04.05.2022
CUSTOMER SUCCESS STORY
How a Calgary-Based Home Renovation Business is Growing with Direct Mail
Over the past few years, the home has taken on an entirely new meaning. For many of us, it’s where we’ve spent the majority of our time working, resting, and enjoying leisurely activities with loved ones. As we adapted to spending more time at home, businesses were also pivoting. They needed new ways to interact with customers that stretched beyond the brick-and-mortar experience. Business owner Brett Murphy can attest to that.
Brett’s Calgary-based business Custom Roll-Out Drawers helps homeowners revitalize their space and “learn to love their home again” through custom renovations and storage solutions—from cabinet refacing to countertops, closet organization, and more.
Since the company’s inception in 2003, its marketing strategy has mainly focused on exhibiting at home shows in Calgary and surrounding areas. As the pandemic set in and events dwindled, the company needed another way to attract new customers.
“Over the past two years, home shows have been few and far between. We needed to look at other options for lead generation, so I went back to what I know works—direct mail."
How Direct Mail Has Advanced Over the Decades
Brett first learned about direct mail advertising through his father’s house cleaning business over 20 years ago. During that time, the process of targeting customers was complex and time-intensive.
“Before Canada Post had Precision Targeter to segment households to mail to, we would purchase Statistics Canada information on neighbourhood demographics so we could pinpoint our target market,” says Brett.
At that time, the family outsourced printing and would then spend hours counting and bundling their direct mail pieces—up to 3,000 pieces a week—before handing them over to Canada Post for delivery. “We would roll six-foot maps out across a table and highlight the neighbourhoods we wanted to target.”
Today, Custom Roll-Out Drawers can segment their audience with just a few clicks. Using Canada Post’s online Precision Targeter tool, Brett can select up to three audience attributes from a list including household income, age, family structure, type of dwelling, and other demographic and behavioural data points. From there, he can narrow down his audience by geography—whether it be by the municipality, postal code, or even a specified drive distance from his shop.
Finding Success with Direct Mail in Calgary
Since mid-2020, Brett has been working with a Calgary-based direct mail partner to run a series of direct mail campaigns now totaling over 45,000 pieces. Targeting a series of postal codes that match the company’s ideal customer profile, Brett strategically drops mailers to the same households multiple times throughout the year—a tactic that increases brand recall and the likelihood of conversion.
“I’ve had people call me and they’ve held onto two or three of my postcards, so I know it can take a few touchpoints before the customer will reach out."
“So far, the direct mail campaigns have successfully replaced the leads we were getting from home shows. We will return to events when they come back, but we’ll also continue our mailers so we can double our volume of leads,” says Brett.
“Canada Post’s Smartmail Marketing program can be turned on and off almost instantly, and it’s quite cost-effective. The flexibility and targetability offered by direct mail marketing works amazing for our business.”
For small business owners, investing in marketing that is cost-effective and provides a great return on investment is so valuable. To learn more about their business, visit www.rolloutdrawers.com.
How can your business get started with Direct Mail?
Ready to learn more about how your business can achieve its marketing goals with direct mail? Learn more about direct mail marketing on our website, or download our free eBook: The 6 Step Guide to Direct Mail Marketing below.