THE STERLINGINSIDERT H E S T E R L I N G L I G H T I N G , L L C N E W S L E T T E R

W W W . S T E R L I N G - L I G H T I N G . C O M Experience the Difference! 703-997-5514

VOLUME XIIIWINTER 2019

DIRECT MAIL MARKETING: ANYTHING BUT DEADn our modern, digita l age, direct mai l marketing may

seem l ike a rel ic from the past . After a l l , we don’t r ide horses to work or contact our fr iends through pagers anymore, so why would we use an outdated marketing method? However, whi le onl ine marketing has i ts benefits , there’s a reason top marketers and agencies continue to rely on direct mai l as part of their marketing strategy.

The s imple answer is : because it works!

In 2016, the Data & Marketing Associat ion reported that direct mai l customer response rates had increased by 43%, and—even more impressive—prospect response rates had increased by 190% compared to 2015. One major reason for these increases is a decrease in competit ion. Fewer companies are sending out pr int pieces, which means

companies who are st i l l us ing direct mai l marketing have a better chance of catching a homeowner’s interest .

Having owned a data and direct mai l company for 23 years before coming onboard as Ster l ing Light ing’s General Manager, I ’ve seen just how successful direct mai l marketing campaigns can be. Not only is direct mai l an effect ive way to strengthen your relat ionships with exist ing

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THE STERLING INSIDER VOLUME XIII | WINTER 20192

customers through newsletters and special offers , but i t a lso connects you with prospects through highly targeted campaigns.

Addit ional ly, by assist ing Patr ick with his direct mai l campaigns with Ster l ing Light ing’s s ister company that does design and instal lat ions, Enl ightened Lighting, I ’ve learned a lot about creat ing direct mai l campaigns specif ical ly designed for landscape l ight ing companies. Now, I ’m able to help Ster l ing Light ing customers get and stay on track with their own direct mai l marketing efforts .

DIRECT MAIL MARKETING 101A lot of business owners are hesitant about start ing a direct mai l campaign because they don’t know where to start or how much it wi l l cost . Once you break i t down, however, you’ l l f ind i t ’s actual ly quite easy to create a direct mai l marketing plan!

TARGETING YOUR AUDIENCEAs Patr ick wrote about in our last newsletter, knowing your audience is key. Before you get into designing your marketing piece, you want to know who your audience is . These are some of the most important quest ions you should consider: How old is my customer? What is the value of his or her house? What is the typical household income?

Using this information, you then want to determine the geographic area (z ip codes) you want to target . If you instal l l ights in a rural area, you may be wi l l ing to dr ive or send your crews a l i tt le further down the road. However, i f you own a business in a crowded metropol itan area with terr ible traff ic , the geographic area you target may need to be smal ler.

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MESSAGING AND DESIGNThis is where you get to be creat ive. You need to make your mai ler stand out so i t gets noticed. Whi le direct mai l competit ion may have decreased in recent years , you st i l l only have one opportunity to catch the homeowner’s attention with your design and message, so don’t waste i t . You may even want to consider invest ing in a professional photographer to take pictures of your best instal lat ions. The type of marketing piece you send out is another important considerat ion.

When I f i rst helped Patr ick with his direct mai l marketing, we were doing a lot of postcards and tr i-fold mai lers for Enl ightened Lighting. Our message was being noticed—but we were missing a lot of bigger opportunit ies . From the postcards and tr i-folds, Enl ightened was bidding on $1,500 to $4,000 jobs. However, when we switched over to a beautiful 4-color, 8-page 8.5” x 11” catalog, the very f i rst job Patr ick sold was for $25,000! In addit ion to bigger jobs, Enl ightened was also gett ing more cal ls for quotes. Whi le we did pay more to design, pr int , and mai l the catalog, the ROI was far superior to the 6” x 11” postcard.

TRACKING YOUR LEADSIt ’s important to know how effect ive your marketing efforts are. Thankful ly, i t ’s easier than ever to track your campaigns to see which are performing wel l and which could be doing better. I suggest using a dedicated phone number and/or a landing page for each of your direct mai l p ieces. Enl ightened uses Cal lRai l for trackable phone numbers. With Cal lRai l you can purchase a bank of 10 unique phone numbers for a relat ively smal l pr ice. When you log in to your company’s prof i le , you’ l l immediately see how each marketing campaign is performing and be able to make data-dr iven decis ions about your next marketing campaigns.

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PRINTING, MAILING, AND POSTAGEYou’ve nai led down your audience, you’ve created a stunning, eye-catching pr int piece, and you have a dedicated phone number or landing page for your marketing campaign. Now, i t ’s t ime to get into pr int ing, mai l ing, and postage.

Once you know your audience demographics , you want to get a mult iple-use mai l ing l ist . Not only wi l l you get a better deal on the cost of the data, but you’ l l be able to use the l ist as many t imes as you want within the year. This is important s ince studies have shown that people are more l ikely to respond if you mai l marketing pieces to them more than once.

Next , with your mult iple-use l ist in hand, I can run a count for you to give you an idea what the est imated postage cost wi l l be. Remember: postage should never be your highest cost . The USPS offers s ignif icant ly reduced postage rates for what we cal l presort standard mai l that is processed and

del ivered to your local Sect ional Center Faci l i ty. You marketing campaigns wi l l l ikely qual i fy for a number of discounts, including discounts for automation and high-density presort . We can often mai l a 6” x 11” postcard for as l i tt le as $0.17 a piece and a 8.5” x 11” catalog for $0.25 a piece.

Once your piece is mai led out and the cal ls start coming in , then it ’s a l l up to you and your sales team to take those leads and turn them into l i fe long customers.

It ’s 2019, folks . It ’s a new year and a great opportunity to grow your business. I would be happy to discuss your marketing needs and help you get started. You can cal l our off ice or emai l me at j im@sll ights.com to set up a t ime to go over a marketing plan for your company. You may have to start smal l , but the important thing is that you start somewhere!

J im Heim General Manager

When you’re running a business, it can be difficult to find the time to sit down with a good book. However, if you often find yourself on the road, driving from the office to the hardware store to the jobsite (and then back to the hardware store again), a podcast is a great way to pass time productively. These three podcasts are just a few of the Sterling team’s favorites!

ENTRELEADERSHIPIf you’re interested in what top entrepreneurs have to say about overcoming the hurdles of building a business and becoming a respected leader, the EntreLeadership podcast is packed full of lessons, life stories, and valuable tips from some of the most successful businessmen and women in the world.

WORKLIFEHosted by TED speaker and New York Times bestselling author, Adam Grant, each episode of the WorkLife podcast delves into the inner-workings of

Our Top Three Favorite Podcasts remarkable workplaces—from the writer’s room on the Daily Show with Trevor Noah all the way to the International Space Station—to see the creative ways they tackle common issues that affect every workplace.

THE WAY I HEARD ITWhile this podcast may not offer tips and tricks to grow your business, nor feature interviews from top businesspeople, each short episode explores an intriguing piece of real-life history. Reminiscent of Paul Harvey’s “The Rest of the Story” segments, Mike Rowe’s down-to-earth style of storytelling is great for curious minds when you only have a few minutes to spare. These podcasts are available to download on iTunes, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

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W W W . S T E R L I N G - L I G H T I N G . C O M Experience the Difference! 703-997-5514

IN THIS ISSUE

1 | Direct Mail Marketing: Anything But Dead2 | Cover Story Cont’d3 | Our Top Three Favorite Podcasts4 | Make the Most of Your Trade Associations

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Becoming part of a trade associat ion can be a great experience. However, i t ’s important to remember that you’ l l only get out of the experience what you put into i t . With that in mind, here are some of our top t ips on making the most of your trade associat ion memberships.

Create a Network

Joining an associat ion, such as the Associat ion of Outdoor Light ing Professionals (AOLP) , is a great way to meet other professionals in your f ie ld. Take advantage of annual events and don’t be afraid to socia l ize. Developing a network of landscape l ight ing professionals that spans the nat ion (or even the globe) can open your eyes to new ideas, techniques, and products.

Further Your Education

Many landscape l ight ing associat ions offer cert i f icat ion c lasses and continuing education

opportunit ies , l ike the Internat ional Landscape Lighting Inst itute ( i l l i ) out of the University of Oklahoma. Perfect ing your craft has many obvious benefits , and there is real value in learning the latest l ight ing design and instal lat ion techniques from cert if ied professionals . Take advantage of these opportunit ies when they ar ise and you’ l l f ind that not only wi l l your knowledge grow, but your business wi l l as wel l .

Give Back

I a lways encourage fel low l ight ing professionals to not only join an associat ion, but a lso get involved. Join a committee or apply to serve on the board. Sharing your experiences and mentoring others can be extremely valuable to other landscape l ight ing professionals who are just gett ing started. You’ l l f ind yourself forming new fr iendships and learning more than you would ever expect .

Make the Most of Your Trade Associations