“If a project does exceptionally well or wins an award, we notify a variety of publishing outlets,” he says. “E-mail allows us to send image files of projects with less expense and more accessibility than printing and mailing.” The cost reduction means Otogawa-Anschel can continue pursuing high-profile national publications such as Dwell and The New York Times as well as local and industry media. “It allows us to reach a greater audience,” Anschel says.
For all of e-mail’s marketing potential, remodelers across the board say that direct, presale e-mail marketing is a bad idea. The inbox is a personal space not to be intruded upon. “E-mail is still a very intimate thing,” Rodriguez says. “We only send e-mail to clients, people who have requested information, and friends of the company. And we always allow people to opt out.”
Stephen Wilson, a marketing consultant whose firm Bizcomm works with remodelers nationwide, likens unsolicited e-mail to telemarketing. “If you don’t like someone calling you when you’re trying to eat a bowl of cereal with the kids on Saturday, you’re probably not going to like the intrusion of unwanted e-mail either.”
David Zuckerman is a freelance writer based in New York.