A couple of months ago the season for political campaigns were in full swing. The television and radio airwaves were full of political ads. I picked up the paper and there were even more ads. And it seemed that every billboard on the road was being rented by a political candidate.
One day I went to pick up my mail and got a huge postcard. It was from one of the local candidates. It almost read like a special report it was so large. Needless to say, it got my attention and I ended up voting for the gal. But it was amazing that big media like television, radio, newspapers, and billboards couldn't sell me on a candidate.
But a humble (albeit oversized) postcard marketing did the job. It was the postcard that had the ability to deliver the candidate's marketing message in a way that convinced me to vote for her. That's the power of postcards.
Let me tell you why I like postcards so much.
1. Postcards are a low cost way to get your message out. In fact, standard sized postcards are 38% cheaper than using regular sized letters.
2. They keep your mailing list clean. One of the benefits of using first class postage for a regular size postcard is that it will be mailed back to the sender if it has a bad address, which helps you update your list.
3. Postcards can have a high impact. Because letters are enclosed in an envelope the consumer gets a chance to decide whether to open the envelope or just throw it away. Many people will just throw the letter away without opening it. However, with postcards, there's no envelope to hide the message. It's almost impossible to throw the postcard away without looking at its message.
4. Postcards are simple to create and send. With postcards there are no assembling, collating, stuffing, licking envelopes etc. The hardest part of sending a postcard is putting on the stamp. And there are services that will even do that for you. But if you decide you want it done for you go to AmazingMail.com and they'll do it all for you. Even the postal service will do it for you. Go to USPS.com.
Here are four tips to make your postcard marketing campaign successful.
1. Keep Your Message Very Brief- Only use your postcard for lead generation. Don't try to explain all the details just give some teaser information to get your reader to take the next step, which might be going to your website or calling your office or a toll free recorded message.
2. Design Your Postcard in an editorial format.- I'm not a big fan of four color postcards. I'd rather use all the space I can on the postcard to give the reader an irresistible urge to take the next step. The best way to do this is to make the postcard look like it came from a personal friend. But make sure you use a compelling headline. That will be the most important part of your entire postcard. When I want to send them to a website I show a picture of my website and if I want to send them to a phone number I make the phone number as big as I can.
3. Don't spend a lot of money on printing - For almost all my postcards I use an 8 ½ by 11', 110lb fluorescent yellow cardstock and I simply print four postcards to a sheet by cutting the cardstock into quarters. I use my own little laser printer. Its that simple.
4. Make Sure You Send Your Postcard to a Good List of Qualified Prospects
Remember, no matter what type of mailing you're doing, it's usually the list that will determine its success. Any in house list will outperform a rented list and if you're wanting to use a rented list make sure you use a list broker to help you.
Send Out Cards is a very unique online card service. Imagine if you could send a postcard from the comfort of your own computer and choose from over 5000+ pre-designed cards from an online card catalog, type in your own personal message (choosing from 8 different fonts or have your own handwriting & signature turned into a font, and upload up to 4 personal pictures into this greeting card then simply hit the submit button.
The next day from Send Out Cards Headquarters in Salt Lake City your personalized greeting card submission will be printed, placed in a real envelope and a real postage stamp and mailed on your behalf. All of this right from your computer, no driving to the card store, going to the post office, or even walking to your mailbox. If that's not all how about each card less than $1.90 (retail including postage) or as low as $1.32 (wholesale including postage). That sound to good to be true?
It gets better what if you could share this service with others and make the difference between the above retail and the wholesale on every card mailed in your referral group.
Send Out Cards also has the ability to insert in your greeting card name brand gift cards from Lowes Home Improvement, Home Depot, Starbucks, Banana republic, Old Navy, The Gap, Barnes & Noble, Eddie Bauer, % Restaurants in One card (Chilis, Romanos Macaroni Grill, On The Border, Maggianos Little Italy, Corner Bakery), Dinner & a Movie Card (Blockbuster and the 5 Restaurant Card), as well as checks up to $50 can be sent with your greeting card. From a business viewpoint this service alone makes for an awesome follow-up and thank you for doing business marketing strategy.
Do you own your own business? Do you have Clients or customers? Looking for a marketing strategy to stay in touch with these customers and clients? Imagine this amazing service with your very own customized greeting card. I am a graphic artist I am able to offer my design abilities to help you create a custom card for your company. If this interests you email me for more details.
Request your
Free Demo today also receive a sample custom designed greeting card from me along with a DVD presentation that you can enjoy with the whole family or office. Request this free demo and one of SendOutCards representatives will call and let you send a Free Card.
Eric Anderson
405-834-3961
