Five Star Increases Leads at Low Marketing Cost with Modernize

...within a couple months we hit target ROIs and now Modernize consistently fuels growth for our Michigan operations. We're encouraging franchisees around the country to use Modernize to maximize their opportunities.

Dean Hartley, Brand President of Five Star Bath Solutions
fivestarbathsolutions.com

About Five Star Solutions

As the national brand president for Five Star Bath Solutions and owner-operator of 10 franchise territories in Michigan, Dean Hartley has a unique perspective on the business. His regional operation serves as a test-bed where he can try solutions before recommending them to other franchisees nationwide. “Our Michigan operations are like a snowplow on the road, clearing the path for others.”

Recent Achievements

Increase in territory coverage in 6 months
Increase in purchase monthly leads from Modernize in 6 months
Increase in locations that purchase Modernize leads in 12 months
Decrease in Marketing Costs in 6 months

Five Star's Digital Marketing Challenges

For Dean, leads are the lifeblood of Five Star Bath Solutions. “Leads are our most valuable asset. We’re a marketing company that happens to provide a service. Since a homeowner might renovate a bathroom only once or twice in a lifetime, they’re unlikely to have a preferred contractor. We have to connect with them in those rare moments. That’s why leads are so important.”

“We do a lot of our own marketing, including brand-specific Google PPC, local Facebook ads, canvassing, and print. Digital channels are essential because consumers shop for everything online today, but the advertising landscape has become very complicated. There was a time when it was no big deal for us to manage our own PPC, but now that means competing against thousands who are running campaigns every day. I don’t have the time to figure out Google, and there’s a very low ceiling on easy leads.”

The Hunt for a Marketing Partner

Five Star is always on the lookout for new marketing partners. As they max out existing lead sources, they need to find new channels for growth. The national brand was attracted to Modernize because its operations are large enough to easily scale up volume.

Dean says, “Outsourcing leads makes sense because it means we can stay focused on our core business. With affiliates like Modernize doing their job providing raw leads, we can devote our energies to booking appointments and selling. It doesn’t make sense for us to hire a room full of digital marketers. We lean on Modernize because they are great at their piece of the puzzle.”

Behind The Scenes With Modernize

Dean explained that an early challenge was tailoring his systems to Modernize leads that had lower set rates than they had previously experienced. But with a lower cost-per-lead and proper execution, Modernize has yielded net costs equivalent to or below other sources.

One key to the successful partnership has been sharing data back and forth. With both parties analyzing information in a closed feedback loop, Modernize has been able to provide leads best suited to Five Star Bath Solutions. While some contractors are hesitant to share results, the two-way information flow creates smart data that improves lead quality, conversion rates, and cost-per-sale. One example is Modernize no longer sends leads looking for plumbing repairs. Five Star only receives leads who are interested in full bathroom renovations.

“Our trial period succeeded once we made some adjustments to lead sequencing. Though our marketing rate was high at first, within a couple months we hit target ROIs and now Modernize consistently fuels growth for our Michigan operations. We’re encouraging franchisees around the country to use Modernize to maximize their opportunities.”

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Outsourcing leads makes sense because it means we can stay focused on our core business. With affiliates like Modernize doing their job providing raw leads, we can devote our energies to booking appointments and selling.

Dean Hartley

Brand President

Five Star Bath Solutions

fivestarbathsolutions.com