Personalized web pitch builds condo database
Featured in Direct Marketing News (Canada)

01/03/03 -Roman Bodnarchuk, founder and CEO of digital marketing firm N5R, reports the campaign his firm is running for selling condominiums for residential real estate developer Plazacorp is among the most successful N5R has ever engaged in (see DMN November issue, front cover, “Custom Web sites created leads on Plazacorp project.”).

It involved e-mailing 10,000 digitally printed postcards to prospects inviting them to visit a personalized Web site to discover if they have already won a plasma TV. When they click on the link it takes them to the Web site where they are greeted by name and see a map showing them how to get to the Plazacorp sales offices from their homes. A Web form there is already pre-filled out with their names and addresses. They are informed they can get additional chances to win by referring friends. A message automatically pops out from Outlook Express reading ‘Hey, I just joined this great contest with Plazacorp, click here and you could win too.’ They can then e-mail that message to friends.

The referral responses are tracked with the names of friends who have also entered the contest reported back to the message senders who are also informed of the number of additional chances to win they’ve received. Bodnarchuk says it becomes a feeding frenzy and quickly builds up the condo prospect database. From the total 10,000 e-mails, he says 4,500 people plus referrals signed up in the first three weeks.