Why Mover Marketing Needs a Gut Renovation

With over 30 million people in the U.S. moving each year (and likely even more due to the pandemic) and spending on average $9,000 per move, mover marketing is a significant revenue opportunity for brands to engage with this lucrative market. Movers spend billions of dollars per year on numerous products and services, some more obvious than others. They open their wallets for home improvement, furniture, décor, utilities, telecom, insurance, automotive and more. Yet, brands, especially outside of home services, often overlook this valuable opportunity. As we enter the summer months, the most popular time for U.S. consumers to move to a new home, more than ever, mover marketing needs a gut renovation. It’s time for marketers to prioritize mover marketing and modernize how they engage movers throughout the move process and beyond direct mail. Cracks in the foundation of mover marketing Brands have made substantial investments in technology and data to reach the right consumers but miss obvious opportunities in all of that complexity. Movers are the most economically valuable consumers across numerous categories, and brands are reaching them too late, and in the wrong channels. By leveraging technology-driven innovation, brands can now reach and monetize movers far more effectively than ever before. Personalization Is Not About Product, Channel or Brand Identifying movers earlier in the move cycle For decades, marketers have been using the same outdated tactics to engage consumers moving to a new home. Data sources are often stagnant, based on limited sources of real estate data and self-reported change of address information provided to the USPS. As a result, marketers have little visibility into the complete move cycle. They can only target consumers after the move has occurred, often too late and after consumers have made their most valuable purchase decisions. By leveraging rich data and cutting-edge technology, brands can identify potential movers or consumers who have their homes listed but are not moving. Over this stage, which lasts on average six weeks, brands can begin to build relationships. Another lucrative audience for marketers to identify is verified pre-movers. These consumers typically have their home under contract and are in the inspection, moving or financing process. During this two-to-six-week period, consumers are actively shopping for move-related goods and services, making it one of the most valuable opportunities in the move cycle. For the six to nine months after a completed move, post-movers continue to shop for their new homes, and brands should therefore market to them on an ongoing basis. Enhancing mover data with rich marketing insights Traditional mover marketing not only lacks an understanding of where movers are in the move process but has also relied on limited consumer insights, often just a name and “move to” address. However, with the influx of new permission-based data sources and ways to apply insights, brands now have access to a complete view of the individual mover. Marketers can enhance mover data with rich insights like consumer preferences, household information, lifestyles, purchase intent signals, in-market segments, property data and both “move from” and “move to” addresses. The complete identification and understanding of movers available today are truly unprecedented. Brands can know when consumers are moving, what they will be purchasing and even how much they expect to spend. I don’t know a single marketer who doesn’t want to reach a consumer who’s eager to spend. Yet marketers are not focused on movers when they should be. Expanding beyond the mailbox When marketers think of mover marketing, most often, direct mail, such as postcards, catalogs and circulars, comes to mind. However, brands need to modernize how they engage movers, which requires expanding beyond the mailbox. Consumers today use multiple channels when researching and purchasing products and services, and the majority of these touchpoints are digital. The Covid-19 pandemic has further accelerated the use of online channels. A typical mover journey may start online, researching a new product or service. The mover then looks at online reviews and visits social media sites for recommendations. They might receive a direct mail piece and head back to a website before ultimately responding to an email offer. It takes multiple touchpoints before a purchase is made. These communications must be spread across different channels, such as email, social, print and display, and developed based on a complete understanding of the individual mover. Especially in the early phases of moving, time is of the essence, and digital channels allow for real-time engagement with insights-driven messages and offers. Models of modernized mover marketing While many brands have overlooked or underinvested in mover marketing, those who have modernized their approach reap the benefits. For example, a home retailer focused on engaging movers earlier in the process by tapping into potential mover and pre-mover insights. As a result, over 35% of the time, they uncovered a moving signal a month earlier than typical, representing a significant opportunity to reach out to movers when they’re actually in the market for many products. A furniture retailer stepped up their mover marketing efforts, tapping into richer insights and a multichannel engagement strategy, and saw a revenue increase of over $8 million. They acquired over 2,500 new customers and over 6,000 orders by finding their mover audience and engaging them across channels. Mover marketing is a worthwhile investment Often, brands employ data insights and technology in many of their marketing programs, yet they haven’t upgraded their mover marketing efforts. It’s time for marketers to stop reaching movers too late and in the wrong channels. By strategically targeting movers through multiple channels according to each mover phase, you can build engagement, drive revenue and create long-term loyalty.