RSVP Columbia
November 3, 2008
Like any good gardener, Greg Kilgore loves making things grow. Unlike those with green thumbs, however, Kilgore’s specialty is in helping Columbia business owners grow their business through his upscale directmail publication, RSVP® Columbia.
We only mail to Columbia’s top 50,000 homeowners… which represent the top 33% of all the single family owner-occupied homes in the Midlands Kilgore says. With our glossy, custom-designed postcards, we put our client’s business directly into the mailbox of the most affluent homeowners in Columbia…and,
each package is personally addressed to the homeowner by name. The average household income for an RSVP homeowner is around $85,000, and the average home value is $270,000. These are the homeowners who can most afford our client’s products and services…we refer to these consumers as the
most income qualified.
RSVP® Columbia, aka The Postcard People™, specializes in mailing packages of highly attractive, full-color glossy postcards with limited-time offers. Kilgore refers to the package as a postcard deck. RSVP is mailed on a quarterly basis and features the finer things in life: fine-dining,
travel and entertainment, health and beauty, home improvement, professional services, and exclusive retailers.
A major appeal to many of our clients is their ability to track the actual response to their ad, Kilgore says. For so many business owners, tracking what advertising is working and what’s not is essential, especially in this economy. Our clients also care about their image and their brand recognition so we pride
ourselves on their postcard design. But, what they really care more about is their phone ringing with good sales leads or their dining room tables being filled.
Another key benefit of RSVP is the shelflife of the postcard. Kilgore says that he has clients who report getting calls off their postcard often months and even years after it first mailed. When homeowners receive RSVP, they examine each postcard individually to see if it is something that might appeal to them now or in the future. Many homeowners respond at once to our client’s postcard offer. And, many postcards end up on the refrigerator, an office drawer, a bulletin
board, a purse or a glove box until they are ready to use it. Plus, they know they’re getting RSVP only exclusive offers that aren’t available elsewhere. We have homeowners who call us all the time requesting extra copies of the postcards…especially for the fine dining.
Frankly, I really do not view our company as being in the advertising business…we are in the sales lead-generation business, he says. And, because the business model works so well, we have over an 80% client renewal. It’s a testament to the effectiveness of the product and the loyalty of our clients…many who have been with us for years.
Kilgore is also publisher of RSVP Greenville/Spartanburg and RSVP Asheville.
