A Modern Business Owner’s Guide to Postcards

When it comes to lead generation, one of the oldest marketing tactics remains one of the most powerful. Sure, the digital age has changed the way that businesses reach their customers, but mailing business postcards is still an effective marketing method.

Mailers allow businesses to reach potential customers directly at their homes. It is cost-effective and keeps things simple. Instead of bombarding customers with tons of information, business postcards can provide direct information. If designed properly they will engage the reader in a way that’s more effective than a typical advertisement.

Postcards Are Affordable

Television advertisements, online paid advertisements and radio station commercials all have one thing in common, they are expensive! Furthermore, they are not good marketing strategies for all businesses.

This has led many businesses today to find more cost-effective ways to reach potential customers as well as current clients. With postcards, you don’t have to waste money on multiple pages of paper, brochures or envelopes. This leads to a more affordable marketing approach that can target a niche audience. If you do some research before starting your campaign, you won’t need to send lots of copies to people who have no use for your services.

Postcards Grab Attention Quickly

When people go to websites, receive something in the mail or flip open a magazine, they tend to scan the pages. While this is generally bad for detailed content, this type of engagement is perfect for postcards. They eliminate the need for pulling the paper out of an envelope, get the message across quickly and utilize various types of formatting. Here are some postcard design tips to help you get a better grasp of things.

• Colors not only grab attention, but they evoke feelings as well. Use them in a way that serves this purpose while working to the advantage of your marketing campaign.
• Pictures can grab attention while supporting your overall brand image.
• Graphics may help illustrate marketing messages better when pictures don’t work.
• Jumbo postcards stand out when they’re received in the mail. Although the cost is a little higher, they do help boost engagement rates in most situations. To evaluate whether the increased cost is beneficial, you’ll want to see if using a jumbo postcard gets more responses.
• Slick paper makes the postcard feel better in the client’s hand. It also helps recipients get a true feel for the level of professionalism your company embraces.

Postcard Mailings and Targeting

Unlike most of the other marketing avenues (such as television commercials, radio station ads and newspaper ad space), using postcards for marketing is a lot more targeted. In fact, it’s capable of targeting extremely specific audiences. This is vital for many types of businesses.

Marketers usually purchase mailing lists when they embark on a campaign of this type, and there are many different companies that specialize in compiling this type of data. The mailing lists are usually based on specific ZIP codes or a set of people with specific buying characteristics or habits. Other marketing avenues usually target a broader audience.

Mailing Business Postcards and Following Up

Depending on the type of business that’s embracing this form of marketing, customers and prospective customers can be given an 800 number to call or the company’s website. Remember, this is based on how important it is to talk with the recipients. If you don’t need to talk to the prospects on the phone, you can just redirect them to your website. You can also use an online chat feature where someone from your business will be able to talk with the customer.

If you’re using an 800 number for responses, you can either use a fully automated system (callers will leave their name, address and phone number) or send the calls directly to a live operator. The latter is better for when conversions need to be seen immediately.

If your website isn’t up and running yet and you still want to use the digital approach, you can send recipients to a landing page created specifically for the campaign. This could help deliver a customized approach and send prospective customers into a developed sales funnel that helps increase the value of each conversion.

Don’t forget, the results will only be as good as your marketing approach and material. At Copy Bargain, we can ensure you get the finest materials and perfect design, all in one package. You’ll get great conversion rates while minimizing the amount of money you have to spend.