[INTERVIEW] Finding the Right Marketing Mix for a Niche Audience | Hawaii Surrogacy Center

Marketing a niche service comes with a unique challenge: you don't need to reach everyone—you need to reach the right people.

For Andrea McAfee, that means connecting with potential gestational carriers across three very different markets. Andrea owns three surrogacy agencies serving Hawaii, Philadelphia, and Virginia, with Hawaii Surrogacy Center—her original program—now in its 19th year.

As the organization has expanded, Andrea has learned there isn't one marketing strategy that works everywhere. Instead, her team uses a mix of direct mail, streaming advertising, social media, local events, and other outreach to build awareness and trust.

We sat down with Andrea to talk about what she's learned, why direct mail has become an important part of the mix, and how her team adapts its marketing from one market to the next.

Different Markets Require Different Strategies

One of Andrea's biggest lessons is that what works in one market doesn't necessarily work in another.

Hawaii is her longest-established market, while Virginia is much newer. There, the team isn't just trying to generate applications—they're also introducing the organization, educating potential surrogates, and establishing a local presence.

“Different tools that work in one market are not going to work in the other. You have to kind of find what the magical mix is.”

For Hawaii Surrogacy Center, finding that mix has meant experimenting with everything from direct mail and Facebook to Hulu, Spotify, and local events.

Why Direct Mail Became Part of the Mix

Andrea turned to direct mail as a way to diversify outreach and reach potential gestational carriers beyond the organization's existing channels.

EDDM® allows her team to focus on specific neighborhoods and communities—something that's been especially useful when paired with local events.

“We could kind of stack it with some of the other things, either an event that we were doing locally...so we would get multiple exposures.”

Instead of broadly promoting a neighborhood event across an entire county, the team can concentrate its message around the people who live nearby.

It's a simple but important lesson for niche marketers: more reach isn't always better reach.

Building Trust by Showing Up Locally

Andrea's programs compete with larger national surrogacy agencies, making their local presence an important differentiator.

And that's one reason she believes physical mail works particularly well.

“Having something that was local, they can physically hold it, versus having an ad that drifts across their screen...reinforces that message that we are a real local company.”

For a decision as personal as becoming a gestational carrier, that sense of legitimacy and trust matters.

The same principle applies to plenty of other businesses. Healthcare practices, home service providers, real estate professionals, and other local businesses all need customers to feel comfortable with who they're choosing.

Hear Andrea explain why physical mail helps reinforce that local connection:

When a Postcard Arrives at Exactly the Right Time

Andrea has also seen firsthand how memorable physical mail can be.

In Virginia, three applicants specifically mentioned receiving the organization's postcard. One remembered her husband picking it up from the counter and pointing it out to her.

Another described the timing as something more.

“One of our applicants said it was practically serendipitous...receiving that physical piece of mail was like her sign that she should do it.”

It's a great example of how marketing doesn't always have to create interest from scratch. Someone may already be researching, considering their options, or familiar with your brand. Sometimes another touchpoint simply arrives at the right moment.

In fact, 62% of consumers say direct mail has inspired them to take action.

For Hawaii Surrogacy Center, one postcard became the extra push someone needed to move from consideration to action.

Watch Andrea tell the story:

Direct Mail Isn't Working Alone

While direct mail has produced memorable results, Andrea doesn't view it as a standalone strategy.

Her team has tested Hulu, Spotify, Facebook, local events, direct mail, and other channels to create multiple exposure points.

Andrea likes Hulu and Spotify because they provide a different type of exposure that can amplify the message, while Facebook has become more challenging because of the competition for attention.

Especially in a newer market like Virginia, the goal is to let channels reinforce one another. Someone might hear a streaming ad, encounter the organization elsewhere, receive a postcard, and eventually visit a landing page or apply.

Each exposure can play a different role in the journey.

Looking Beyond the First Click

Andrea's team also thinks beyond simply generating leads.

They use QR codes, dedicated landing pages, calls to action, and campaign tracking to better understand what happens after someone responds.

That's particularly important in a niche industry where a lead isn't necessarily a qualified applicant. Andrea explained that fewer than 25% of potential applicants pass the initial screening process. She estimates digital advertising conversions at roughly 2–3%, while conversion once someone enters their workflow is closer to 5–7%.

The takeaway? Lead quality matters just as much as lead volume.

Understanding what happens further down the funnel gives marketers a much clearer picture than clicks alone.

Give Your Marketing Time to Work

Perhaps Andrea's most broadly applicable advice has nothing to do with a particular channel.

It's about patience.

“Try different things. Be okay with trying different things because different tools that work in one market are not going to work in the other.”

And don't make decisions based on a few weeks of results:

“It's not weekly numbers. It's not monthly numbers. It's at minimum quarterly, if not annual.”

Finding the right marketing mix takes experimentation. Different markets respond differently, and you don't always know which touchpoint will ultimately make the difference.

Hear Andrea's advice on giving your marketing time to work:

Working With Taradel

Taradel has helped Andrea's team execute and adjust campaigns across its different markets. During the interview, she specifically highlighted the team, her experience working with Casey, the platform's mapping capabilities, and the ability to collaborate on campaigns.

“I love the team. Casey's great, the platform is good, and I really like the maps and the ability to collaborate. We've been super pleased.”

For a business marketing across multiple regions, that flexibility makes it easier to adjust targeting and strategy based on what each market needs.

The Bigger Lesson: Find Your Mix

Hawaii Surrogacy Center's experience isn't about choosing direct mail instead of digital. It's about understanding the role each channel can play.

Direct mail can put something tangible into someone's hands. Streaming can build awareness. Local events can create community connections. Digital tools can capture and track responses.

The right combination will look different for every business—and sometimes from one market to the next.

The key is to understand your audience, test different ways to reach them, track what happens beyond the initial response, and give your strategy enough time to work.

Because you don't always know which touchpoint will make the difference.

Sometimes, it might even be a postcard that arrives at exactly the right time.

Watch the Full Interview

Hear more from Andrea about how Hawaii Surrogacy Center approaches direct mail, streaming advertising, local marketing, campaign tracking, and reaching a niche audience across three different markets.

Find Your Own Marketing Mix

Reach the right neighborhoods with EDDM® and reinforce your message across digital channels with Taradel.

Ready to reach the right audience? Plan your campaign with Taradel today.