Case study: Gibbins Richards
Summary:
imail data has allowed estate agents Gibbins Richards to target specific streets to increase its portfolio of properties, using quality, highly-relevant data with hugely successful results.
Intro:
Gibbins Richards is a leading estate agent based in Taunton, Somerset and Bridgwater. It offers property for sale and to let across the South West of England. The business offers the highest standards of service and specialist knowledge, to ensure that its customers' purchases and sales run as seamlessly as possible.
Targeted, localised direct mail campaigns are key to Gibbins Richards' commercial strategy to increase its portfolio, maximise brand exposure and grow the business. Prior to using imail, the estate agent relied on inefficient canvassing techniques, such as speculative door-to-door flyer drops delivered by hand. Printing expenses were exorbitant and the purchase of pricey, often poor-quality databases made it a costly business that was not only time-consuming, but ultimately unproductive as well.
In searching for a solution, Gibbins Richards came across imail. This innovative, desktop-to-doormat, hybrid mail solution promised to enhance the ease, efficiency and affordability of its direct mail operation. More importantly, with an inbuilt canvassing tool, imail would allow for better-targeted campaigns.
The solution:
Using imail, Gibbins Richards was able to automate its direct mail campaigns. As an electronic-to-physical mail solution, imail is accessed via the internet using a simple step-by-step browser. It allows the estate agent to distribute volumes of marketing material to customers throughout the South West of England via a few simple clicks of the mouse.
The imail data tool allows the business to purchase address details in a specific location to support its planned mail communications. Contact details can be chosen from a range of criteria including road, area or postcode. With a minimum order of 25 addresses and prices from as little as 5p per contact, imail data has become an affordable source of targeted data for Gibbins Richards. Next, one of imail's range of mail media is selected – letters, postcards, mailshots and more – and imail takes care of the rest, from printing and mail merging through to delivery.
Benefits:
Cost savings and increased efficiency were two immediate results following the implementation of imail. More importantly, however, direct mail response rates have dramatically improved. One recent mailing resulted in as many as four valuations and one instruction. Similar returns are expected from future campaigns.
imail data allows Gibbins Richards to target specific streets to increase its portfolio of properties, utilising quality, relevant data, with hugely successful results. imail can highlight locations of properties for sale or rent, while Gibbins Richards avoids having to purchase large, costly and often redundant databases.
imail data's suppression of addresses against Mail Preference and You move files also ensures more responsible mailings. Besides a reduction in complaints from people receiving unwanted mail, this facility has also reduced wastage and improved response rates over traditional door-to-door methods.
While targeted data has impacted most on the bottom line, imail has also brought convenience. Issuing bulk promotional mailings is as easy as sending email, but with the impact of physical mail. And with no more in-house printing or door-to-door flyer drops, staff has been freed up to bring in more business.
About imail:
imail was launched in 2008 by UK Mail as the only alternative to the first class postal service. It enables users to send letters and postcards with just a click of the mouse from as late as 3pm for next-day delivery, or 6pm for two-day delivery. The mail documents are sent electronically to the UK Mail sorting centre closest to the destination, where they are printed, enveloped and sorted for onward delivery.
imail is ideal for all sizes of business, from SMEs to large corporations, offering a dynamic desktop-to-delivery service at a keystroke that provides a host of cost, time and environmental benefits.
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