Asheville Archives • Our Town America, Inc.

Which type of Direct Mail Campaign is right for my Business?

Written by Brittany N. Johnson

Traditional Direct Mail vs. New Mover Marketing

New Mover Direct Mail Marketing offers small businesses a cost-effective option for expanding their customer base and, in many cases, generates better response rates than blanketing your community with direct mail ads. So, why is that? Customers tout customer service and value as some of the top influencers for making their shopping decisions, according to Invesp, an online marketing resource. But before you can woo them with your exceptional customer service and uneatable products, you have to first get them through your door. Bolstering sales by adding new customers can be an expensive, uphill battle for small businesses and, typically, it costs five times as much to attract a new customer than to keep an existing one. To further thwart small business advertising efforts, only 36 percent of Americans say they love trying new brands and products, Nielsen reports. Therefore, catching the attention of new customers before they establish loyalties to your competitors is crucial. Our Town America offers a unique twist on traditional direct mail advertising. “We welcome new residents to the community with housewarming offers to local businesses. Moving is stressful, so receiving these offers provides a welcome solution for new movers,” says Michael Plummer Jr., president of Our Town America. By targeting residents new to the area, Our Town America not only enables your business to reach impressionable new movers, but also makes it possible to keep your marketing costs low. Better yet, the U.S. Data Corporation found that 39 percent of consumers try a new business for the first time as a result of receiving a direct mail piece. So, it’s no wonder why many small businesses utilize direct mail marketing. Traditional Direct Mail Marketing However, while businesses can mail to an abundance of recipients, most standard direct mailers require postage fees, are not targeted to a specific demographic, and the results are not trackable. Many times, recipients of repeat direct mailers become immune after seeing the same piece multiple times – especially if they have pre-established habits to competitors. In these cases, it’s unlikely they will choose the “new” business over the one they have loyalty to – which is a recipe for a low response rate. The average response rate for traditional direct mailing lists (not targeted to new movers) was only 4.9 percent last year, according to Fundera, a small business resource. This is one big differentiator between traditional direct mail and New Mover Marketing. New Mover Marketing As mentioned earlier, New Mover Marketing is a cost-effective alternative to blanketing a community with direct mail advertisements and, because of the targeted approach, recipients are actually in need of the tailored one-time use offers. In fact, your business is put in front of a brand-new audience each month – made possible by a thoroughly scrubbed new resident mailing list compiled from multiple reliable sources, such as utility connections, deed transactions, etc. More than 10 percent of the U.S. population, or 32 million people, moved in 2018, according to Moving.com, an online resource. Our Town America’s welcome package reaches these new movers shortly after their move or change of address — before they’ve formed loyalties to other businesses. The program also allows you to lock out your competition in your chosen ZIP codes – meaning you are the only business in your industry in those welcome packages! The company, which opened its doors in 1972, sends residents an enticing, personalized package that compels the new mover to look inside. Each month, Our Town America prints more than 1 million personalized gift certificates and welcomes over half a million new movers across the country to their new communities by introducing them to local businesses. “We spent $20,000 for a direct mailing. The mailing only brought in 20 to 30 people,” said Brian Scott, owner of Village Wines and Spirits. “Why are we going to spend that type of money on a [traditional] direct mailing when we could spend less money, give them something for free, and have more people show up? We can give them decent customer service, and they will come back.” Our Town America’s proven offers are digitally trackable so you can view your response rate. With the TruTrak™ mobile app, businesses can track their return on investment, gather detailed demographic data of new customers, and trigger a follow-up mailing offering a secondary gift or simply thanking the new mover for their first visit. If you’re ready to save money and increase your customer base with a new mover marketing program, visit Our Town America to learn more. 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. […]

Finding Her Franchise Fit

Written by Brittany N. Johnson

Become an Entrepreneur with Our Town America Franchise

There are times in life when we all need a change of pace. For Our Town America franchise owner, Wendy Baird, that change of pace occurred in 2016. Baird is now a successful owner and operator of Our Town America in Asheville. “I have never regretted joining the Our Town America family – not even for one second,” Baird says. “It was a lifestyle change that I needed. It was the best move I’ve ever made.” Asheville has been Baird’s home for nearly two decades. She knows the area well. Baird was born and raised in a town about a 45-mile ride outside of Asheville. She landed a job at a local insurance company while still in high school. “I started there when I was in 11th grade,” she says. “I started out filing paperwork and answering the phone.” Upon high school graduation, Baird earned a Property and Casualty license, taking her part-time job into a full-time career in insurance. Baird worked in the insurance industry for a total of 29 years. Fifteen of those years were spent working as a commercial lines agent. Job functions included writing general liability, property coverage and workers’ compensation for restaurants, apartment complexes and other commercial entities. While it paid the bills, the career had run its course. “I was in it for a long time,” says Baird. “I got tired of sitting behind a desk. I reached the point where when I asked my boss for a raise, I was granted one, but not really enough to make much of a difference. I was scared to make the change, but that pushed me over the edge.” Baird was about to take a journey she had, up to this point, never experienced. With no previous experience with entrepreneurship, she made the bold move to retire from insurance and join the ranks of America’s small-business owners. “I discovered Our Town America through a friend of the family who said I would be good at it,” Baird says. “He kept talking to me about the benefits of being a franchise owner until I knew I was ready to transition away from the insurance business. After several conversations about Our Town America, I was excited to tell him I was ready to start my new career”. Any angst and apprehension about joining Our Town America were soothed when she met with Bassam Safi, the owner of Our Town America in Wilmington, North Carolina. Safi showed her the ropes, allowing Baird to join him as he canvassed and fulfilled appointments. “We spoke in depth about how it had changed his life and how nice it was to be able to work hard but still be able to set your own schedule for time off,” says Baird. “After a few appointments, I was sold. I knew I wanted to become part of the OTA family.” What began as a curiosity has turned into two years of a dedicated commitment by Baird to provide a service that connects Asheville’s new residents to the area’s favorite businesses. When people move, they leave everything they’ve established in their old town behind,” she says. “They need a new hair salon, pizza place, steakhouse, etc. My job is to help both new movers, and the small-business owners providing the services, establish new relationships.” The transition from selling insurance to B2B was a minor adjustment, but Baird’s friendly disposition and dedication to working hard never wavered. “Working in the insurance business, people needed me, they came into our business for services,” she says. “This is different. I go out and search for these businesses. It’s my job to explain how I can help their business gain new loyal customers.” Baird says the experience she had selling insurance gave her the necessary confidence when she had to become a full-time saleswoman outside the office. She’s thankful for the 29 years of experience she accumulated but isn’t second-guessing her decision to go the entrepreneurial route. “I love the freedom that comes with owning an Our Town America franchise,” says Baird. “I love that there isn’t a limit to the money I can make. I love that I can take time off to visit my grandbabies, keep them for a week, travel anytime and anywhere without asking for time off because I’m THE boss!” She understands being a business owner isn’t for everyone, but she encourages those giving it serious consideration to go for it! “Take the leap like I did. If I hadn’t, I’d probably still be sitting behind a desk somewhere, looking out the window wishing I had taken the opportunity when it was presented to me.” Baird believes Our Town America is the perfect lily pad for those contemplating making the leap. “The corporate office staff is very supportive and helpful in every way to help you reach your goals,” she says. “It’s like we are all one big happy extended family. We have annual conventions and we go on vacations together. They mix a lot of fun in with a lot of information to help you achieve more sales and reach your goals.” Are you looking for a change of pace like the one Wendy has achieved? Does the Our Town America franchise opportunity sound like it could be for you? If so, learn more at https://www.ourtownamerica.com/franchise-us/. 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. […]