Power Terms

You've got a great product or service offering, a great mailing list of highly qualified prospects and a talented graphic designer to craft your image. Now, it's time to print and send your postcards, right? Not so fast. One of the most-overlooked aspects of direct-mail postcard marketing campaigns, especially for small businesses, is copy.

Reaching the right audience is paramount. Your offer must be great, and graphic design lends influence and credibility, but only words will motivate prospects to become customers. Not just any words will do. Illustrative, powerful words that speak to your prospects' needs and desires, while highlighting the benefits of doing business with you, bring the highest return on investment.

These words have been broken up into categories and should fall into certain places within your sales pitch. Here are a few power terms for your postcards you can employ to drive response and boost return on investment with every direct-mail marketing postcard campaign:

Words that get attention

The first job of postcard copywriting is to get attention. Your postcard headlines must be powerful and effective. They should describe your offer, ask a poignant question and/or relieve an ailment. Examples include:

• Free
• Announcing
• Confidential
• Easy
• New
• Offer
• Guarantee
• Breakthrough
• Top secret
• Bargain
• Fortune
• Opportunity
• Wealth
• How To ...
• Save (money, time, etc.)

Words that describe your services and/or products

Do you sell TVs, or do you offer the area's largest collection of HDTVs? Power terms add color to your product and service offering, communicating the benefits of your company quickly and efficiently for maximum impact. These include:

• Largest
• Best
• Quality
• Magnificent
• Excellent
• Superb/superior
• Beautiful
• Comfortable
• Outstanding
• Valuable
• Tested
• Exciting
• Expert
• Genuine
• Personalized
• Safe
• Strong
• Sturdy

Words that describe your offer

Your offer is one of the most important parts of your postcard campaigns. You have to offer something that has value to your customer. Many of the words already listed here can be used to describe your offer, but here are a few that can help motivate customers to take the next step in the purchasing process:

• Limited time
• Act now
• Deadline
• First come, first served
• While supplies last
• Today only
• Bonus
• Value-added
• Special offer
• Qualified
• Don't delay

Words that motivate action

These words, combined with everything else listed here, actually tell customers what to do next. You must be clear and concise. Customers want to take the easiest route possible to get what they want. Make sure you tell customers exactly where to go, whether it's to a website, to a physical location or to the telephone.

• Order now
• Call now
• Log on
• Request (catalog, quote, etc.)
• Buy now (today, etc.)
• Complete (form, questionnaire, etc.)

Naturally, many more power terms exist that are industry-specific. Real estate agents can take advantage of certain words, while contractors might employ others. The more relevant and audience-specific you are in your pitch, the better your postcards will perform. One of the most powerful components of any direct-marketing piece is the P.S. statement. Your P.S. statement does not have to include the formal P.S., as at the end of a sales letter. Rather, you simply restate your benefits, offer and action. Even though brevity is important, P.S. statements can sometimes be successfully incorporated into postcards (especially if printed on the back side).

Don't overlook the importance of excellent copy for your direct-mail postcard campaigns, and you're sure to land many more sales than design can garner alone.