In a world of social media, web apps, tweets, pings, and invisible ‘clouds,’ the notion of mailing a postcard to market your business seems almost, well, quaint, right?
Wrong.
There’s a reason postcards have been around since before Al Gore was born, let alone before he invented the Internet.
Postcards are affordable, effective, and easy to produce. You can get them in the mail fast and see measurable results in just days.
So why don’t business owners use postcards more often? From our experience, it’s because they don’t understand the format or purpose of a postcard. Is it an ad you mail? Is it a small self-mailer? Is it like a billboard? Or is it merely support for other campaigns?
In marketing our custom web design services here in Greenville, and in helping our clients build their own brands, we’ve learned a few lessons that will help you create the most powerful postcard possible. I’ll use our most recent mailing (click on it to read the front and back) to explain our postcard secrets:
- Use your postcard to drive “traffic.” Postcards are excellent at getting attention quickly and driving people to take a second step immediately. What step people take is up to you; drive them to your website, drive them into your store or get them to request information.
- Focus on one big idea per card. Just one. Not two or three. ONE. Our singular idea: the image of your website is vital to the image of your business.
- Grab attention with a bold headline. IMAGE MATTERS. That got your attention, right? Your headline has a lot of responsibility; it must grab your prospect’s attention, spark their interest and get them to read the rest of your postcard, and then act upon your offer.
- Tell them what you got. This is your offer; makes yours simple and compelling. Ours: we will strengthen your image.
- Tell them how to get it. Finally, provide a clear call to action. So far, you’ve grabbed attention with a bold headline and made a persuasive offer, so now it’s time to issue a call to action that is direct and definite. Tell your prospect what to do (visit us) and how to do it (go to our website or give us a call).
- Size matters. We always use a “jumbo” postcard. We don’t get the low mailing rate, but our response rate is generally higher because our card stands out in the mail and we have more room to communicate information and make a visual impact.
Remember, a postcard is not a webpage, a billboard, or a print ad. It’s an uncomplicated tool in your marketing toolbox that can create remarkable results. Incorporate the steps above, and your postcard can be the kick in the seat of the pants your prospects need to take just one, tiny little step toward you.
And that’s a step in the right direction.
Want some help on making your postcard mailing as powerful as possible? Drop us an email while you’re here on our website or give us a call. We can help you create powerful yet painless postcards.