Length of time mailing postcards
Susan has been mailing postcards since 2002. She became a PostcardMania customer in 2004.
Problem trying to solve
Susan had discovered that advertising in the newspaper did not pull in the type of customer she was looking for and it did not fit the image she wanted to portray for her salon. She was looking for other ways to target an upscale market and knew that a committed direct mail campaign would have more impact than a one-time mailing.
Design idea
The message that Savvy wanted to portray was upscale, but not stuffy. They wanted to translate a friendly and inviting image with their postcard, as opposed to the normal "attitude" most upscale salons are known for. They also wanted to portray that even though the customer would pay more at their salon, they would get better service, a better environment and much more personal service.
What worked and what didn't
What didn't work for Savvy was offering a complimentary haircut with hair coloring. This particular offer brought them a lot of "bargain shoppers" instead of upscale clients. Susan also noticed that other salons were starting to offer the same thing, a free haircut with hair coloring. Savvy changed their offer to a complimentary KERASTASE hair treatment with any hair service ($40.00 value). This offer really stood out because only 700 salons in the nation can carry that particular product. The people that began coming in from that offer not only knew what that product was, but were higher-spending clients. The new offer with the KERASTASE treatment is something that other salons cannot easily copy since the product is exclusive to a smaller group of salons. Savvy began a quarterly newsletter campaign directed to their in-house clients alongside their direct
ROI
Savvy tracks the number of appointments that get booked starting the first week their postcards hit their prospect' mailboxes. However, they don't do much tracking beyond that. They do get feedback from their postcards, like "Saved your card, saw it before and remembered you when I needed a haircut." She said that there was a lot of talk around town and reference to their salon once their postcard campaign begun. "Oh, I always get your mailing" is another comment she often hears.
Statement: "You cannot mail out postcards just once if you want a good response."
