Postcard Marketing Strategies

Direct-mail postcards represent one of the most popular marketing mediums today, and for good reason: Postcards sell! Return on investment is crucial, and low-cost postcards afford you the opportunity to market to even a large audience on a budget. You can dramatically boost your response rate even more by incorporating the following postcard marketing strategies.

Get a great list

Two things are crucial to postcard marketing success: the quality of your mailing list and the caliber of your offer. Without either, your postcard mailer is destined for failure, but with them, your postcard mailer is primed for success. The 40/40/20 rule of direct marketing dictates that 40 percent of your success is dependent on your list, so invest in a well-defined list comprised of your target audience. These are individuals or businesses whose demographics match those of your best customers, who have the desire and/or need for what you sell, and who have the means to afford it. The beauty of a quality list is that your audience already wants what you're selling, so all you have to do is provide an incentive. Which leads us to ...

Promote a high-caliber offer

Another 40 percent of your postcard mailer success is dependent on your offer. Approach this from a customer's perspective: What would it take for you to act? A great discount, a powerful cross-promotion, or a free give-away are all tried-and-true response-eliciting techniques. Your offer must have impact and value. It should give your audience something they really want with a price tag or other benefit that blows their minds. A free consultation is not a good offer - everybody offers those. A free year of support services, however, could be just what your customers want! Make your offer time-sensitive so your audience responds quickly.

Craft compelling copy, draft dynamic design

Your postcard copy and design should work in tandem to deliver your message, highlight your features and benefits, and funnel readers' eyes to your offer and call to action. Contrasting colors, bold headlines, balanced visuals and other elements help your readers focus on the most important information; effectively helping them to determine that they need what you're selling and that right now is the time to buy. Collectively, your design, copy and all other factors comprise the remaining 20 percent of the 40/40/20 rule.

Use a clear call to action and add value

Identify exactly what it is you want your audience to do when they read your postcard: Should they call a phone number, visit a website, return a form, visit a physical location or respond in some other way? Make sure it is easy for your audience to respond, and offer multiple response channels if possible. Some of your postcard recipients might prefer to speak on the phone, while others might be more tempted to visit a website. Add value to your postcard mailer by including an athletic or entertainment schedule, valuable coupons, informative tips, or other information that might compel your audience to tack your postcard to the fridge or bulletin board. Some of the best postcards ever mailed have a shelf-life of years - talk about an excellent branding opportunity! Another way to add value to your postcard is to mail it first class. Bulk mail is often considered junk mail and can be trashed before it's looked at. First-class mail denotes something important and worth reading.

Test and track results

If you're mailing a large number of postcards, test different versions on small subsets of your list before deciding on a final version. Make small changes to determine what works and what doesn't. Sometimes a single word change in your headline can boost response by several percentage points. No matter how large your mailing list is, always track response so you can make adjustments for your next campaign. Postcard marketing is one of the best ways to boost business, especially when you incorporate the best postcard marketing tips available. Don't be afraid to try something new and fun - you want to differentiate yourself from the competition. Keep these postcard marketing strategies at the front of your mind when you plan your next direct-mail postcard marketing campaign, and you're bound to see and increase in return on investment.