A Rock Solid Way to Create a Steady Flow of Home Inspections

No one wants to spend a lot of their hard earned money on advertising, but if you have a good marketing strategy, you will be able to get new customers without breaking the bank. Although it might seem old-fashioned to some, using direct mail marketing will boost your client base and help your home inspection business grow very fast.

DIRECT MAIL IS A JACK OF ALL TRADES FOR HOME INSPECTORS

Many people shy away from direct mail because they feel it is cost prohibitive and not very effective. But done correctly, direct mail marketing is an extremely viable way for you to launch your home inspection business into higher sales.

With the right mailing list and the right message, the cost becomes negligible, and you are able to get results you wouldn’t believe.

There are several core reasons for this. All age groups go to the mailbox regularly, direct mail is highly targeted, and this type of marketing is not difficult to create or maintain. As long as you understand the intricacies of a direct mail campaign, this can be a very lucrative way for you to get home inspections.

BUILDER'S HOME WARRANTY MAILING LIST

Knowledge is half the battle. If you can pinpoint your target audience, then you will be better able to allocate your marketing budget in order to gain new customers. This is the difference between success and failure. You could have the best campaign in the world, but if it does not fit the needs of your typical customer, you are wasting your money.

One lucrative angle is to go after homeowners who bought a new home about one year ago.

Most homeowners forget about the one year builders warranty that came with their home, or they are not aware in the first place or just simply too busy to think about it.

By getting a builders home warranty mailing list for homeowners who are 11 months out from their purchase, you can remind them about their builders warranty expiration, and as a result, get more work.

These home inspections are fun to do, and you can really assist these homeowners in getting the most out of their home warranty before it expires.

A GOLD MINE FOR HOME INSPECTORS

The key to creating new leads, and therefore customers, is to make connections with potential customers. Direct mail is a great way to do that, especially if you carefully target the people who receive that mail. Customers whose home warranty expires soon are excellent candidates for several reasons.

Good Use of Cash
If you are targeting a specific group of people, those whose home warranties are expiring, this is an excellent use of your money. This means that 100% of the people that receive your marketing are potential customers. This is obviously an extremely high percentage, and there is so much opportunity among this group of people to get more clients.

Little Competition with Other Home Inspectors
Creativity wins clients, and in order to get new customers, you have to put yourself out there. Unlike in realtor referred inspections, where each realtor passes on 3 names of prospective home inspection businesses, most home inspectors do not think about the 11th month home warranty direct mail. If you are the only game in town, you will stand out for your forethought and your hustle, and this will ultimately lead to more business.

No Conflict of Interests
With this type of client, you do not have to carefully straddle the line between customer and realtor, or offer “soft reports.” You can go into the space and help your client make the most of their home warranty before it expires.

Better Bottom Line
If you target several new homes in one area, you can save money and travel time. These types of home inspections are also easier in that you are trying to help your customer rather than nit-picking for a real estate sale.

Helps You Be in Control
When you do the legwork of getting new clients by a direct mail campaign like this, you don’t have to depend on other people to get you work. You can be autonomous from realtors but still make some cash.

FOCUSED FIVE FOR FINANCIAL SUCCESS

Direct mail marketing, and targeting the 11th month home inspections, will be successful if you do it correctly. Take note of the following tips to get the most from your money:

• Buy a high-quality home warranty mailing list in order to get the best results. Since the lists are tailored to exactly what you need, you will attract and appeal to the people you are trying to reach. The keys to a quality mailing list include:
  • Making sure the expiration date for the customer’s home warranty is accurate.
  • Ensuring the list is free from investment properties or places where the owner themself is not occupying the home.
  • Verifying that the contact information is accurate.
  • Making sure the list is updated for you on the monthly basis since you don't want to spend your precious time on figuring out who and when to mail.
• Your advertising needs to catch the homeowner’s attention. Great copy, eye-catching photos, and an appeal to the fact that the warranty is expiring will serve you well. The sense of urgency the home owner feels will compel them to call and schedule an appointment.
• By using and analyzing the data from direct mail analytics, you can see how successful your campaign is. You can then use that information to adjust any aspects of the campaign that need to be tweaked.
• Utilizing a landing page will boost your conversion rates and provide prospective customers with additional information that is too large to fit on your postcard. This is a great way to help the customer focus on your message.
• Repetition is the key to success. When people continue to see your name because you send the 3-4 postcards, they will begin to trust you. With trust comes bookings. And with bookings come the cash flow you need to run a successful business.

COST OF BUILDER'S HOME WARRANTY DIRECT MAIL

As with anything else, there are several ways you can play your direct mail campaign. The cost will depend on whether you are running it yourself, how big the mailing list is that you are using, and if you need tracking and conversion optimization.

If your budget is extremely limited or you just prefer to handle all the advertising yourself, the do-it-yourself campaign is for you. There are a few tricks to make this work.

• Purchase the Builder's Warranty Mailing List. For about $100, you will have the addresses of several hundred homeowners.
• Use bulk printing to create your postcards for $0.5-0.10 cents a card.
• Print your own labels on the company printer.
• Put stamps on the cards and take them to the Post Office!

Now, if you don’t have the time or interest in doing all the direct mailing steps yourself, hire a print shop to create and print, address, and mail the postcards. Although prices vary, and it depends on how many you order at a time, most reputable print shops will charge between $0.50-0.90 a postcard. Obviously this will be more expensive but will save you a lot of time if you have a large mailing list.

Although, if you really want to boost your response rate and want to know how well your campaign is doing, add tracking and digital ads. This will be the most expensive option, but it will pay for itself in the long run.

WRITE YOUR OWN TICKET

In conclusion, put your future into your own hands and stop depending on realtors to bring you the work you need. With a little hustle and creativity and a few books of stamps, you can target the 11th month warranty crowd and get some home inspection business on your own. Choose the style of campaign that is right for you, and keep at it for several months to keep growing your business.