How do you stand out from the crowd in a world of overstuffed email inboxes?
By going back to snail mail, of course.
That's the idea behind Audience, a Miami startup that raised $10 million in a series A financing round led by Austin, Texas-based Next Coast Ventures. The outbound marketing firm helps businesses find and retain clients with robotic-powered handwritten notes.
Founder and CEO Jesse Stein said Audience combines personalized notes with a targeted database and digital follow-ups.
“This unique combination helps companies close more deals, form deeper bonds with prospects and customers and remove friction from the follow-up process," he said.
The strategy makes it possible for businesses to abandon email campaigns that often get ignored by recipients or lost in message-heavy inboxes. According to Audience, that can increase return on marketing investment by up to 380%.
Audience will use the new capital to improve its customer relationship management system and grow its fleet of handwriting robots. The startup previously raised $2.8 million in a seed funding round that closed last year.
Audience's robots are capable of writing letters at scale with consistent penmanship. Then, it uses software to keep track of notes sent, create campaigns, personalize notes and measure return on investment. Campaigns generate a 90% read rate, Audience reports.
The company is already being used by insurance brokerages and real estate companies like Keller Williams, Sotheby's and Douglas Elliman to engage prospects and close deals.
"[It] allows me to build and cultivate my network, find pocket listings and establish myself as an expert agent along the coast of South Florida," said Douglas Elliman agent Jacqueline Marks.
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