Restaurant Case Study

Barley Creek Brewing Company

Background & Business Objective

• Open since 1995, Barley Creek Brewing Company is a restaurant and fully operational brewery in Tannersville, Pennsylvania in the Pocono Mountains.
• In 2004, Louie Ruvane, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, started developing a customer database.
• Barley Creek Brewing is a high volume restaurant, and, as of early 2007, approximately 4,000 contacts – people who have actually been in the restaurant – populated the database.
• The objective of Barley Creek's direct mail postcard campaigns is to leverage their customer database to generate business – motivating customers to return to the restaurant as well as attracting new customers (typically, the friends and family of those in the database).

AmazingMail Solution

• Barley Creek found custom postcards an effective means of generating business at their restaurant and increasing attendance at special events.
• Having customers turn in the postcards to receive a free meal or discount facilitated the tracking of Return On Investment (ROI).
• The ongoing birthday campaign goes far beyond recouping costs.
• The service provides the quality and ease of use that Ruvane requires.
• "The service fulfilled our needs because it was timely and simple, and I did it all from my desktop."

Tracking & Results

• The results of the birthday campaign exceeded Ruvane's expectation. "We'd be happy if the program paid for the mailing costs, but it has surpassed that. We are thrilled with how popular it is and how much people talk about it."
• Ruvane has structured the birthday mailing to facilitate tracking of Return on Investment (ROI). He asked that servers attach the birthday postcards to the guest checks they turn in at the end of the night. Thus, he can easily assess how many postcards were redeemed each week and analyze who specifically utilized them, where they live, etc.
• Tracking of the special event mailings was structured in a similar way. For instance, the customers were required to turn in the postcard for admittance to the Summerfest event.
• "We always utilize the postcard as something to turn in," says Ruvane. That is, whatever perk is associated with postcard can only be obtained by handing it in. This approach gives a general idea of the effectiveness of the program. "Historically, marketing is a necessary evil that you can't track. Having them turn in the postcard lets you track it and take corrective action."

Real Estate Case Study

Urban Brokers Real Estate

Background & Business Objective

• Mark Meyerdirk, a REALTOR® in the Washington DC area, has sent more than 23,000 postcards via AmazingMail.com since 2002.
• The primary purpose of the postcards is marketing. His main goal is to publicize himself as a brand - building presence and name & face recognition in specific communities. Postcards, he says, "are a good way to project a new and professional image – a way to get my brand out there."
• He targets various communities consistently, sending marketing pieces to all residents in that area. The goal is to be known as the expert, showing that he lives and works in the area.

AmazingMail Solution

• Regular, extensive direct mail campaigns are a significant part of many real estate agents' marketing plans. Ease of use in creating high-volume mailings is key in this situation.
• Meyerdirk finds that postcards are more effective and eye-catching than longer newsletters. "They are more specific and simple while keeping the community informed of prices and activity. People really like that."
• "AmazingMail Postcards fulfilled my needs because it's a cost-effective way of reaching my marketing audience."

Tracking & Results

• One desired result of the postcard campaigns is recognition. While this is hard to track, Meyerdirk does find that people recognize him from his pictures on the postcards, randomly stopping to chat with him about real estate questions.
• At times, the intended result is boosting attendance at an open house he is hosting. Often, he sees attendees holding the postcard as they tour the home.
• The postcards are also intended to drive contacts via email and visits to his website, where people may request a home analysis. Typically, this type of activity spikes just after a mailing.

Marketing Agency Case Study

Alpha Decision

Background & Business Objective

• Alpha Decision is a full-service business to business marketing firm.
• Their services encompass the broad range of marketing requirements, from strategic planning to front-line execution, from market research to promotional items.
• Alpha Decision engages with each client in a unique, customized approach. Advertising, PR, and direct marketing decisions, like postcard campaigns, are borne out of the specific market analysis performed for each client.

AmazingMail Solution

• Direct marketing via postcards has a significant place and value in many of Alpha Decision's marketing campaigns.
• The postcards fit into a larger marketing plan, shares President Michael Mickle. They are integrated as one part of an overall campaign which may include five to ten marketing tactics, like pricing modifications or advertising in trade magazines.
• Postcards create instant impact with the recipient. "If designed well, they grab attention," says Mickle.
• Postcards also indicate respect for a recipient's time. "They are to the point," says Mickle. "They make it clear the sender won't waste a customer's time."
• Postcards create distinctive impact. "In today's world, electronic messaging [email] is free, but no one opens it. Sending a postcard shows we made the effort to do something different, and we're also not clogging up your email."
• "Postcards fulfilled our needs because of their quality and the ease with which they allow me to do it. It makes my life easier. It fits nicely into the grand scheme of a comprehensive marketing plan."

Tracking & Results

• "Every quarter, we track progress to see if we are achieving the increase in business we desired." Mickle emphasizes that one initiative in particular will not create the result on its own – a combination of approaches will.
• Many studies show people don't want to spend time on long solicitations via email or mail. "That's a turn-off," states Mickle. "The beauty of the postcard is that the person who receives it has no doubt that it won't waste their time – it's not big enough. It's all about respecting their time and the trust that comes from that."
• From a cost perspective, Mickle will usually focus on direct mail postcards for a campaign that targets less than 5000 entities. "The cost analysis is a no brainer." For larger clients, a combination of tactics is utilized. For instance, Mickle assesses the trade-offs between direct mail or trade publishing or both.

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