Mainebiz

69 B U S I N E S S P RO F I L E S B U S I N E S S P R O F I L E S S P E C I A L A D V E R T I S I N G S E C T I O N • A fitness center used Shared Mail to send out a special offer during the fall. ey had 80 folks join under the coupon spe- cial and 23 converted to regular membership at the end of the promotion. Additionally, the client found it was easier to track customer numbers with the coupon versus previous advertising. • After adding frequent Shared Mailings to its typical market- ing plan, a fuel company (sales, service, equipment) saw a 26% increase in equipment sales over the course of one year. • A small market/restaurant used Shared Mail in addition to social media marketing to announce its grand opening and offer a special to encourage locals to visit. e response was huge—and feedback from customers revealed they found out about the event 50/50 from Shared Mail and social advertising. Shared Mail explained Shared Mail leverages the concept of direct mail. Direct mail is an advertising medium in which messages are sent to targeted customers through the U.S. Postal Service—a perfect opportunity for companies to connect with prospects and customers who want to hear about latest products, services, and coupons. Direct mail is a particularly attractive option for small business owners, as it can communicate complete information about a product or service and reach almost any target group for a relatively low cost. Shared Mail is a form of direct mail where a company's marketing piece is combined with other advertisers into one open package. By sharing the cost of postage with other advertisers, each company's message is delivered for only pennies per household, generating a greater return on advertising dollars. Shared Mail is relevant to the needs of every household, advertising basic household needs like groceries, home and car care, dining, home improvement, and more. Consumers feel a sense of familiarity when they look in their mailboxes every day and come upon a Shared Mail bundle with the names of local stores. With 25 years of experience as an early entry to the Shared Mail industry, and with employees who are themselves rooted in Maine communities, TMM is uniquely positioned to help clients with their Shared Mail needs. TMM's experienced sales and creative teams work with clients to design an engaging and professional mail piece based on marketing goals, or clients can provide their own camera-ready artwork. TMM has long-standing relationships with printers who provide quality products at affordable prices. Mailings can be complemented with the client's QR codes, landing pages, and posters. TMM's total market coverage offers a single source to reach specific audiences or broad coverage that reaches every household with no gaps and no overlap. 25 years of personal service TMM, a division of Dominion Enterprises, was founded in 1992 by a Maine entrepreneur responding to a growing demand for pro- fessional direct mail marketing services within the state. From its humble beginnings of sporadic production out of an off-duty school bus, the Shared Mail program has grown to where it now reaches almost every household in Maine every week, providing small and medium businesses a direct channel to reach their local audience. From Rockland, Maine, TMM's reach extends across the U.S. through its partnership with other direct mail providers. As a small Maine business staffed by Maine people, TMM takes great pride in working with other Maine businesses to help them grow. Celebrating TMM's 25th anniversary in 2017, TMM's staff of 55-60 people includes several who have been with the company for 15-plus years and a few over 20 years. Every employee provides in-depth knowledge of TMM's products and process, as well as a deeply rooted understanding of Maine businesses and Maine's consumer base. As a "behind the scenes" company, most people don't know that TMM exists, or don't understand what the company does. But TMM is actually an economic driver in Maine, providing the vehicle and services that connects the business community with consumers. Walk into TMM's 15,000-square-foot plant, and you'll see people using specialized machinery that inserts large volumes of flyers, set up in different combinations and bundled for local markets on a weekly basis. Working with 75-100 different clients each week, TMM coordinates print jobs for several clients at a time, coordinates shipments and delivery of product for all of them, and ultimately produces 3-3.2 million pieces of mail every single week, to reach over 600,000 households. e weekly nature of TMM's process offers flexibility that's especially beneficial for smaller clients. Overall, Shared Mail results in tangible benefits for consum- ers, who save money on sales and discounts; and for local busi- nesses—both new businesses trying to get name out there, and existing businesses building their customer base. Further leveraging the unique nature of Shared Mail, grouping of clients is both cost-effective for each business and increases visibility for all. Consumers flipping through their weekly pack- age for their grocery flyer will see flyers from other companies, too—and could be intrigued enough to expand their shopping range. is has proven to be a great complement to all other types of marketing, both standard media and new online types. e bonus is that TMM's sales staff work as consultants to coordinate, refer and work with other media in order to help clients achieve the best outcomes on all platforms. Shared Mail has the overwhelming advantage of being a proven mainstay for connecting businesses with consumers. As other adver- tising and marketing endeavors come and go — disappearing when the next big thing arrives — TMM's products and services have been and will continue to be part of everyday life for businesses and consumers. TMM's continued growth is the best evidence that Shared Mail works, providing results as a core part of marketing plans for industries like grocers, drugstores, large retail chains and smaller retail shops and restaurants. Many clients have been with TMM for years, deploying Shared Mail throughout. As the company's motto states, TMM delivers the right message to the right people at the right time. l P H O T O B Y D AV E C L O U G H The Target Marketing Maine plant in Rockland produces 3–3.2 million pieces of mail every week.

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