First, you can cherry-pick the homes you want to service, which makes good business sense because you know the areas where you already service, and you’re smart enough to target those neighborhoods for more customers. Very few homes in America are without central HVAC, so there you are in your hometown, and there are all the houses. Not just houses, but houses filled with people who I can tell you a whole lot about. Like their income, education, whether they rent or own, the age of the home, whether the occupants are married or single, have a credit card, and pages of demographics to help qualify whether this is a home that might be profitable to service. HVAC contractors often take this for granted, but in just about any other industry, marketers can’t drive by a home and know whether or not a potential customer lurks inside. The question is, what are you doing to add more customers in the areas of town that are your most profitable?
Another strength of direct mail is the high “reactivation” rates for past customers. It’s 10x easier to get one back than it is to conquer a new one. To get a great response rate, make sure you have a great offer and that it’s time-sensitive.
In a world filled with marketing uncertainties, it’s nice to know that your mailer was delivered to someone you want to do business with. And the more you mail to them, the more likely they are to become a customer.