Announcement Card Marketing Strategies

Announcement cards are powerful ways to market small business events, launch and promote new products, and to keep an open line of communication with your customers. The allure of announcement cards versus typical postcards, newsletters, invitations and brochures is that they denote something special; of a certain significance that should not be overlooked. This theme should be prevalent throughout your printed announcement card designs, so that your customers are aware that can't-miss opportunities rest at the ends of their fingertips. The following details some other announcement card marketing strategies you can deploy to boost your brand and business.

Print on the envelope

One surefire way to ensure potential customers actually read your direct-mail announcement cards is to print a design on their envelopes. Envelope designs are especially effective when they pose a question your customers want answered, pitch an incredible offer or are personalized to each customer. Another strategy is to design your envelopes to mimic "official" correspondence with formal gold lettering and patriotic colors.

Skip the envelope

Another popular announcement card marketing strategy is to skip the envelopes altogether and send your announcements as postcards instead. There are two key reasons why you might consider sending postcard announcement cards. First, there's no envelope to get between your message and your customer. Second, postcard postage is less expensive than envelope-wrapped announcement card postage, so you can increase your return on investment with one simple move.

Print oversized announcement cards

Large announcement cards will be noticed before anything else in the mailbox and vastly increase the likelihood that your customers will open your announcements and ultimately respond. So instead of a 4-inch by 6-inch announcement card, print a 6-inch by 8.75-inch announcement card. Even better: test a smaller announcement card against a larger announcement card to see which performs better before sending your announcements to your entire mailing list.

Print on premium paper stocks

Paper stock is often overlooked as a way to boost your response rate, and this is unfortunate because when you print on premium paper stock with smooth glossy or matte finishes and flexible thickness that feels great in your customers' hands and ultimately encourage sales. Premium announcement card paper stock lend credibility to your company without taxing your marketing budget, so there's no excuse for settling for a lesser-grade paper.

Don't forget a call to action

All direct-mail marketing materials need a sound call to action to entice customers to take the next step in the purchasing process (in addition to a killer headline, a powerful offer and supporting evidence). Your call to action might vary depending on the type of announcement you are making. A product launch, for example, might ask customers to come in for a free sample or to cash in a coupon; a business event might ask for an RSVP; or a company announcement might invite customers to meet a new sales representative. Make sure your call to action reiterates a benefit and special offer, and that it is time-limited, to get the best response rate and overall return on investment.