Effective Marketing With Printed Postcards
In today’s oversaturated marketing environment, we’ve learned to tune out many of the myriad media vying for our attention. We don’t even look at the upper-right hand corner of websites. We skip the commercials with our DVRs or watch our favorite shows online. We change the station when commercials come on the radio, or simply bypass the radio entirely, and plug into podcasts or streaming music services. We throw away marketing mail before even bothering to look inside the envelope.
But postcards seem to reach us in a way that other marketing media simply can’t. There’s no envelope to open. No fast-forward button to push. No distractions… just a big, bold message that only takes a moment of our time and makes its purpose known, quickly and succinctly.
As a marketer, the humble postcard has the potential to be one of the most effective arrows in your quiver. It’s inexpensive, high-impact, and simple. But as with any marketing media, there are a few tricks to make postcard marketing more effective.
In this article, we’ll reveal seven postcard marketing secrets that will help you spread your message effectively and allow you to get the best results from your next postcard marketing campaign.
With Postcard Marketing, Keep It Simple
One of the benefits of postcard marketing is that it has the potential to get your message across quickly. Don’t undermine that advantage by putting too much information on your postcards. Make your point, motivate your audience to take action, and tell them exactly what to do next.
Make It Worth Their While
When you send out a printed postcard marketing campaign, you’re asking potential clients to take action that will benefit you. Yes, they’ll probably benefit, too, but it’s up to you to show them how. Don’t forget to put a compelling offer on your postcards.
Target Your Postcard Campaign
OK, so you know that you want to make postcard marketing a part of your marketing portfolio, but who should you send those postcards to? Well, you could just send them to everyone in your city, but that would get expensive quickly.
Instead, you’re often better off sending your postcards to a more targeted demographic. If your business already has a mailing list, then that’s a great place to start. But if not, you can always purchase or rent a mailing list from a reputable vendor.
Should You Go Big With Postcards?
It doesn’t take a marketing genius to figure out that bigger postcards are more eye-catching than smaller ones. But before you shell out the extra cash for super-sized postcards, there are a few things to consider.
Generally, the more competitive your market is, the better off you’ll be with a big postcard.
If you have a lot of information to convey, then you’ll need more printing space. If your message is simple, a smaller size might be just fine. As always, keep it as succinct as possible, but make sure you explain the details of your service or products adequately.
However, you may want to consider the preferences of your demographic when choosing a postcard size. If members of your target market tend to be environmentally conscious, then they might not approve of an over-sized postcard. At the very least, make sure it’s printed on recycled paper.
With Postcards, Design Matters
A visually pleasing postcard will get a better response rate than one with a sub-par aesthetic. If you’re not comfortable in your design skills, then you may want to enlist the services of your local print shop’s design team. Sure, design services will add to the cost of your campaign, but they’re likely to provide a respectable ROI.
Brand Consistency Is Crucial
Thinking of doing a major branding overhaul? Your next postcard marketing campaign may not be the best place to start. Clients and prospects trust your business’s image, so it’s best to keep your postcard marketing materials consistent with your existing marketing materials.
Track Your Postcard Campaign Results
Smart marketers know that in order to maximize their efforts, it’s essential to keep track of results. That way, they can double down on effective techniques and jettison those that provide lackluster returns.
And as low-tech as it may be, postcard marketing makes tracking results easy. You have plenty of options: you can take advantage of QR codes, create personalized client URLs, or simply ask your incoming customers how they heard about your business.
Ready, Set, Print & Mail!
Now you’re ready to craft a postcard marketing campaign that will yield exciting results. Your customers are waiting, and there’s no time like the present. If you’re in the Portland metro area, we want to hear from you! Just fill out the contact form or give us a call today, and we’ll help you get started on making your next postcard marketing campaign a true success!
[Photo Via: JournalistontheRun; JiffyLube, TheFinancialBrand]