Make Postcard Marketing Work for You

Does postcard marketing work? The obvious answer is yes. Companies, nonprofits, and other organizations tap into the power of postcards every day. Everyone knows that they are effective and economical, but do you know the numbers? Are certain postcards more apt to sell than others? What goes into a postcard's design? This article will answer all of those questions and more in order to show you exactly why postcard marketing works.

Postcards are cost-effective and they work

High-quality postcards are among the most effective direct-mail marketing methods. Today's state-of-the-art printers have made even short postcard runs incredibly affordable; and the light weight and small dimensions of postcards makes them the cheapest thing to mail. Postcard-to-website marketing is one of the hottest trends today, and the reason is simple: it sells. Unlike many other direct mailers, your customers don't even have to bother opening your postcard to find out what your offer is. Your postcard headlines are next to impossible to miss in the mailbox, especially when they're memorable, big and bold. Printing oversized postcards, printing on the back of postcards, and incorporating unique design concepts are all great attention-getters. Of course, just because a postcard gets attention doesn't mean it's going to sell for you. Your postcards must still follow tried-and-true direct-mail marketing conventions.

Spotlight benefits and a call to action

Make sure that your postcards promote an incredible offer and funnel your prospects toward a motivational call to action. Highlight your features and benefits. Tell your customers why your product or service will make their lives easier. Send your postcards to a highly targeted mailing list to get the best response rate possible.

Hire a copywriter and designer

You don't want to skimp on your postcard's development, either. That's why you should hire a professional copywriter and a professional designer. You might think you're Bob Bly, but remember that there's a reason you're not in the copywriting business and he is. You should also have your postcards professionally printed by a reputable company such as PsPrint. A good-looking postcard gets good looks.

You have to work to make your postcard work

So, does postcard marketing work? Yes, but only if you apply fundamental marketing fundamentals to the planning, development and mailing. If you simply send a postcard that says little more than "give me money", your response rate will be dismally low - if it registers at all. Recall the 40/40/20 rule of direct marketing? It states that 40 percent of your marketing success depends on your mailing list, another 40 percent depends on your offer, and the remaining 20 percent is everything else. The fact that your offer is being delivered to your mailing list on a postcard is part of that 20 percent. Postcards might be one of the most effective marketing mediums, but if you don't have a great offer delivered to a highly targeted audience, it doesn't matter what you send it on. It won't sell. These fundamental direct-marketing techniques, coupled with the ability to get attention fast, will make your direct-mail postcard marketing campaign a success.