Know-How Exchange : Advertising/PR

Dear rhalnes8,

Is this a list of current customers? Or is it a list of people you have no connection with? Either way, to create a deeper relationship with people, you might want to send a letter.

True, a simple postcard can get people's attention, but with a letter, you can go into more detail. You might want to save the postcard to remind customers that their annual service is due in 30 days. But if you MUST use a postcard, make it stand out. Which means, consider going for something that's 8.5" x 11" rather than some iddy-biddy 6" x 4" thing. The bigger postcard can then function as a mini newsletter, one that reminds people of all the chills and icicles that form when the heat packs up on Christmas Eve!

But letter or postcard, the wording you'll use will depend on what action you want people to take, and on the offer you're providing.

If your wording is simply to say "Hi, we're here if you need us!", that alone isn't enough. You'll get more feedback and generate more leads by providing a compelling, benefit rich, value driven message that asks your readers to do a certain thing: call your 800 number, sign up for an appointment via your website, or whatever.

And to get people to do this, to take that SPECIFIC action, there's got to be some reason for them to act. It could be to do with scarcity, abundance, or peace of mind, but whatever it is, it;'s got nothing to do with you fixing their heat, because that's NOT what you're selling.

You're offering warmth when the cold wind blows; you're offering reliable, instant comfort throughout the dead of winter, you're offering cosy, toasty Thanksgivings or Christmas memories.

Don't just sell a service, tell a story and sell a dream. Paint the picture of the life you know your prospect wants to live.

I hope this helps.

Gary Bloomer
Wilmington, DE, USA

What can happen to your furnace if you DON'T get a fall tuneup?
That's where your 'catchy' line is.

But, unless you offer something that the established HVAC companies don't, (i.e. 24/7 service, etc.) you might just be better off sending an oversized postcard that introduces yourself to your new neighbors and lets them know how you can ADD VALUE by having them hire you to ensure that their systems are working efficiently - so that they're always comfortable, no matter what the season.

FYI - there are also home warranty companies that use 'specialists'
to service their clients heating/cooling systems. You might also want to try that as a way to establish your new business in the community.

Hope that helps.

Dear rhalnes8, Dear Phil,

Postcard OR letter, I have no problem with either, and Phil, you're the more experienced in this realm, so naturally, your viewpoint is wider and fuller than mine.

The effective thing about a letter is that the envelope can be (and in my opinion always ought to be) part of the overall message and can have a compelling teaser or question, the answer to which is inside the envelope. The act of opening the letter can also be used to engage readers.

Does this work every time? No, of course not. The thing to do
with your postcard is to have you offer on BOTH sides, this way, regardless of the which way up it is in the mail, your offer will be read.

But of greater importance is what you say, who you say it to, and how you say it.

But either way, another idea for text could be "Cold beer? Good! Cold wife? Bad!"

Here's another idea for copy "Which would you rather have, your heating serviced now, without the chilly wait? Or 3 days with no heat and a grumpy family in mid January?"

Or something along these lines.

The thing is to address the dream (or the nightmare) and to sell to the customer's compulsion, NOT to their preferences. No one in their right mind is COMPELLED to wait for their heat to be repaired for THREE DAYS. Hence the power of the possible statement above.

Either way: postcard or letter, be bold and sell to emotion, not just to logic.

I hope this helps.

Gary Bloomer
Wilmington, DE, USA

LOL,

Cold beer, GOOD. Cold FAMILY, (not wife) BAD.

That would grab just about anyone's attention who wants to try and ignore a heating crisis in mid-January.

Nobody Likes A Cold House (except penguins)
It's Not A Question of If...Just When....
Fall Homeowner Checklist (and add non-HVAC items as well to the list)

Sorry, I did not read all the replies. Hopefully I will not restate everything

Postcards work fine for this. I did a postcard for a window cleaning company and pulled in $215,000 in sales. (size-11 x 8.5)

Facts, not opinions is what matters.

As for your little catchy line, you need a good headline. I don't know your company or offer so spitting out one is not something I do.

I know of a company like yours that called it a "19.95 tune-up". (this is about 10 years ago, so prices change). Because they were able to upsell 50% on other maintenance services/parts, they did pretty well.

They generated $2.5 million in new customer sales directly from this type of promotion (through the years)

"Tune up" may seem boring, but 2.5 million sounds darn good to me.

On a postcard the headline is king, the offer is queen and the rest is the court jester keeping attention.

Good luck with it

Paul