Homebuilding and remodeling is big news at the moment. With the struggling economy and the slump in the real estate market more owners are choosing to remodel rather than move. The increase in rentals is boosting demand for homebuilding projects such as garages, carports and additional bathrooms. But how do you reach prospective customers to tell them about your services without incurring costly print media advertising? By marketing through email, that’s how. A range of email service providers exists for you to choose from, depending on the size of your mailing list, your marketing budget and your level of expertise.
MailChimp
Having grown to become one of the biggest service providers over the past few years, MailChimp offers options for email marketing that are aimed at the small to mid-sized company. If your mailing list consists of fewer than 2,000 homebuilding subscribers, you can send up to 12,000 emails a month completely free under their Forever Free plan.
The plan includes:
- pre-designed templates
- social sharing options
- mobile delivery
- reporting options
- online archives
- geo-targeting of prospects
This means you can offer specific building services in particular areas, such as roofing repairs in an area recently hit by high winds. MailChimp also allows seamless integration with several social media platforms, and it really is completely free – although you have to accept MailChimp’s logo in the email footer.
MailerLite
Google’s MailerLite is part of the search giant’s suite of small business tools. At a cost of $99 a year or $8.25 a month for up to 10,000 subscribers, the program targets companies which are new to email marketing and still finding their feet. With templates that are really simple to use, drag and drop image addition, great reporting stats and a pop-up subscribe form, it’s so easy to do that even for the beginner with no HTML skills, builder marketing is just a matter of signing up and working through the tutorials.
MailerLite can handle up to 50,000 homebuilding subscribers with its top-of-the-range package at $495 a year, although the number of emails you can send to your list is unlimited.
Constant Contact
One of the original players in the email market, CC has been around for a number of years and has a reputation for being well-established and solid. From $15 a month for 5,000 subscribers you get pretty much the same features as the other two options, and if your list of homebuilding customers has more than 25,000 subscribers, premium pricing gets you hands-on management from the company.
CC also has an online survey tool that’s quite handy when you need to get feedback from your list. Customer reviews are an important tool in builder marketing, and by using the CC survey after completing a project you can elicit testimonials that you can use on your website, social media profiles and future emails.
And if you don’t have a creative bone in your body, CC will design a custom template just for you—at a price, of course. From $399 upwards, the company will create a unique email design that reflects your products and services, program it into your very own template and upload it into your account.
Making Your Choice
Choosing an email service provider for your builder marketing purposes doesn’t need to be a coin toss. Evaluate which provider is best suited to your needs, and sign up for their free trial option. Make sure you test the application thoroughly during the trial period, including the reporting features and support, and try not to get locked into a contract until you know the program is right for you.
Photo courtesy: blog.aspenms.com
