successful_postcard.htm

Many people have started using low-cost postcards in their offline marketing ventures. They have found that using postcards has often driven enormous amounts of traffic to their Websites and produced sales leads that are of a significantly higher quality than those generated from many other methods of marketing. These seven tips will help you receive the maximum response from your post cards at the lowest cost.

Tip One: The Mailing List - Get Focused

You will want to send your mailing to prospects who show an interest in your business offer and have shown a history of acting on offers presented to them. You can also send your postcards to customers of non-competing businesses that sell to the same market as yours, subscribers of publications that are read by prospects in your targeted market, or to prospects that have requested information related to what you offer. You can purchase these types of lists from mailing list brokers.

Tip Two: Be A Friend To Your Prospects

Set your postcards so that when your prospects look at them at first glance, they will think it is from a friend rather than an advertiser. By doing this, it will boost the number of replies that you will receive from your postcard mailing. The emotional reaction that your prospects will have from a friendly, heartfelt message will be more positive than ones that are written just as advertisements.

Tip Three: Ditch The Pitch

You will not have enough room on your postcard to provide your prospects with the information that they need to make an informed decision for a purchase. Trying to close the sale on your postcard will have poor results. Use your postcards only to generate inquires instead. Briefly state the benefits that you offer on your postcard and then motivate your prospects to obtain more information. You can send them to a website or urge them to call a number or write for more information.

Tip Four: Make Your Point

Make your message brief and to the point. This will capture your reader’s attention more quickly. When your message is short and to the point, your prospects will be more apt to read it all and react in a positive manner.

Tip Five: First Class All The Way

By using first class mail over bulk mailing, you will receive more replies. Postcard stamps in the US at the moment are 24 cents per stamp. Your postcards should be at least 3 ? by 5 inches and not any larger than 4 1/4 by 6.

Tip Six: Timing Is Everything

When you send out your postcards, make your delivery dates on Tuesday or Wednesday rather than on Monday. Mondays are the busiest day for the post office for deliveries, and many people are also busy on Mondays as well.

Tip Seven: Design And Print Economizing

Use postcards that aren’t over designed, unless that’s the service you are offering. They can be printed from your computer for pennies on the dollar. Printing companies can also print simple standard postcards for a few cents more. When you’re using a professional printing service, your per-piece cost goes down as your quantity goes up, so if you know you’re going to do more than one mailing, go on and get them all at the same time if you can afford it. If you can’t, ask the printer to keep your negative or plate so you can save money on the reprinting (assuming there are no changes).