Postcard Secrets of the Marketing Pros

It's no secret that printing direct-mail postcards is one of the most profitable ways to market your business. Still, there are secrets to postcard success that marketing pros employ to boost response rates and profit margins campaign after campaign. The differences between professional postcards and amateur postcards are sometimes minimal, yet account for a dramatic difference in return on investment. Here are some postcard secrets the marketing professionals use every day:

Write to one customer

Think of your best customer, and give him or her a name. Define all the characteristics that comprise this customer's demographic, and write to this customer only. Your postcard will go to more than one customer, yes, but writing to your perfect customer helps you focus on your copy, promotion, product/service and offer. Now, define your mailing list according to these demographics. If you have a broad customer base, target each postcard mailing to the best customer for the promoted product instead of trying to hit them all with one campaign.

Keep it simple

Amateur marketers often try to pack as much information as possible into their postcards, erroneously believing that the wider the net they cast, the more customers they'll earn. But the most powerful postcard marketing delivers a singular message to a motivated audience. Keep your message simple by promoting one product or service and delivering one offer to one customer - your best customer. Simple, engaging designs and short copy perform best on postcards. Limit your copy to a headline, a short line or paragraph, and perhaps a few bulleted features/benefits before your offer and call to action. You can often combine your headline, offer and even your call to action into one sentence for the ultimate in brevity.

Send from a friend

If your postcards look like junk mail advertisements, they'll be cast aside as such. Instead, design your postcards to look as if they're being sent from a friend. This little-known technique can get you the crucial first-look you need to deliver your offer and engage your audience

Offer something extraordinary

Apart from sending your postcards to a well-defined, motivated mailing list, this is probably the best piece of postcard advice you'll ever get: Offer something truly extraordinary. If you're offering 10 percent off or a free consultation, you can get in line behind everyone else doing the same thing. The trick is to come up with something you can give away that your customers can't refuse yet does not jeopardize your return on investment. If your offer is extraordinary, and your audience is interested, you will achieve a high response rate. Marketing professionals employ a host of techniques to boost postcard response rate, but compelling copy, intelligent design, motivated mailing lists, and an outstanding offer are really all you need to launch a remarkable postcard direct-mail marketing campaign that gets results.