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New-mover-friendly company opens franchise in Collin County
By Chris Beattie, cbeattie@starlocalnews.com
New to the area without a clue where or how to meet medical, food or entertainment needs? Have no fear, Welcomemat Services is here.
Welcomemat, a marketing strategies and technology company that provides monthly direct mail packages to individuals and families who have recently changed their address, this month opened its first Texas franchise in Collin County.
"Anytime you can use word of mouth, that's always the best - it's free advertising," said Larry Kellam, owner of the new franchise. "But for new movers, it takes a while, especially in this day in time, to indoctrinate themselves into a lifestyle and community. Many times, it's six months to a year before you can really plug yourself in to do things."
Welcomemat was founded in 2003 and is based out of Atlanta, Ga. It has close to 13 franchises mainly in North Carolina, Ohio and Indiana. Kellam's franchise currently serves McKinney, Frisco, Celina, Little Elm, Prosper and the northern tip of Plano, and looks to expand.
"I've moved eight times during my career, so I'm very familiar with trying to find a new doctor or dentist or whatever," said Kellam, who spent 32 years in the corporate world with Ally Financial. "All of that just really lined up with my passion: working with local small businesses. That's sort of our niche, the local business; we don't deal with the big box stores, but local stores, that little franchise that may need help attracting them. And the best way to do that is attracting that new purpose."
Providing such a welcome benefits businesses as much as the residents, he said, because some of the smaller franchises often don't have the means to effectively advertise to potential clients or customers, particularly those new to the area. Because he's lived in Collin County for eight years, Kellam said he's able to do the necessary "investigation" in finding and facilitating businesses and services fit for Welcomemat.
"I'm part of the community because I've invested in a business to be in the community," he said. "We're just like the local pizza place or the local hair stylist; we're invested. And it's long-term for me; it's about working with that business and helping it grow."
As for a growing client base, Welcomemat's latest coverage area also fits the bid. McKinney's population has grown from around 136,000 to nearly 141,000 over the past year, according to McKinney Planning Department records. Such an increase includes almost 2,000 single-family permits in the city in 2012, the most in five years. In eight of the past nine months, the city registered more single-family permits than it did the previous two years during those months, city records show.
More than 180 of those permits came in August, around when Money Magazine selected McKinney as the "2nd Best Place to Live in America."
"When the No. 2 ranking came out, we did see an increase in the number of people asking for relocation information," said Beth Shumate of the McKinney Convention & Visitors Bureau (MCVB). "We had a request (Tuesday) morning from a lady from Lexington, Ky., who had been in Frisco and Allen and said she fell in love with McKinney. We hear that a lot from people."
MCVB employees said they received several calls in the last week and a half from people as far away as New Hampshire and California who were looking to move to McKinney. All of which serves Welcomemat well.
"For my territory, we ran some averages, and McKinney averages over 800 new movers a month," Kellam said. "Frisco is right around 800, and altogether, we average a little over 2,200 new move-ins a month.
"I never really thought about it; I knew the area was growing...but it's just phenomenal the residential and commercial growth here."
Yet, with thousands of targeted clients, Welcomemat keeps it personal and professional, he said. Mail invites are tailored to specific residents and offers them just a handful of certificates to local businesses, instead of hundreds as is common in other mail-outs or coupon books. For those who take advantage of the invites, Welcomemat offers follow-up deals, or "bounce backs," to help develop a loyal customer base.
"We have a 90 percent open rate," Kellam said of those who receive invites. "That's pretty good, because a lot of junk mail never even makes it out of the envelope. In a coupon and direct-mail world, anything from a 0.5 to 1 percent rate is good, and our response rates generally run 6 to 10 percent."
Those rates aren't surprising to Kellam, who said the company's and other studies show just how much new residents spend, whether on household items, restaurant outings or even cars.
Giving them a clue as to where to find those things may be the ultimate welcome.
"A new mover will spend more money in six months than an established, settled resident will spend in three years," he said. "We want to touch as many people as possible. "They want to experience the local scene, and the best way to get them there is to invite them."
For more information about Welcomemat Services, visit www.welcomematservices.com, or email lkellam@welcomematservices.com.
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