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. […]
Brittany is the head of Our Town America’s corporate marketing department. She specializes in digital and print media, social media, and public relations.
Articles by Brittany N. Johnson:
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. […]
The millennial generation is becoming a force to be reckoned with as they are important customers for small business owners. As their buying power rises, small business owners need to develop creative ways to market to millennials to tap into this lucrative demographic. Millennials range in age from 26 to 41 years old. Propelled by the addition of young immigrants, the millennial generation surpassed baby boomers as the largest population in 2019. Growing up during the Great Recession helped define their character. The millennial generation learned to cope with stagnant wages, high student loan debt, expensive medical bills, and skyrocketing home prices. Although millennials are achievement-oriented and tech savvy, current events initially prevented them from achieving the financial gains of older generations. However, older millennials are now the most financially confident generation, according to research conducted by Investopedia. They have significant buying power, and many of them are buying homes and supporting local businesses. As the spending power of millennials continues to rise, marketers are learning how to capture this unique demographic. Marketing to millennials requires creativity and skill. They prefer a personalized approach from a person or brand they trust. Digitalization drives the behavior and habits of millennials, who are unable to recall a time before the internet. More than 93% of millennials have a smartphone, and at least 48% reported being online “almost constantly.” To capture this digital demographic, here are a few creative ways to market to millennials. Get Optimized. Millennials unlock their smartphones an average of 63 times per day, according to Statista. At the very least, small businesses need to make sure their website is optimized for mobile users. It needs to be easy to navigate on a smartphone or tablet and download quickly. Highlight Your Values. Millennials are socially conscious and environmentally aware. They want to support businesses that share their values. Small businesses can look at the success of socially responsible companies such as Toms or Warby Parker. Toms donates a pair of shoes with every purchase, and Warby Parker donates a pair of glasses. While in-kind donations might not be part of your business model, local businesses can attract millennial customers by supporting valuable causes in their community and highlighting the charitable efforts of employees. Focus on Content. Content marketing is a great tool for small businesses to engage customers and tell them about their products. One of the advantages of social media marketing is the ability to engage customers and receive real-time feedback. Small businesses can benefit by having their customers review their products and tell users about their experience at their business. Small businesses can create brand hashtags, run special contests, and encourage customers to post pictures with their products on social media. Market to New Movers. Millennials make up 42% of homebuyers in the United States, up 37% from the prior year, according to the National Association of Realtors. Following the outbreak the pandemic, many young Americans plumped up their savings accounts and paid down debt, which enabled them to buy their first home. Nearly 48% of older millennials bought their first home in 2020. In addition, nearly 27.1 million people moved in 2021. Small businesses can use New Mover Marketing to capture new homeowners before they form loyalties with competitors. Our Town America has 50 years of experience welcoming new residents to their community by sending them a unique welcome package filled with proven offers to local businesses. To deliver results, Our Town America combines superior services with seamless technology to make each campaign a success. Accurate Lists. Our Town America compiles clean New Mover Lists featuring accurate and timely names of people who have filed some sort of address change in the past month. We make sure to remove any redundancies to keep mailing costs low, increase accuracy and decrease wasted advertising dollars. Proven Offer. Our proven offers allow businesses to make a great first impression. Our Town America’s Welcome Package is a sign of hospitality – it is not perceived by recipients as an advertisement. We encourage all local businesses to offer a housewarming gift certificate in our Welcome Package to stand out from the competition. Tracking Tools. Our Town America’s TruTrak® app can be downloaded to a smartphone or mobile device to accurately track redemptions to determine return on investment in a timely manner. The app allows you to scan redemptions at the point of sale or at your leisure. It can also trigger a second mailing to encourage repeat visits and keep your business top-of-mind with the new resident. Getting creative to attract millennial customers by engaging them online and giving them tangible offers will help your local business flourish. If you’re ready to begin adding millennial customers, visit Our Town America today. 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. […]
FOX-TV – Bassam Safi of Our Town America Raleigh discusses the high moving numbers May, National Moving Month, brings with FOX News. Businesses can cash in on this lucrative market by inviting new movers through their business doors. Our Town America, the nation’s premier New Mover Marketing program, keeps a close eye on moving trends year-round and May 2022 may be the busiest ever for the Raleigh area. Real estate prices are skyrocketing causing locals to make choices they normally wouldn’t make. They are moving to new homes and new neighborhoods and millennials are leading the way! Data shows that millennials make up more than 44% of the new movers surveyed during the first months of 2022. This outpaces Gen-Z and the Baby Boomers combined. The National Association of Realtors reports millennials now make up more than 40% of all home buyers which is up 37% since last year. Millennials are now key to the local Raleigh economy. Here’s what Millennials are looking for in a community: Convenience – almost 70% of survey respondents say they must live within range of delivery services and 57% say they would like to be able to walk to restaurants from their homes. Pets impact decisions- Since 76% of millennials are “pet parents” they value pet-friendly neighborhoods. This means neighborhoods with sidewalks and dog parks will win. Pet-focused businesses are gold right now! Suburbs are Popular- The pandemic has made suburbs super attractive to millennials who are often working from home and want space. This creates an opportunity for neighborhood restaurants to thrive. Outdoor space is a must- living through the pandemic shutdowns caused this generation to look for homes with outdoor space. There is more value in porches, decks and fenced-in yards than ever. Watch video for full interview. — Our Town America supports small businesses across the nation 365 days per year. If you’re a local Raleigh-area business looking to reach new or current customers via direct mail or digital marketing, contact Bassam Safi at 910-352-5776. If your business is located outside the Raleigh area, contact Our Town America corporate at 1-800-497-8360 to be connected with your local representative. 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. […]
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. […]
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. […]
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. […]
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. […]
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. […]
As we leave 2021 in the rearview and start fresh, it’s time to head back to the drawing board and figure out ways to spice up your marketing strategy for the months ahead. Your marketing efforts help build your company’s reputation and boost sales. Insights gleaned from marketing will enable you to make decisions about your operations and stay ahead of the competition. Marketing can help you reach your target demographic and create paying customers. It’s vital to take time on a regular basis to review your marketing strategy and ditch components that aren’t yielding results, as well as test new ideas. Our Town America has been helping small businesses add loyal customers since 1972. Over our 49-year history, we’ve garnered insights into successful marketing strategies. We know what converts and the steps small businesses can take to increase profits. Here are some ideas of fresh marketing strategies you need to consider adding to your advertising toolkit. Text Ads. Americans spent five to six hours a day on their mobile devices in 2021. Businesses rely on texting to communicate everything from appointment times to prescription refills. If you aren’t already using texts as part of your marketing strategy, it’s time to get started. Customers prefer receiving texts about discounts, special offers, and loyalty promotions, a survey of more than 1,000 people revealed. Keep your message short and sweet and send it during regular business hours. Make sure to research new rules and regulations regarding text ads before getting started. Focus on Content. Many small business owners establish themselves as authorities in their industry by using content marketing. Creating relevant content for your customers will help raise brand awareness and build relationships. At least 82 percent of people who work in marketing actively use content marketing for their clients. Content marketing can also help you take advantage of search engine optimization to increase traffic to your website. Not only is content marketing an effective tool to have in your arsenal, but it also costs less than traditional advertising and generates more leads, according to the Content Marketing Institute. Creating content can be a challenge for small-business owners who are already stretched for time. Taking time at the beginning of the year to create a content calendar will ensure your efforts don’t fizzle out as the months go by. Make it Personal. Nearly 52 percent of the world’s population uses social media, spending at least 145 minutes scrolling on a daily basis. Social media helps small businesses get personal by putting a face on their business. It enables them to connect with customers to build brand loyalty. Make it a priority to include personal posts on your social media platforms. Showcase your employees, teach a lesson, don’t be afraid to add humor, and make sure to reply to customer comments. Welcome New Movers. Direct mail remains a steadfast method for generating foot traffic and increasing sales. In addition to direct mail postcards, Our Town America helps businesses add loyal customers by targeting new movers. As part of our program, we welcome new residents to their community by sending them a Welcome Package filled with category-exclusive proven offers from local small businesses. New movers spend more on goods and services and have not formed loyalties to your competitors. Our Town America’s strategy gets customers through your doors, and the rest is up to you. Create a Referral Program. In our digital world, small businesses that strive to create connections stand out from the crowd. Small businesses need to pay attention to what is happening in the lives of their customers to ensure their marketing message hits home. Being proactive and having the tools in place to receive customer feedback can help generate repeat business and increase profits. Creating a referral program is a simple way to connect with your customers. Rewarding loyal customers for spreading the word about your business is a win-win. Your loyal customers will be grateful for the accolade, and your sales will rise. Go Back to Basics. Grassroots marketing helps people put a face to your business and raise brand awareness in person. As we all try to put the pandemic on the back burner, going back to the basics and attending community events or sponsoring sports teams can help get the word out to potential customers. Form Loyalties With New Residents If you are ready to create a marketing strategy that will help boost sales, contact Our Town America to find out more about how our new mover marketing program delivers results. 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. […]
