A new take on letterbox marketing

by Rebecca Burn-Callander - Wednesday, 7th May 2008 -

Leaf-It-At-Home founder Andy Davidson has found a novel (and cheap!) way to target his key demographic: wealthy home-owners.

“The average Joe doesn’t have the budget to spend on making their house look nice, especially not in the current financial climate,” says Davidson. “I deal with bankers; people on the rich list. I’ve been in houses worth in excess of £12m!”

Davidson’s London-based plant design firm pulls in between £100 and £15,000 per job, depending on the complexity of the task and the cost of materials. But getting a foot in the door can be tough.

“There isn’t a certain paper or magazine that is directed solely at the wealthy,” he points out. Limited advertising runs in The Times and the FT have been successful, but expensive. “And door dropping doesn’t work,” he says. “There are too many pizza flyers in the way.” He needed a new tactic…

Davidson’s clever solution was to have door-hangers printed, in the style you see on hotel bedrooms. Instead of “Do not disturb”, these hangers feature information and contact details for Leaf-It-At-Home.

“People have to look at them to take them off their doors,” says Davidson. “It’s a bit cheeky, but all publicity is good publicity.” And the flyers were a cinch at £120 per 1,000.

Davidson began leaving the door-hangers on nice houses a couple of weeks ago. But he’s certain that once clients know about his firm, sealing the deal will be a cinch.

“We charge a £50 consultation fee, which we waive if the client spends over £100,” says Davidson. “We’ve never had to charge that fee. Once we meet with new clients and show them our ideas, they always take us on.”

Picture source

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