Culinary Getaways Expands to Tuscan Foods and Easily Stays In Touch Using VerticalResponse

Background

Culinary Getaways provides unforgettable and distinctive food-centered weekend experiences in Napa Valley and weeklong trips to Paris, Provence and soon Tuscany. Each getaway is a unique experience that typically includes; cooking classes, dining in local restaurants, market visits, and various tastings including sea salt, cheese and olive oil.

Culinary Getaways owner, Sherry Page, has a family legacy of loving food. She grew up in rural Georgia where she spent much of her time with her grandmother, Estelle Lawson. From a young age Page remembers being in her grandmother's garden by 6am every morning. Page's time in the garden taught her to appreciate fresh, local, and seasonal food. Her dream for Culinary Getaways was to educate everyonbenefits of fresh, local, and seasonal food she learned throughout her life.

Problem

In order for Sherry Page to start Culinary Getaways she needed customers. She had a large list of contacts from a successful high-tech career. So she sent an email out telling all of them what she was doing. She had about 300 responses from people who were interested in her business idea.

After the first email went out, Page's designer knew that Culinary Getaways didn't have the resources to manage the large list of contacts with all the sign up and unsubscribe requests, so she encouraged Page to sign up for VerticalResponse. Page was a little weary at first because she hadn't used an email service provider before. Her designer was convinced it was the right solution and signed her up. Page added, "she set up the original template to make sure it had my look and feel. After I used it I loved it! It was so easy. I just think it is really practical and really easy to use." Since that first test, Page now does each email all by herself. She writes all the copy and supplies all of the images.

Solution

Email marketing is important to Culinary Getaways' business. They use the newsletters to get information out about upcoming events and general updates. Culinary Getaways believes the best way to reach their customers is online. Finding an easy and effective Email Service Provider in VerticalResponse makes it easy for Page to focus her efforts online with email marketing. Print advertising just didn't work for Culinary Getaways. VerticalResponse's email marketing has proven to be the best way to reach their customers.

Page is also an avid fan of the reporting that VerticalResponse produces. After each email campaign is sent VerticalResponse can tell Culinary Getaways who opened the email and how many clicks were on each link. This allows Page to better understand her customers and meet their needs. "It's really great having those reports, I always want to know what my customers are interested in so that I will include more of that in the next email. Using VerticalResponse I am so much more in touch with my customer base," added Page.

Culinary Getaways makes it easy for customers to pass on news and to sign up for newsletters. On Culinary Getaways' homepage there is an easy opt-in form for the newsletter and "forward to a friend" is a very helpful tool for Page to build her list of contacts. Forward to a friend is how many people find out about Culinary Getaways.

Results

Food guided tours around Europe and Northern California might sound like a great vacation to most people but planning and organizing Culinary Getaway experiences takes a lot of work. VerticalResponse really simplifies Culinary Getaways' marketing efforts, especially with managing their lists. "The list management is great, I would otherwise have to do this manually and I just don't have the resources to do that," said Page.

By taking advantage of VerticalResponse list management and other tools, such as reporting, Page is able to focus her efforts on her customers needs and wants to make sure her company is a success.

Page has also taken advantage of the many VerticalResponse resources. She signed up for the VerticalResponse Marketing Lounge and values sharing marketing ideas with other companies.