In the past week, you probably received several advertisements in your mailbox. Some in envelopes, some on postcards, and so on. Think about the mail that arrived in envelopes. The envelopes were probably white, a little longer than other pieces of mail, and said something on the front like “Last chance!” or “Urgent.” Did you open them?
Nope. Straight to the trash! And you never even saw what they were offering.
Now think about the postcards you saw. Sure, most of them eventually ended up in the trash too, but what’s the key difference between the postcards and the letters you received?
The difference is that you actually read the postcard offers. And that’s the biggest advantage of postcard promotion: there’s no barrier between your offer and your recipient. They're just so quick and easy! There’s no envelope to open or pages to flip through. Your recipients look immediately at your postcard and decide whether or not they’re interested in what you have to say.
Because most people decide instantly if they’re interested, it’s important to put effort into grabbing your recipients’ attention and persuading them to take action. For this reason it's important to take the time to thoroughly craft a truly effective direct mail piece. For more information on how to do that, check out our blog on how to create effective direct mail. Eye-catching designs and relevant copywriting are important, but there are other ways to improve your chances of a successful postcard promotion.
Creating A Postcard Marketing Campaign Your Recipients Can’t Afford To Trash
Of course, with any postcard promotion there are going to be people with whom you just won’t connect. That’s part of the deal. Luckily, postcard promotion is inexpensive, making it a worthwhile strategy for most businesses, even if you only manage a 1-2% response rate. But the higher you can get that response rate, the lower the cost per customer becomes. Here’s how to do that.
Do research before sending your postcard promotions
Target the right people. To get the best results, make your mailing list as targeted as possible. If you don’t have a target market already, use your website and social media data to figure out who your ideal customer is, then send to that demographic. You can filter your mailing list by gender, location, income and more. Once you’ve decided what your ideal customer looks like, tailor your postcard design and messaging to that person. If you’re sending to men 18-25 years old, use youthful, trendier fonts with active, masculine designs. If your target market is more affluent and you’re selling a premium product, a more sophisticated design and font is required.
Perfect the appearance of your postcard
Use attractive designs. In this case, attractive doesn’t necessarily mean pleasant. More literally, it means using a design that attracts and captures your recipient’s attention. That could require using bright colors, an intriguing logo, or a beautiful image. Or it might involve all three! The first goal of your postcard is to get people to pause and look. If your postcard looks like a boring, run-of-the-mill advertisement, it will earn a swift trip to the trashcan. For this reason it's quite literally life or death to unite your print and mail efforts (for your postcard) when it comes to having an effective design that captures your customers' and prospects' eye.
Use both sides of your printed postcard. Because postcards aren’t enclosed in an envelope, either side could be viewed first. Both sides of your postcard should utilize the tips provided above for attractive designs. Just make sure both sides include a call-to-action. If you decide to design only one side of your postcard, there’s a 50% chance your recipient will see the wrong side first (next stop: trash can).
Turn your postcard into a coupon. While you should avoid having a “plain” side on your postcard, it doesn’t mean both sides have to be the same. Many marketers have success making one side informative and the other promotional, using strong headlines on both sides. Depending on your industry, customers are more likely to hold onto your postcard if one side has a “buy one, get one free” offer or a percentage off of a purchase. A valuable offer makes your postcard feel like a piece of currency, creating a psychological barrier against throwing it away.
Use a different size postcard. Many people think postcards come in only one standard size, but online printers offer a variety of print sizes depending on your needs. You can also get postcards with different shapes (called diecuts) to make them stand out more. Just be sure to check with the postal service for mailing requirements if you plan to mail them out.
If you're mailing your postcards, be sure to check out our recently updated blog on the cost of postage to get an idea of how affordable these kinds of campaigns can be so long as you know your facts and read the fine print. No matter what, postcards are by far the most cost effective of all direct mail, so most likely, it'd be worth it to give it a try for your brand or business.
Think you'd benefit from having some free samples of our direct mail pieces sent to you for free so you can compare sizes and come up with your own ideas? Request a Direct Mail Idea Pack from our page for this free offer! Using this package of different types of mail pieces, you will be able to feel the high quality of pieces printed with Conquest Graphics and you will be given a few pieces to use as an example if you are having designer's block and can't figure out where to get started with your postcards.
Provide a consistent experience for your customer
Use meaningful and consistent messaging. Your postcard recipients should have a consistent experience, from the moment they see your postcard up to the time of purchase. Even thought they may not have engaged with your brand before, they're going to judge the quality of your customer service and overall brand by how helpful or informative they find your marketing messages. With customer service types of communications, consistency is key. If your postcard has flowers and cheerful language, your website shouldn’t be filled with dark colors and complicated industry lingo. Inconsistencies will create hiccups in your customer’s emotional journey. Take a look at your website, business cards and storefront before creating your postcard design to create as consistent an experience as possible.
Use technology to connect your postcard with your online marketing. You can make better use of postcard promotions by including QR codes, URLs, or references to any of your social media accounts. QR codes are still an option, though they’re fading in popularity. But, don’t be afraid to encourage recipients to snap pictures and post them on social media for discounts or to use hashtags. The more you’re able to tie your postcards in with digital marketing, the more mileage you’ll get from your marketing efforts.
For more on how you can integrate direct mail marketing into your marketing automation, check out our blog on the topic for advice on cohesively uniting your digital, print and direct mail marketing efforts.
Encourage branding through repeated mailings and canvassing. Frequency counts in advertising. Achieving the right level of frequency will make your brand more familiar to the consumer, increasing the likelihood of them using your service down the road. Large brands spend millions of dollars on TV and billboard advertising to achieve this effect, but postcards achieve a similar effect at a fraction of the cost.
Pay Less By Printing Postcards with an Online Printer
Despite the emergence of email and search engine marketing, marketing with postcards is still an effective marketing solution. For businesses on a budget, it’s an even more viable solution to search online for postcard printing. To execute a successful postcard promotions, use strong imaging, design, and language. Offer recipients an incentive for taking action immediately. The right incentive will make the postcard feel more like a form of currency, and less like a piece of paper destined for the trash.
Whether you're in advertising or real estate, it is essential to find a good online printer to make your life easier. Not only will they be far cheaper than their local alternatives, but they also offer assistance in dealing with the United States Postal Service since managing all the minutiae of a large direct mail campaign can be overwhelming for already-busy marketing managers.
Contact Conquest Graphics at 800-707-9903 to start using postcards to promote your business.
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