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Business Management

Marketing Ideas for Mechanics

Written by Brittany N. Johnson
Marketing for Mechanics with Our Town America

Marketing for mechanics does not have to be focused on coupons and discounts to be successful. New technology and techniques can boost profits and help build relationships with customers. The aftermarket auto industry is primed for growth. Poor road conditions, aging cars, and production slowdowns are helping drive the industry, according to Precedence Research. The average age of cars on the road hit a record high of 12.2 years in May, further increasing the demand for quality car repair shops. Not only do older cars need more frequent repairs, but customers will also seek quality maintenance to ensure their vehicle lasts for the long haul.  Whether you are just getting your mechanic shop up and running or are already established in your local community, a savvy marketing plan can help you stay a cut above the competition. In the past, auto repair shops relied on a combination of coupons and referrals to help drive new business, and direct mail has remained a tried-and-true tool for small businesses to add customers. However, creating a multichannel marketing strategy makes a huge difference.  Think Outside the Box If you want to mix it up, here are some creative strategies to rev up profits and add new customers. Film Video Tutorials. While there are nearly 284 million cars on the road in the United States, at least 39 million Americans don’t know how to change a tire. Filming video tutorials about minor car maintenance tasks can help draw attention to your auto repair shop and encourage people to schedule an appointment for a tune-up. Giving people insider tips can help build trust and increase customer loyalty. You don’t need a film crew to make a great video. Most smartphones have adequate features to film a short video you can post on your social media channels. Fun Product Recommendations. Let’s face it. There are some wacky accessories out there for our vehicles. Posting a short product review of an LED cup holder light, an air freshener shaped like a cactus, or a crochet steering wheel cover is a fun way to spark conversation. Making it a regular feature will engage followers and provide great entertainment value.  Online Reviews. Finding a trustworthy mechanic isn’t easy. An earlier survey from AAA revealed two out of three drivers do not trust their auto mechanic. To put themselves at ease, many customers read online reviews before they visit a car repair shop. Positive online reviews can help drive traffic to your business. Encourage satisfied customers to write a review of your business or send out a follow-up email requesting a review. Apply for Local Awards. Everyone likes an award winner. Many communities showcase local businesses with special awards. Make sure to apply for the awards in your area to help your car repair shop stand out from the competition. Awards give your business credibility, which can help drive sales. Local awards are an inexpensive way to generate positive PR without any heavy lifting. Find a Partner. Consider teaming up with a nearby local business to increase profits. A reciprocal deal will be a win-win for both businesses. For example, give customers at your car repair shop a $5 discount if they show a receipt from the coffee shop down the road and vice versa. New Mover Marketing. If you’ve had success with direct mail, Our Town America can help you target new residents. New Mover Marketing with us enables you to reach new community members before they form loyalties with competitors.  We have more than 50 years of experience building lists that convert. Each month, Our Town America gets lists of every individual who has filed some sort of address change in the past 30 days. We filter out the duplicates to deliver lists that are 95% accurate, ensuring you get a positive return on investment.  Using our high-quality lists, we send new residents a Welcome Package filled with valuable proven offers. Receiving gift-certificate-style offers is a welcome relief to new residents who are navigating an unfamiliar space and trying to get settled in their homes. As a bonus, the results of a New Mover Marketing program are easy to track. Our Town America developed the TruTrak® app that allows businesses to scan redemptions at the point of sale or at your convenience. The app is easy to download to a mobile device and simplifies your New Mover Marketing effort. Build Relationships With New Residents Click here to learn more about marketing for mechanics and how Our Town America’s New Mover Marketing and direct mail services can help your auto repair shop become a mainstay in the local community. Brittany N. JohnsonBrittany is the head of Our Town America’s corporate marketing department. She specializes in digital and print media, social media, and public relations. […]

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Using a Mailing List to Find New Residents in Your Area

Written by Brittany N. Johnson
Using a Mailing List to Find New Residents in your Area Our Town America

What if you could swiftly greet every new mover household “at their doorstep”, welcome them to the community, introduce them your business and develop life-long relationships before your competitor does? Great news! You can. And, even better, you can automate this process. Our Town America, the nation’s leading New Mover Marketing franchise, has had this very formula down pat for the past 50 years. So that business owners, both small businesses and franchised locations, can grow their businesses efficiently and focus on delivering goods and services, Our Town America offers highly-targeted and customized direct mail outreach programs to welcome new households to the community. “Our customized direct mail marketing program is efficient and highly effective in reaching new households in communities throughout the United States,” notes Brittany Johnson, Chief Marketing and PR Executive for Our Town America. “In fact, our New Mover Program uniquely promotes your business to an entirely new group of new mover households every month”. Direct mail marketing continues to be a leading marketing solution for all industries. Marketing experts know that the mailing list will ultimately make or break a campaign’s conversion rate, customer acquisition cost and overall company growth.  In fact, great creative campaigns and wonderful marketing offers do not convert to sales without first reaching their target market. Johnson added, “The success of any direct mail program is dependent upon the data.  How targeted is the new resident mailing list? How current is the new movers list? How accurate is the data?” In other words, if you are looking to find new movers by direct mail, be certain you are working with a trusted expert so that you will cost-effectively reach those new residents through a quality new movers list.  Don’t burn up hard-earned revenue on great creative that never stood a chance of converting to a sale. Leave the complex elements of a direct mail campaign, such as a quality list, to the experts at Our Town America so you can focus on becoming the town favorite of new mover households each month. Brittany N. JohnsonBrittany is the head of Our Town America’s corporate marketing department. She specializes in digital and print media, social media, and public relations. […]

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Techniques to Identify Your Key Customer Base

Written by Brittany N. Johnson
Identifying your Key Customer Base

Producing a successful marketing campaign isn’t always an easy task, even for the savviest small business owner. Our Town America can help local businesses get started by suggesting techniques to identify your key customer base. Determining a key customer base is the first step to developing a marketing strategy that converts. A customer base is the bulk of any business’ clientele — it’s the customer demographic that regularly buys your products and services. If a business markets to its customer base, it has a higher likelihood of turning first-time visitors into loyal patrons and, of course, customer retention helps drive profits. Approximately 65% of a company’s business can be attributed to existing customers. Identifying your key customer base can help businesses plan their marketing strategy. If a brand attracts millennials, ramping up online marketing efforts will be essential. On the other hand, seniors may respond to a tried-and-true approach, like radio or newspaper ads. Understanding your key customer base can help separate a business from the competition and offer customers a valuable experience. Many business owners have an idea of the crowd they want to tap into to drive sales. Simply guessing might not be enough to get the job done. It’s vital to do the research. Whether a business is already open or the owners are delving into a business plan for a new venture, determining the key customer base will help drive sales. Our Town America has 50 years of experience helping small businesses attract new customers. Over the years, we’ve learned a few techniques to identify your key customer base to add loyal customers. Visit the Competition. Identify competitors and take a hard look at their audience. Visit similar local businesses to find out what makes your brand unique. If your business is already serving customers, consider creating a survey to help understand why customers prefer your establishment over others. Conduct Market Research. If a business is still in the planning stages, conducting market research can help you identify a target demographic. Learning consumer behavior and economic trends helps reduce risk and improve profits. Make sure to take advantage of local resources, like the local chamber of commerce, to determine trends from other business owners in the community. Networking with other entrepreneurs can provide valuable insights to help identify a customer base. Businesses that are already operating can analyze existing customers to determine the characteristics of their customer base. Build an Ideal Customer. The next step is to compile your research and put pen to paper. Define your products and services from your customer’s point of view and create an ideal target customer. Be specific; your ideal customer should include demographic and behavioral details. Target Your Key Customer Base Identifying your key customer base takes the guesswork out of your marketing strategy. Once you’ve done the research and determined your unique selling proposition and target demographic, you can create a marketing strategy that converts. Our Town America has a variety of marketing tools designed to reach potential customers before they even discover your competition. New Mover Marketing. New Mover Marketing is a niche, lucrative market. Roughly 27.1 million people relocated in 2021. Decades of data have repeatedly demonstrated that the new mover demographic is highly likely to experiment with unfamiliar businesses as they need to find new hair salons, healthcare providers, local pizzerias and more. New Mover Marketing takes building your customer base to the next level. Our Town America is the nation’s premier New Mover Marketing franchise. As part of our program, we send new movers a Welcome Package filled with proven one-time-use housewarming offers introducing them to local businesses. We use proprietary lists that are more than 95% accurate to help local businesses reach new residents as they explore their new area. Direct Mail Postcard Marketing. Even as companies invest in fancy websites and roll out video marketing, any omni-channel marketing effort should include direct mail as it continually generates a solid return on investment. Consumers get overstimulated from crowded email inboxes, which only adds to the effectiveness of direct mail campaigns. Despite having a firm grip on wireless devices, trackable direct mail campaigns like ours have shown an uptick in both foot traffic and sales – proving that consumers appreciate tangible offers. Blanketing a neighborhood with postcards does drive traffic, but sending postcards to your key customer base is usually most effective. Businesses can target their direct mail postcard campaign by a variety of demographic data, including age, income or household size. Technology, such as QR Codes, has helped move direct mail into the digital age by enabling small businesses to create a seamless call-to-action on their direct mail postcard. The QR code can lead to an explanatory video of your business and services or simply to your business’ website. The possibilities are limitless. Customer Service Solidifies Loyalty New Mover Marketing will get new customers to visit your business, but providing stellar customer service to turn them into loyal customers is up to you. At least 96% of customers believe customer service plays an important role in helping them form brand loyalty, according to research conducted by Forbes. A new report from Salesforce reveals that 88% of patrons believe the customer service experience they receive at a business is just as important as the product or services. Expand Customer Base with New Residents If you’ve identified your key customer base and are ready to create a marketing strategy to help you drive sales, contact Our Town America to find out more about how New Mover Marketing or Postcard Marketing can boost profits at your business. Brittany N. JohnsonBrittany is the head of Our Town America’s corporate marketing department. She specializes in digital and print media, social media, and public relations. […]

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Should Your Small Businesses Consider Hyper-targeting?

Written by Brittany N. Johnson
Hyper-targeted Marketing Our Town America

Forbes Technology Council — Keeping your small business staffed and profitable can be a challenge, and determining the right marketing strategy is even trickier. A helpful small business marketing tip is to devote time to discovering your ideal customers and then implement hyper-targeting to improve return on investment. Hyper-targeting can be an efficient tool for small businesses to reach their target demographic, decrease ad spending and create a positive connection with customers. In a nutshell, hyper-targeting is the practice of delivering relevant messaging to your target consumer. Rather than blanketing a neighborhood, technology can now allow you to pick and choose who receives your direct mail piece. Being choosy improves your ability to get qualified leads versus over-saturating a community with people who won’t be interested in your services. Hyper-targeting takes some work upfront, but can deliver better results in the long term. Benefits Of Hyper-targeting • Reach the right audience. Sending direct mail to an entire neighborhood might be beneficial for grocery stores or dry cleaners, but many small businesses appeal to a specific audience. A fitness center with senior customers, a swim school franchise or a CBD store does not cater to everyone in the community. Hyper-targeting can help ensure you are reaching your target audience to increase your ability to garner loyal customers. Hyper-targeting can be a useful tool when it comes to improving your digital marketing efforts. Digital platforms, including Facebook and Google, allow you to tap browser searches, likes and views to customize your campaign. If you already use email marketing to drive sales, hyper-targeting can allow you to personalize digital content to reach specific groups based on demographics or hobbies. • More bang for your buck. My company focuses on new mover marketing, and we have a wealth of experience with direct mail marketing. Sending your message to an entire ZIP code can provide an uptick in customer traffic, especially if you include a proven offer. In our experience, however, delivering targeted mailers can not only increase customer traffic but can also help improve retention and drive repeat visits. Hyper-targeting can allow you to pinpoint your ideal consumer by a variety of markers—including age, income, educational level and lifestyle. Providing stellar customer service when they visit can ensure your efforts convert. • Provide better customer service. Hyper-targeting can enable you to customize your marketing message, which can create a personalized experience for your customers. For example, your ideal customer may be both a Millennial who lives downtown and a senior with disposable income. Hyper-targeting can allow you to change your message between the two age groups to make them more receptive to your brand. How To Get Started With Hyper-targeting Implementing hyper-targeting effectively requires small business owners to do some research and get creative. Here are my small business marketing tips to help you start taking advantage of hyper-targeting. The first step is to take the time to identify your target customer demographic and segment it into several different buyer personas. A buyer persona is a fictional representation of your ideal customer. Understanding your ideal prospect can help you attract high-value customers to boost profits as well as improve products and services. To find out the best buyer personas for your small business, do your research. Talk to your employees and your customers to learn where your patrons work, live and play. Once you compile this information, determine how you want to separate your personas. You may choose to separate them by age, ZIP code or industry and then create a fictional customer from this information. In my experience, a manageable rule of thumb is to start with three personas. Once you have your personas, it’s time to get started. One disadvantage of hyper-targeting is it can take many man-hours to implement. If you think hyper-targeting will help drive traffic, my advice would be to consider finding a partner who can support your efforts and track results. Handing the job off to someone with experience may come at a cost, but a successful marketing strategy can be the differentiator in achieving your sales goals. Staying abreast of new technology, like hyper-targeting, can help small businesses reap the rewards of their marketing efforts. Article by Forbes Technology Council Member and President/CEO/CTO of Our Town America, Michael Plummer Jr. Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives.  Brittany N. JohnsonBrittany is the head of Our Town America’s corporate marketing department. She specializes in digital and print media, social media, and public relations. […]

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3 Ways to Use Demographics in Your Marketing Plan

Written by Brittany N. Johnson
Target by Demographic Our Town America Marketing

Dentistry Today — Using demographics as part of your marketing plan can help your dental practice cut costs by reaching your ideal customer. To prepare for the grand opening of a pediatric dental practice, for example, it’s likely you’d hang televisions, paint the walls bright colors, and launch an interactive new website. While these steps are helpful, they aren’t all you need to do to have a thriving practice. Marketing plays a key role in building your customer base and educating the community about the benefits of pediatric dentistry – or any dental practice, for that matter. Find Your Target Demographic One of the first components of any small business plan is to develop your target demographic. Demographic data looks at the characteristics of a population, including markers like age, gender, location, education level, and occupation. It can help give you a broad understanding of your customer base. The target demographic can impact your dental practice decor, procedures, and hours of operation. Look around your pediatric dental practice and take note of the fish tanks, video game consoles, and the big bin of prizes taking up prime real estate. Whether you put pen to paper and defined your ideal customer, it’s clear you had one in mind as you prepared to open your doors. Reaching the decision-makers is key, and speaking directly to a defined audience — parents — will help separate you from your general dentistry competitors. Why Are Demographics Important? Kids grow up, and adding new clients on a regular basis is necessary to sustain your practice for the long haul. Targeting your demographic can help reduce what you spend on generating leads to help grow your business. It can also help build customer loyalty and help you learn more about the needs of your customers. Using pediatric dental practices as an example again – they are in a unique position. An important component of your job is to educate the community on the benefits of seeing a specialized provider. As you know, tooth decay is one of the most common chronic health issues in children. Regular dental visits can increase school attendance, improve grades, and prevent future complications. Treating a specialized clientele allows you to hone your focus and improves your ability to provide quality care. Using demographics in your marketing efforts can help introduce children to dental care and allow you to provide parental support. My company, Our Town America, uses demographics to reach a unique market. We target new movers by sending them a welcome package filled with proven offers before they form loyalties with competitors. New mover marketing has proven to be a great tool for dental practices. One of the first things every new resident does is secure healthcare providers. Here are three ways to incorporate demographics into your pediatric dental practice – or any dental practice’s – marketing plan. Direct Mail Postcards. Even in the age of video calls, blue light glasses, and Twitter, direct mail continues to provide a tangible message that converts. The Data & Marketing Association reports direct mail receives a whopping 9% response rate. Every Door Direct Mail from the United States Postal Service allows you to blanket a neighborhood with your message. It also allows you to target specific zip codes, incomes, and household sizes. Your postcard can include a proven offer to help drive traffic or provide a QR code to prompt people to learn more about your practice online. Community Marketing. Weekends with young children include trips to the farmers market, tee-ball games, and other outdoor community events, preferably where a playground is involved. Pediatric dentists can go straight to the source and put a logo on it. Reach your target demographic by sponsoring a youth sports team, a local 5k charity run, or setting up a booth at the farmers market. Community marketing can amplify your message, allow you to engage with customers, and help create brand recognition. Content Marketing and SEO. Producing valuable content focusing on your target market’s interests and concerns is another way to reach your demographic. Learn what your audience searches for online and use those keywords to optimize your content and drive traffic to your website. Blogs and infographics will also serve as a tool to help educate your ideal customers on the value of pediatric dentistry. Targeting your ideal customer using demographic information takes some work up front but will pay off in the long run by helping keep your schedule fully booked. Brittany N. JohnsonBrittany is the head of Our Town America’s corporate marketing department. She specializes in digital and print media, social media, and public relations. […]

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Rev Up New Mover Marketing During Hot Moving Months

Written by Brittany N. Johnson
How to Market during Summer Moving Months Our Town America

May is National Moving Month — Our Town America’s favorite time of year! Mark the start of the summer moving season by implementing a new mover marketing program to add loyal customers and boost sales. Summer is right around the corner, and the end of the school year heralds the beginning of the busy moving season. As many as 56% of Americans move each year and nearly 70% of all moves take place in the summer. People pick summertime to move because the weather is optimal, schools are on vacation, and workplace productivity slows.  The surge of summer moves put a crimp on the moving industry last year, and many of the top moving companies struggled to keep up with demand. Like many other service providers, moving companies felt the labor crunch and had difficulty finding reliable employees. Approximately 63% of moving companies reported a drought of drivers during the busy summer months in 2021.  Tap into the New Mover Market to Increase Profits As summer rolls around, local companies can welcome the influx of new residents and increase foot traffic by adding new mover marketing into their marketing strategy. Our Town America is the nation’s premier new mover marketing franchise. Our franchise owners help small businesses in their local community tap into the new mover market. Our Town America enables small businesses to convert new residents to loyal customers by sending them a welcome package filled with proven offers.  Here are some of the benefits of launching a new mover marketing program this summer. 1. Strike First. New mover marketing allows businesses to capture new residents before they form loyalties with competitors. One of the first things new residents do when they move is explore their new community to find local businesses that provide the services they need. New movers scout the area for a grocery store to stock their refrigerators. New residents also need to find a hair salon and a dry cleaner to help them put their best foot forward at their new job. Ordering pizza while unpacking boxes is the norm for many new residents. Having an upscale Welcome Package filled with proven offers from these establishments arrive on their doorstep gives them a place to start. Our Town America’s Welcome Package helps build brand awareness, and people appreciate the opportunity to give businesses in their new area a test drive. We get new customers through the door and allow you to give them a superior experience as usual. 2. Accurate Mailing Lists. A variety of companies offer mailing lists to help businesses reach new customers. Unfortunately, many mailing lists offer low response rates and are outdated or inaccurate.  Our Town America’s new mover marketing lists convert. We update our lists each month to ensure we capture accurate information enabling you to deliver your message to new residents. Our Town America compiles lists of individuals who recently filed some sort of address change. Then, we make sure to filter out any duplicate names or addresses, which allows us to deliver a direct mailing list that is about 95% accurate.  3. Trackable Solution. Being able to track your return on investment is an important component of any marketing strategy. It’s easy to track results of a new mover marketing program because customers bring in their offers for redemption.  Our Town America streamlined the tracking process by developing our TruTrak® mobile app. TruTrak® makes it easy for businesses to track ROI and gather detailed demographic data about their customers. It can be downloaded to your smartphone and allows you to validate and scan redemptions at the point of sale, or at your convenience.  Learn More About Our Town America Approximately 27.1 million people moved in 2021. The rise in teleworking is giving people the opportunity to relocate. People are moving primarily for a lower cost of living or to be closer to family. Other considerations include better schools and more job opportunities. New movers can help your business thrive this summer.  If you want to target this unique demographic by implementing a new mover marketing program or to learn more about Our Town America, click here. Brittany N. JohnsonBrittany is the head of Our Town America’s corporate marketing department. She specializes in digital and print media, social media, and public relations. […]

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Unique Ways Restaurants Can Use QR Codes to Drive Sales

Written by Brittany N. Johnson
Restaurants Use QR Codes to Drive Sales Our Town America Marketing

Modern Restaurant Management Magazine — As the impact of the pandemic wanes, restaurant owners should evaluate the contactless service options they implemented to keep customers and staff safe to see how they can help drive sales. When restaurants got the green light to reopen their dining rooms, they implemented a host of safety procedures to prevent the spread of germs. Restaurants across the country shelved their paper menus and turned to digital options to reduce touchpoints. To go contactless, customers scanned a small black and white square called a QR code on their mobile device to see a digital copy of the menu. Although the new tool required many restaurant staffers to serve dual roles as waitstaff and technical consultants, using QR codes was a resounding success. Some restaurants even took safety a step further by eliminating in-person ordering and offering contactless payment. At least 45 percent of Americans preferred reading the menu, ordering, and paying with their phone to reduce touch points during the pandemic, according to an online survey of 2,081 people conducted by Appetize. Contactless options are also helping restaurant owners weather the labor shortage. Nearly three out of four restaurants said automated tools and integrated apps are helping them fill the gaps during the current labor crunch, Square reported. The digital provider recently partnered with Wakefield Research to survey 500 restaurants and 1,000 consumers. QR codes are nothing new. QR codes were invented in 1994 by Denso Wave, a Japanese-based subsidiary of Toyota, to track vehicle parts during manufacturing. They hit the mainstream back in 2002 when technological advancements enabled a QR-code reading feature to be added to mobile phones. While the adoption of QR codes ramped up gradually, they became ubiquitous during the pandemic as people relied on their phones to do business. While QR codes are a great tool for contactless service, they have a wide variety of uses, particularly when it comes to marketing. Restaurants can capitalize on the growing familiarity of QR codes to help drive sales. Here are a few easy ways you can provide better customer service and increase profits by using QR codes. Feedback. One of the best ways to connect with your customers is to listen to their feedback about their dining experience. Having great online reviews can also help drum up business. At least 63.6 percent of consumers are “likely” to read a Google review before visiting a business. Restaurants can use QR codes to solicit feedback by guiding them to Google, Yelp, Facebook, and TripAdvisor, where they can type their opinion on your restaurant’s food and service. QR codes are a great way to collect data on customer experience. Direct customers to an online survey regarding their dining experience by using a QR code. Direct Mail Campaigns. Despite the growth in online marketing through email and social media, direct mail remains one of the best tools for promoting your restaurant. Zoom fatigue and crowded email inboxes make a tangible postcard that arrives in your mailbox stand out. Every Door Direct Mail® (EDDM) postcards and new mover marketing campaigns are great tools for getting the word out about your business. EDDM allows you to send postcards to an entire zip code or filter your options by age, income, or household size. New mover marketing gives your restaurant the chance to capture new customers before they form loyalties to other businesses. Adding a QR code to your mailer can provide customers with more information about your eatery. The landing page for your QR code might be your menu, your location details, or get creative and showcase a video clip of your chef creating a new dish in the kitchen. The opportunities are endless. Boost Social Media. Approximately three out of 10 United States adults are “online almost constantly,” the Pew Research Center reported. Facebook has more than 2.9 billion users worldwide, including nearly 177 million people in the U.S. Clearly, social media allows you to reach potential customers where they spend their time, but growing your following can be an uphill battle. Add a QR code to your marketing materials leading people to your Facebook page. If your restaurant is on multiple social media platforms, you can create a QR code that displays multiple platforms on one mobile-optimized page. Promotions. Drum up traffic to your restaurant by using a QR code to guide people to a new special or BOGO offer. Having the offer on their phone will make redemption a breeze. Book Reservations, Join Waiting List. As new technology advances and customers are able to book reservations and join your waiting list online, make their life easier by providing them with a QR code to point them in the right direction. Housekeeping Details. In addition to digital menus, ordering, and contactless payment, QR codes are a great tool for other housekeeping concerns, such as Wi-Fi login, hours of operation, directions, and dress code suggestions. QR codes are no longer just for menus. The consistent application of QR codes can help you maintain safety standards, streamline operations, fuel marketing efforts, and improve customer service. Brittany N. JohnsonBrittany is the head of Our Town America’s corporate marketing department. She specializes in digital and print media, social media, and public relations. […]

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Revisit Your Marketing Plan as You Spring Forward

Written by Brittany N. Johnson
Spring Forward Marketing Plan Our Town America

As temperatures rise and flowers start to bloom, Our Town America has some small business marketing tips for your business to implement this spring. The spring season is a time of renewal. People come out of hibernation after a long, dreary winter to enjoy the sunshine and balmy temperatures. Signs of spring can be seen as people dust off patio furniture and start the process of spring cleaning. Rather than turn on Netflix to chill after a long day, people gather up the family and head out for evening walks. With the prospect of swimsuit season looming, people planning beach vacations or summer pool days dig their sneakers out of the back of the closet and hop back on the exercise bandwagon. Spring is also a time when people return to the stores. After a busy Christmas buying season, many customers put spending on hiatus during the winter months. Bolstered by longer days and nicer weather, customers open their wallets to prepare for the new season. Customer traffic in the home and garden industry soars in the spring as people tackle home repair projects and turn their yards into showplaces. Sales at lawn and garden stores jump 61% during the week of spring break in mid-March. Clothing retailers see sales grow as people refresh their wardrobes and ditch their sweaters for short sleeves and dresses. Spring is also a time when people celebrate loved ones and mark milestones. Mother’s Day spending was slated to reach a record $28.1 billion in 2021, the National Retail Federation reported. Spring Clean Your Marketing Strategy If you took Our Town America’s advice and created a marketing strategy for the new year, it’s time to do some spring cleaning. Over the past few months, your campaigns generated data you need to analyze. If your social media efforts did not help build sales, it may be time to reduce the number of posts or eliminate a platform. If a BOGO deal you sent out via direct mail garnered positive redemption rates, consider sending another direct mail deal.  Here are a few small business marketing tips to help increase foot traffic and boost profits. Target New Movers. Spring marks the beginning of the moving season. Capturing new residents before they form loyalties with the competition is an advantageous way to add new customers. More than 27 million Americans, or 8.4% of the population in the United States, moved last year. At least 60% of moves take place during the summer months. Weather, kid’s summer vacation, and a slower pace at the office make summer a booming time for moving. Spring is the time when customers are checking out new communities, house hunting, and reserving moving vans.  Our Town America recommends setting up your new mover marketing campaign before the moving season is in full swing. We have just shy of 50 years of experience helping local businesses attract new customers. As part of our new mover marketing program, we mail recent arrivals a welcome package filled with proven offers shortly after they relocate.  Local businesses can track their new mover marketing campaign using Our Town America’s mobile app, TruTrak™. The app allows businesses to validate and scan redemptions at the point of sale and can trigger a ‘thank you’ postcard to customers after they redeem their welcome offer. Celebrate the Season. Tying your marketing message to important events in the spring, such as Daylight Saving Time, International Women’s Day, and Earth Day can help your message stand out and engage your audience. As spring rolls around, tax day also looms. Many Americans are contemplating how to spend their tax refunds. Encourage them to spend their bounty at your business by incorporating a tax theme into your messaging. If your service is deductible, such as healthcare charges, now is the time to let your customers know.  Focus on Community. Rebirth, positive energy, and growth are hallmarks of the spring season. Now is an ideal time for your business to participate in a charity event or donate to an important cause. In addition, farmers markets and other outdoor community events return to center stage. Put your business in front of customers during this time by becoming an event sponsor or setting up a table.  Launch a Contest. Spice up your spring marketing efforts by launching a contest to entice customers. Contests are an easy way to generate traffic and buzz about your business. Promote your contest in your local community by sending a direct mail postcard to your target demographic. Every Door Direct Mail® allows you to blanket a zip code with your message or filter your postcard by age, income, or household size. A competitive contest can draw new customers and give your business a leg up on the competition. Click here to learn more small business marketing tips and how Our Town America’s new mover marketing program and direct mail services can help you expand your loyal customer base this spring. Brittany N. JohnsonBrittany is the head of Our Town America’s corporate marketing department. She specializes in digital and print media, social media, and public relations. […]

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Top Businesses New Movers Visit After Moving

Written by Brittany N. Johnson
Top Businesses New Movers visit after Moving Our Town America New Mover Marketing

New mover marketing gives small businesses the opportunity to help residents feel at home in their new community while elevating profits. More than a third of recent movers say it’s harder to find a house than a spouse, according to a recent survey of more than 2,000 people by Zillow Group, a real estate and lending company. As high demand met limited supply, the housing market in the United States gained a record $6.9 trillion in 2021, nearly doubling the largest annual gain of $3.7 trillion back in 2005. Despite a tight housing market, Americans continue to pack boxes and relocate to places where they can get more bang for their buck. More than 27 million people moved in 2021, the U.S. Census Bureau reported, representing 8.4% of the U.S. population.  After the stress of finding their dream home in the competitive real estate market, the real work begins for new residents. As new movers unpack boxes and hang pictures, an important step of relocating is seeking out essential businesses to help make their new neighborhood feel like home.  Our Town America, the nation’s leading new mover marketing company, has been welcoming new residents to their communities for more than 49 years. We help small businesses drive profits by targeting new residents who have not formed loyalties to competitors. Is your business one of the first stops for new residents? Here are some of the top businesses new movers visit when they’re new to town. Restaurants. Settling into a new home requires a lot of heavy lifting. Furniture needs to be arranged, rooms need to be painted, and boxes need to be unpacked. New residents have little time to think about meal planning as they get settled. Our Town America revealed that the first industry people check out in their brand-new community are restaurants. Takeout food is extremely popular. While the number of restaurants offering delivery has skyrocketed since the outbreak of the pandemic, new residents typically turn to tried-and-true delivery staples, like pizza and Chinese food, after a long day working on their homes. Grocery Stores. One of the first steps new movers take is to re-establish their daily routine. Next on the list for area businesses is finding a grocery store that meets their needs to fill the refrigerator and refresh the pantry. Healthcare. Part of getting established in a new community is finding pediatricians, doctors, and dentists to keep family members healthy. While finding new doctors is not something new movers do on the first night in a new home, it is at the top of their to-do list. Making sure they have an established doctor for a sick visit is key, especially for parents with young children.  Hair and Beauty. Women spend approximately $313 per month on beauty, including hair care. New residents want to look their best as they meet people in their new community or start a new job. Finding the right hair stylist is top-of-mind.  Pet Care. At least 70% of households in the United States own a pet and estimates indicate American pet owners spent $109.6 billion in 2021, the American Pet Products Association reported. Pet lovers are willing to open their wallets to ensure their pets receive high-quality food and care. In addition to veterinarians, pet owners need to secure groomers, kennels, and pet supplies for their furry friends. Our Town America can help small businesses tap the new mover market by sending them an upscale welcome package filled with category-exclusive proven offers. Each month, Our Town America prints more than a million personalized gift certificates and welcomes more than 500,000 new movers nationwide to their new communities by introducing them to local businesses.  In addition to the businesses listed above, new mover marketing can help mechanics, wine shops, fitness centers, home service providers, dry cleaners and more. And, statistics show, at least 95% of new movers would visit a business that welcomed them to their new home, according to survey results from Our Town America. Track Your ROI If your business is one of the first stops for new residents, new mover marketing can drive sales. The next step is to track your results. Our Town America’s tracking app can help you see results in real-time on your mobile device. Our TruTrak® mobile app allows you to validate and scan redemptions at the point of sale or whenever is best for your business. The app allows you to track your return on investment and can trigger a second mailing to first-time customers to encourage them to return. It also is equipped to gather detailed demographic data of new customers you can use to improve your marketing efforts.  Learn More About Our Town America To learn more about new mover marketing and how Our Town America can help your business increase profits, visit www.ourtownamerica.com to start adding loyal customers. Brittany N. JohnsonBrittany is the head of Our Town America’s corporate marketing department. She specializes in digital and print media, social media, and public relations. […]

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5 Ways New Mover Marketing Helps Pizza Restaurant Owners

Written by Brittany N. Johnson
5 Ways New Mover Marketing Helps Pizza Restaurant Owners Out Town America

To help rebuild his business after a COVID-induced slump in sales, pizzeria owner Steve Dapolita relied on new mover marketing to drive the location’s dinner menu. New mover marketing helped his business thrive, and these five tips can help your business get back in the black as well. Bisonte Pizza Co. owner Steve Dapolita implemented new mover marketing to drum up business following the outbreak of the pandemic. The pizzeria, located in Charlotte, North Carolina, was a popular lunchtime location for area workers. COVID safety measures shuttered office buildings near the restaurant, and his customers were forced to do business remotely, sending Dapolita’s lunchtime sales on a downward trend. Bisonte Pizza Co. won first place in the third annual CBS Radio Pizza Wars and won “Best Wings,” at the Charlotte Wingfest. The restaurant specializes in Buffalo, New York-style pizza, pasta, subs, salads and wings. Dapolita uses family heirloom recipes passed down through generations. To help rebuild his business, Dapolita relied on new mover marketing to drive the location’s dinner menu. The new marketing efforts helped increase traffic, and the location is now thriving. Sales in 2021 jumped more than 35% from the prior year. In addition to adding new mover marketing, Dapolita opted to use direct mail postcards offering a BOGO deal. New mover marketing helps pizza restaurants add new customers before they form loyalties with competitors. And moving is on the rise recently. At least one out of 10 Americans moved in 2021, a study of more than 2,000 people by Zillow revealed. As part of the new mover marketing program, new residents receive a welcome package filled with proven offers. Getting settled in a new home takes a lot of work, and a home-cooked meal is likely not in the cards during the first weeks in a new home. Receiving a proven offer to your pizza shop will bring your location top-of-mind when dinner time rolls around. Here are five ways new mover marketing can help you increase foot traffic and add loyal customers at your pizza joint: New movers open wallets New movers are big spenders. Research suggests new movers spend more than $10,000 on furniture, appliances and home repairs during the first year in their new homes, according to the National Association of Home Builders. In addition to renovations, they are willing to spend money to turn their new houses into homes. While they are settling into their new communities, many new movers are willing to try new brands as they establish their routine. New mover marketing is designed to send them a proven offer shortly after their arrival. Capturing a new resident’s attention quickly is key to making your pizza shop a regular pitstop. Drive repeat business While pizza sales soared in 2020, pizzerias had to work hard not to lose market share as the number of restaurants offering delivery climbed. Faced with initial success, competition from other fast-food chains and delivery businesses like Uber Eats caused sales to dip, U.S. News & World Report revealed. Once a new mover comes into your pizzeria to redeem your offer, providing customer service and a quality product will ensure their loyalty. Some new mover marketing companies take it a step further by sending a follow-up offer to thank them for their visit. The follow-up offer typically includes another proven offer to give them the incentive they need to stop by again. Accurate mailing lists One of the hallmarks of a successful new mover marketing program is accurate mailing lists. An outdated mailing list defeats your goal of reaching new residents. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated that 27.1 million people moved in 2021. As the surge in people relocating continues, making sure your new mover mailing lists are updated is vital. Find a company that gets lists of people who file an address change. Make sure the list is filtered to weed out duplicates and updated at least once a month. High return on investment Industry data indicates pizzerias and pizza restaurants often see high response rates from enlisting in a new mover marketing program. The average response rate for a Marco’s Pizza location in Mansfield, Ohio, is 22%, and a Pisanello’s Pizza in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, garnered an average response rate of 21%. Crowded email inboxes and an influx of online advertisements make a tangible offer that arrives in the mailbox stand out. While people can delete an email with one click and scroll past your ad on their newsfeed, they take note of high-quality, new mover marketing mailers. Strong tracking tools Developing an effective marketing strategy takes time. As you experiment with different options that will work for your business, it’s important to track your return on investment. Updating your social media feed on a daily basis might not be essential if it’s not generating sales. Pick a new mover marketing provider with high-tech tracking tools that makes it easy for you to scan redemptions and track results. Current events and labor shortages make running a small business a challenge. Achieving self-sufficiency and being in charge of your future make it worth the effort. Having a marketing strategy that converts will help lighten the load and allow you to achieve financial freedom. Brittany N. JohnsonBrittany is the head of Our Town America’s corporate marketing department. She specializes in digital and print media, social media, and public relations. […]

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