5 Postcard Mailing Tips
Consider these 5 postcard mailing tips when you launch your next direct mail campaign. They will help you be more efficient as you brand your company and seek out new business. Having a plan for your postcard mailing is key to success. And by answering a few questions and setting a few thresholds you will be able to make an effective plan it just a few minutes.
1. Postcard Mailing – Identify Your Company Brand and Who Are Your Best Targets
Before you begin a postcard mailing, identify the “low hanging fruit.” Use this plan at every step as you design, print and mail your postcards. Be sure that your company’s products and services are easy to understand. Do you want your mailing to go to past customers you haven’t heard from in a while? Or do you want to introduce yourself to a new audience. If it is a new audience, decide if you are identifying them by geographic presence (zip codes or counties) or professional demographics ie: all dentists or all residential homeowners with pools
Direct Mail2. Choose An Efficient Postcard Mailing Vehicle
Efficiency is key. Don’t only look at price. Mark out a reasonable return on your investment. And if it is to be reasonable it has to be a plan that gives a chance for the numbers to accurately show themselves. One mailing of 100 postcards does not give you a statistical base to judge results. Plan on three mailings of at least a few thousand each. Larger numbers give you a more reliable statistical base to study. Decide on what is an appropriate postcard size and speed of delivery. You usually pay extra for specific or speedy delivery. But if it doesn’t matter which day your mailer arrives within 7-10 days you can save money.
A 4.25″ x 6″ postcard is efficient if you want to go first class and not pay high postage, but it is a bit small in size. A 6″ x 11″ postcard is large and has more impact, but you would probably want to go out bulk mail to save on postage which means longer delivery time. If you are looking to reach residential customers Every Door Direct Mail EDDM may be an effective way to go.
Every Door Direct Mail3. Postcard Mailing Must Have Strong Offer For Your
Your postcard mailing’s goal is to get phone calls or walk-ins. Strong offers get people to take action. Words like FREE, 20% off or $100 off work. And if you don’t want to make an offer then you shouldn’t expect good results. Think of your own buying habits. What turns you from a looker into a buyer? Always consider what a new customer is worth. How much would you spend to have another customer like customer X (visualize one of your better customers here.)
And don’t forget about things your company offers already offer. Free estimates, Free consultation. Free delivery. Emphasize these. Don’t assume everybody already knows this. You can also experiment with different offers on different postcard mailings. Test them out. Sometimes you may be surprised at what works and what doesn’t work.
Often companies don’t know which offers to put on their postcards. Experience is the best teacher. You will need some trial and unfortunately that leads to a bit of error. But error leads to lessons learned. Again, go back to your existing customers. What they like about you is often the same thing new customers will like about dealing with your company.
Graphic Design
4. Postcard Design Matters
Professional graphic design puts you ahead of the curve. Have your postcard designed by someone who knows what they are doing. Use strong, clear high resolution photos and bold offers. Design is not an area to cut corners. This postcard will define your brand to a new audience. You don’t want people to think you are the “schlocky” company. Cell phone camera are terrific these days and you can take wonderful photos. Most importantly, check your settings and be sure your artwork allows correct bleed. And remember to consider whether you want to use a horizontal photo or a vertical one.
Postcard Printing5. Postcard Mailings Don’t Do The Selling. You Do.
The postcard’s job is to make potential customers aware of your business and get people to either call you, walk in to your business or go to your website. You need to be able to take it from there. This is marketing, not magic.
Remember to tote the company policies you may have that everyone likes. “Satisfaction guaranteed,” “Doing business since 1981″, ” open 7 days”. This is no time to be shy.
It is smart to offer something on your postcard that may be found on your website. ie: “See our blog for tips on buying your first home” or you can check out some examples of our work on our website.
So what’s the difference between marketing and branding?
There are a variety of definitions of these two terms. But think of branding as your support staff. And marketing as your best salesman. Your company needs both to be strong and effective. What good is it to have a good salesman if you have a bad brand? It only means you will be exposed more quickly.
James Heaton of Tronvig Group spells it out well in a post on their website.*
He says most noteworthy that marketing is a push tactic. Pushing out a message to get sales results. He goes on to say, “This is not branding. Branding is not push, but pull. Branding is the expression of the essential truth or value of an organization, product, or service. It is communication of characteristics, values, and attributes that clarify what this particular brand is and is not.
A brand will help encourage someone to buy a product, and it directly supports whatever sales or marketing activities are in play, but the brand does not explicitly say “buy me.” Instead, it says “This is what I am. This is why I exist. If you agree, if you like me, you can buy me, support me, and recommend me to your friends.””
Cloud 8 Printing offers high quality postcard design and printing.
We can mail your postcards or brochures anywhere nationwide. And we offer all this at very affordable prices with fast turnaround. We offer free price quotes and free consultations. Serving clients locally in Columbus, OH and around the United States.
Want to get Started? Call Cloud 8 Printing 614-273-0845, go to our website or click the quote button below.
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