Get More Mileage From Your Postcard Marketing - 10 Easy Tips
Get More Mileage From Your Postcard Marketing - 10 Easy Tips
As the marketing director of a postcard company, I have a lot of experience with postcard marketing. Through my role in the company and through personal experience, I've learned some key ways to get more mileage from your postcards. Here are 10 tips to help you get more mileage from your postcards:
1) Quality counts
The best type of card is one that grabs attention because of its quality and content. Spend the extra money necessary to buy high-quality cards, as this will pay off in your sales numbers over time. The cheap card may seem like it's for sale at first but no one will be interested after reading it once or twice.
2) Your postcard needs a strong headline
The purpose of a postcard is to get your reader to pick up the phone and call. The headline on your postcard has the job of pulling your reader in. Showing them how much you can help them or how much money they could save if they take action on the card will entice them to pick up the phone.
3) Write about an experience
People are more interested in personal experiences such as success stories, interesting situations and amusing accounts than they are in stats and figures that back up your claim or product. Make sure you have some sort of story to tell, whether it be funny or serious or both, because this is what keeps people interested and wanting more.
4) Include a call to action
A call to action includes a disclaimer in the postcard, at the end of your message or at the end of your postcard. The purpose of this is to let your reader know that you would like them to take some action. If you are offering a money-back guarantee, it should clearly state what it is. If the card is about how much money you could save by making an appointment with you, it's important to include how much time and effort it takes to get an appointment.
5) Use images
There has been some controversy over using images on postcards because they are so easy for people to write off as junk mail. Overall though, I think they can be beneficial. Images can be used in different ways, from simple pictures to interesting images with a strong message. However, care must be taken not to overuse images on postcards.
6) Don't get fancy
If you have a card with a bold headline and a lot of information about your company, it's not going to work well if the way you present it is pretty. People may even get angry at the use of advertising and marketing materials on your postcard. So, don't make it too fancy or too pretentious or people won't like it. Keep it simple and straight-forward because that's what makes for better sales.
7) Write and send by priority mail
Postcards cost considerably less than regular mail, so you can afford to send a few more at a time. Postcards have a higher success rate than regular mail and this is the reason why the United States Postal Service has selected postcards to use as their standard marketing mails. Also, the way that postcards are processed and delivered means that they are far more likely to arrive on time. They will typically be delivered in five days or less if you send them through priority mail, which is much faster than regular mail.
8) Come up with a signature look
There is a signature look that can be used for your postcards, which is simply consistent card layouts. Use the same fonts, the same bold print and the same colorful backgrounds on all of your postcards. Consistency in this area will make for much better sales.
9) Use a mailing list
Your mailing list is one of the most important marketing tools you can use. If you are able to reach all of your customers with an offer or a promotion via postcard, you can improve your sales numbers by at least 10 percent by using the list that has proven itself over time to send out the best offers to people who are most likely to respond to them.
10) Don't be afraid to go bold
Postcards are meant to stand out so don't be afraid of being bold with your card design. This is a way to make it easier for people to read and helps them remember you faster. You can mix up fonts and colors, but the best way for your card to get noticed is if it catches their attention in some manner or another.
Bonus tip – Target the right audience
Who do you want to reach? If you know this, then using postcards is an excellent way to reach these people. Postcards are great for businesses that have recurring customers and for businesses that want to reach their customers in a location where they are traveling such as airports.
You can also use postcards to reach people who have recently moved into an area or who have been to a certain location. For example, if you own a moving company, you can send postcards to people who have recently moved into the company's coverage area.
If your business supplies products or services for a niche market, then postcards are an excellent way for you to get more exposure because they are primarily designed for small business marketing efforts and include offers of high value.
Conclusion
A lot of small businesses fail because they don't use postcards in their marketing mix. In fact, many people make the mistake of assuming that postcards are for large companies with a lot of advertising budget to spend. The truth is that postcards are an excellent way for small businesses to reach customers as well.
You see, everyone gets mail and everyone wants to get a better deal on something they're buying or learn more about how you can help them. If you want to stand out from the other businesses with whom they are doing business with and get them to turn into repeat customers, then using postcards is one of the best ways to do it.