold the addresses, with your own personal and permanent list held in house, perhaps); and have someone to mail the newsletter (database suppliers sometimes provide those services, too) with the bulk mail permit you purchased.
We send out about 30,000 newsletters three times a year, and the actual personal time I spend on each issue is usually no more than four hours. The specialists do the other work required. Of course, it takes some administrative/management time on our end, too.
Just remember, like a remodeling project, if you’re going to do it, do it right and at a level that makes you proud of your product. Sure, with all the computer programs and desktop publishing available, you can create your own. But only you can decide where your time is best spent — publishing or remodeling.
For us, it’s remodeling, and we hire the publishing components. Once you distribute your newsletter to more than a very minimal list (which you need to do to make the quantity efficiencies work), desktop publishing just isn’t going to keep up. Besides, you don’t really want to spend a week of evenings folding and stapling, do you?
Results — The Bottom Line
How are we doing with our newsletter? We know we have increased our name recognition and enhanced our reputation with a quality publication. We can track jobs to specific mailings. We also know that, combined with other efforts, the newsletter is often that crowning signature of a professionally managed, quality remodeling company that makes us the choice.
Also, by leaving our latest copy at each consultation, we leave behind something that impresses upon the prospect the value and performance they can expect from us. By alternating areas and area codes, we will soon have hit all the “ideal” profiles in the marketing area.
Even if the newsletter doesn’t generate a call when it is sent, or the recipient doesn’t have an immediate need for our services, what do you think happens if there is a need at a later time and the recipient remembers getting our newsletter? And what do you think happens when, because of our coordinated marketing approach, someone sees our truck or our job sign and then gets our newsletter in the mail?
Greg Miedema, CGR, CAPS, is president of Dakota Builders in Tucson, AZ. He is chair and founder of his local Remodelors™ Council, a member of the NAHB Remodelors™ Council Board of Trustees and currently serves as the chairman of the Remodelors™ Council Public Affairs Committee. The Southern Arizona Home Builders Association (SAHBA) has named Dakota Builders, Inc. Remodelor of the Year in 1998, 1999 and 2000. For more information, send him an e-mail.
Nominate the Best of the Best for Remodelor™ of the Year — Deadline, Sept. 3
Applications for the Remodelors™ Council’s most prestigious awards program, the Remodelor™ of the Year Award, are now available online at www.nahb.org/remodelors under the Awards section. The deadline for applications is Sept. 3.
The Remodelor™ of the Year Award recognizes exemplary NAHB involvement at any level, superior business management and an outstanding contribution to the remodeling industry. Councils should nominate individual remodelers, but the nominee must write his or her own entry essay.
The winner will be announced at the Remodelors™ Council Gala during the 2004 Remodeling Show in Chicago (Oct. 8).
Local Councils Honored With CADRE Awards
The Council Awards for Demonstrating Remodeling Excellence (CADRE) is awarded to local Remodelors™ Councils for superior member service in the categories of:
- Membership Recruitment & Retention
- Community Service Project
- Public Relations & Promotion
- Outstanding Associate Member
- Member Service/Education
- Government Affairs/Legislation
- Outstanding Council Chair
- Outstanding Executive Officer/Council Coordinator
The deadline for entries is Sept. 3. For information, e-mail the Remodelors™ Council or call 800-368-5242 x8216.
The NAHB University of Housing Offers Courses and Designation Programs
The NAHB University of Housing offers a variety of business management courses and professional designation programs that set builders and remodelers apart from the competition. For a complete list of current offerings, click here.
Attend the 2005 Custom Builder Symposium
Expand your knowledge “Beyond the Tool Belt” at this year’s Custom Builder Symposium. This is the one event where custom builders can go for world-class education and exceptional networking opportunities. For more information, click here.
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