Get a Better Response with Invitation Cards

Invitation cards aren't just for weddings, graduations and other domestic celebrations; they are also powerful direct-marketing tools that can generate a great return on investment. Sometimes invitation cards can even yield a higher response rate than more traditional forms of direct-mail marketing such as postcards and brochures. Here's how you can get a better response with invitation cards.

Lead off with your benefit

No matter what type of event you're promoting - be it a special sale, conference, trade show, seminar, publicity stunt or anything else - your customers will ask themselves "what's in it for me?" You can increase your response rate by answering that question immediately, right in your headline. A real estate investment product firm, for example, might lead off with: "You're invited to make 20 percent profit in 30 days by flipping houses the easy way!

Promise fun

Nobody wants to sit through yet another stuffy, boring business seminar. Promise to keep things lively and fun with entertainment. You don't have to hire clowns or magicians (this isn't a kid's birthday party), but you can play games that illuminate your key points. For extra attendance incentive, give away a prize.

Make it personal

Of course, you should have a well-targeted audience for your invitation cards, but you can also increase response by personalizing your message. Invitations addressed to specific individuals will get opened; and invitations written by you (in first-person) will make your attendees feel more comfortable. You also want to make your potential customers feel important - like VIPs - so go out of your way to extend a personal invitation. Follow through with VIP treatment when they arrive, and your events will earn a reputation for value.

Include a clear call to action

Even the most compelling invitation cards are sometimes ambiguous when it comes to taking the next step, but if your attendees aren't sure what to do next they won't do anything at all. Make sure the next step is clear and simple. Instead of simply including a phone number or URL, say something such as "Go to www.signupformyevent.com/signupnow today for a two-minute registration."

Print quality invitation cards

Last but not least, know that the quality of your invitation cards denotes the quality of your event; if you send cheap, thin desktop-printed invitation cards your attendance will pale in comparison to if you print high-quality invitation cards through a professional printing company. Fortunately, you can get quality gloss and matte paper stocks printed with rich soy inks for low prices; in fact, the cost for professional invitation card printing is close to the price of store-purchased stock and desktop inks. Best of all, you'll avoid all the hassle of desktop printing, smearing and folding when you have your invitation cards professionally printed. And because professional printing bestows credibility on your event, you can rest assured that taking this measure will increase your response rate and event attendance.