Why should your business use postcards to market?
Postcards are extremely cheap to print in full-color from online digital printers and for a little extra investment, some will rent or sell you a mailing list and even address and mail them for you while offering bulk postage rates.
Here’s a short list of other reasons to consider marketing with postcards:
1. They’re simple: a postcard has to get someone’s attention as they’re going through the mail. Simple headlines work best. Make believe that every word is costing you $1,000. Example headlines: “Time for Spring Cleaning?”, “50% off Sale!”, “Happy Birthday !”
2. They’re timely: you can print postcards in small batches in order to effectively target the right customer at the right time. Remind customers that it’s time for an oil change, or it’s been a while since they’ve visited your store, or even wish them a happy birthday.
3. They’re printed on both sides: it’s a good idea for the front of your postcard to pose a question and the back of your postcard to answer that question. You may also use the front side like a poster and the backside to list some details for an event or promotion.
4. They’re attractive: there are no envelopes to open and no gimmicks. Making your postcard attractive helps to ensure that your customer will keep it around until it’s time to use it.
5. They’re measurable: a postcard can be a coupon, a gift certificate, or a ticket to an event. Ask customers to present the coupon to take advantage of an offer or promotion. Tracking your postcards helps you measure the effectiveness of your promotions.
For a few postcard marketing ideas, you may read my previous post, 14 responsive Direct Mail marketing ideas … and the USPS has information on using postage-paid Business Reply Mail, where you only pay for those postcards that are actually returned to you.
Using a postage-paid postcard can increase your response rates up to 8%!
