A monthly program of lead generation postcards combined with follow-up by phone has resulted in a 7% response rate for Green Tree Construction.
The Little Neck, NY-based contractor is sending about 20,000 postcards each month to owners of homes ranging in size from one to four families in the Brooklyn and Bronx boroughs of New York City, as well as Nassau County.
The four-color postcards promote services such as installing windows, remodeling kitchens and other services. Recipients are invited to call a toll free number or go to the firm's website to arrange for an estimate.
Green Tree began using postcards to homeowners about four years ago, sending about 5,000 per month. Before that, the firm relied almost exclusively on telemarketing, using about 20 telemarketers who called about 300 homeowners per night. The rise of the National Do Not Call Registry largely reduced telemarketing opportunities for the firm.
"It's funny because 10 years ago 99% of my business was done through telemarketing,” he says. Because of the do-not-call lists, Green Tree rents lists with names and addresses of prospects. Now, only about 10% of those lists include the numbers of people who still allow unsolicited telemarketing calls.
To that small group, Green Tree makes followup calls after the mailing out the postcards. "I'll extend them the courtesy to see if they actually received the postcard and just let them know we're doing work in the area and we'd love to give them a free estimate,” he says.
"We got started with postcards because they got great response and we felt we could reach more people in less time," he says. "Postcards are my business."
In social media, the company has begun dabbling in Facebook to show off work the company has done. "I don't think Facebook is a great way to get business but it's a good way to market your company," he says.
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