Collaborating with outside professionals can also crystallize your assemblage of ideas. “Let us visually problem-solve,” says Tom Gamertsfelder, Wentworth’s designer at Fathom Creative. Prior to their first meeting, Wentworth identified the topics he wanted his newsletter to cover and sifted through years of project photos. “I had bits and pieces of things, and more photos than Tom could ever use,” Wentworth says.
The initial meeting helped refine Wentworth’s ideas. “Bruce kept spouting these construction terms,” Gamertsfelder recalls, “so I said why not define them?” Hence the “Terms & Definitions You Should Know” section of “Living Design,” which briefly defines 18 terms used often — but perhaps not always understood — in historic remodels, such as muntin, pilaster, and rosette. The final product also drew from publications brought in to spark brainstorming. Grant, for instance, brought in some tabloid publications, as well as “a gorgeous yoga brochure. I loved the way it feels,” she says, and “I knew we wanted to create something that [homeowners] would hold onto.”
Right Hook, Left Hook “The first hook is visual,” according to Levine. “You can have wonderful language, but the reader won’t get to it unless the pictures catch the eye.” Professional photography is a must, preferably by an architectural photographer. “People really relate to a picture if it’s beautiful,” Grant says. “You want them to see it and say, ‘I want that.’” Gamertsfelder notes that many professional photographers like to shoot in the early morning or the later afternoon when the shadows are more dramatic and the sky color is more vibrant.
More than one photo can be a good thing, but too many can appear overly busy. Alan Field, Levine’s marketing director (and an architect) strives to give the company’s postcards an “architecty” feel — crisp, close-up photos, clean type, simple colors, well organized.
“Styling the set is also very important,” says Victoria Downing, president of Remodelers Advantage (www.remodelersadvantage.com). “So choose someone who understands that they have to move the hoses out of the yard and take the magnets off the refrigerator!” Paul Bowers, a professional photographer in San Diego (www.paulmbowers.com) says that he prepares homes by removing clutter, rearranging or editing furniture, adding or removing flowers, using window lighting, and sometimes adding additional lighting.
Consider introducing other graphical elements into your marketing materials as well. A striking element of Wentworth’s newsletter is “In the Works,” which takes his original sketch of a current project (a basement renovation for the first issue), overlays it with blocks of color, and intersperses small photos to suggest the completed project’s products and finishes. “I thought the mixture was kind of cool because it shows how the project is evolving from sketch to reality,” Wentworth says.
As for the verbal hook, use words that will arouse the reader’s interest, differentiate you from the competition, and communicate your benefits. “Don’t say too much,” Perry advises. Three or four succinct points are sufficient for a postcard, for instance — particularly when targeting time-stressed, often dual-income prospects. Downing says that a testimonial from “a prominent person in their social strata” can speak volumes to this crowd.
Restraint is the rule for longer mailings as well. “You’re not trying to sell the whole story,” Grant says. “You can be a lot more content heavy on the Web site,” so use your mailing to drive traffic there. Field considers www.thelevinegroup.com “the marketing hub, and everything else the spokes. Everything we’re doing will direct people to our Web site.”
Wentworth’s newsletter doesn’t just give the address of his Web site; it contains several screen shots, a quiz on architectural styles (with answers on the site), and an invitation to “ask the architect,” followed by his personal e-mail address.
Always give your direct mail piece a call to action. “The goal should be to create a sense of urgency and a reason to take action now,” Downing says. “Visit a showroom, call for a complimentary consultation, attend a seminar.” Provide multiple ways of reaching your company — by phone, on the Web, and, for larger mailers, a prepaid mail-back response — and track the responses you get.