To market his company to his strongest source of leads -- past clients -- Mark Benkowski has brought back his company newsletter. It had been on a two-year hiatus, but as the owner of Custom Design Associates, in Greendale, Wis., noticed a downturn in June 2008, he reinstated his in-house publication.
He does not do any other type of advertising, so he brought back the newsletter to nudge past clients for referrals or repeat business.
The publication is now being sent to about 300 past clients. In his most recent issue, Benkowski mentioned the energy-efficient tax credits that are part of the government stimulus package. “We don’t normally do windows, but we would for these clients,” he says. “We just want them to start spending money.”
He has also offered to do handyman jobs, a tactic he used during a two-month slowdown that occurred around the 9/11 tragedy in 2001. The newsletter mentions that the company’s crews can fix leaky faucets or replace doors. “We don’t make much money on these things and might do some for no charge — sometimes that is the best marketing that we can get,” he says.
Benkowski has noticed that the phone is ringing more since February this year, and he is now designing a few projects. With the anticipation of more work, he has hired back all the employees he had laid off in November 2008.