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It seems like mass mailing is like throwing a net out into the ocean with everybody else. This is a diverse industry, so I suppose it matters exactly what you are trying to sell, but it seems like many of you are doing the kind of work that some of your clients have some similar circumstances more than income or zip code.
Most design work that I get involved in comes very soon after the purchase of a property, yet much more during the construction or reconstruction of a property. That is a pretty specific market. It may not be the same circumstances that fit your market, but I would guess that if you really think about it, certain parts of your business probably has a good percentage of some unique circumstances that you could look to target.
The design/build that I do a lot of work for does do a lot of work, but not on a lot of jobs. Their reputation within certain circles makes it so that marketing is not something they do much of. The work come to them and it takes only a few jobs to fill the years schedule. But, if they had unlimited capacity to take on more work, I would definitely be frequenting planning board, zoning board, and conservation commission meetings to see who is permitting what. Names of owners, even those who have not closed yet, and the nature of the projects will give you pretty good insight to who might be needing our services. If you can make contact early, maybe get involved with some of the permitting process when applicable, you could be owning the job before the lot gets cleared.
That is a pretty specific example that only fits one small segment, but I'm sure that more people decide to add a patio or retaining wall, or planting in response to something else that they are doing or as a result of some circumstance much more than because someone sent an offer in the mail or hung something on their knob .... I meant door knob.
Keep your eye out for pool permit applications, permits for additions, property transactions. It is better to mail 10 letters to these people than 3,000 to people who made 200k last year.
Marketing something like mowing could work well with a big net since there are all kinds of demographics that use this type of service since you might not be looking for a specific type or size of fish as long as you catch 'em. I think the hard part is that so many people are fishing the same water that all the bait looks the same sometimes.
I have no real (or reel, if we like the fish metaphor) experience in marketing. These are just based on observation.
Look for things that need to get done to create the circumstances that seem to be present when you get jobs. Then try to tap information sources that can give you a heads up. Those might be regulatory boards, real estate transactions, permits pulled, or design professionals further up the pipeline like architects, engineers, sewer installers, or land surveyors. If you can find a way to help any of those design professionals so that you can interact with them frequently, you could find yourself getting good leads very early on in a project.
Just something to think about at a time of year when money is tight and you have time on your hands.
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