Companies of any size depend on a selection of tools to market themselves efficiently. As an Atlanta marketing consultant, I leverage my web site, referrals, speaking engagements, and articles, to aid in making my consulting firm more top-of-mind to potential customers. I also depend on the power of postcards.
Why can such a little advertising tool pack such a strong punch? When used correctly, postcards have 2 distinct advantages:
Firstly, postcards are a low-tech tool in an increasingly high tech world. My competition favors e-mail as it is fast and free- - but email is a common, undifferentiated, run-of-the-mill approach. Everyone seems to be doing it. Email prospecting can be useful, certainly, but it requires a customized approach and a careful balance. Because prospects receive so many emails, aspiring vendors need to be attention-grabbing without being slick or spam-my, and that can be a hard balance for many to achieve.
Secondly, unlike e-mail communication or regular letters, postcards do not have to be opened. Their message is right there, "in your face" before you even know it. A well-done postcard gets its main message across in a split second.
From an advertiser's point of view, postcards are appealing because they're not costly to create and inexpensive to send. I modify existing templates from my own simple to use desktop publishing software and have them printed on the web. Here in the USA, it costs me about 40 cents to design, print, and mail postcards to the potential customers on my business mailing list. For people that can use bulk mailing rates, this cost can be reduced further.
While postcards are an engaging advertising tool because they can be unique from your competitors and because your message can be delivered at a comparatively low cost to a specific audience, there are a number of factors that may dramatically impact the success of your postcard marketing initiatives:
1) Clear communication. Postcards are small. You don't have much physical space in which to get your message across. This is one of the best benefits of postcards from an advertising strategy perspective: they force you to think about exactly what message you want to send and demand that you say message clearly and concisely. Pick the ONE idea you would like to share with those on your mail list and stay focused on making that communication short and sweet.
2) Strong design. You do not need to hire a professional graphic designer to make your postcards impactful. If you design your postcards online or with the many desktop publishing options available, you will find many pre-designed templates at your command. Utilize them, making absolutely sure that you follow the foundations of good graphic design: a huge, attention-grabbing headline, a font that is easy on the eyes (do not get 'cute ' or use one that's smaller than 9 pt), and enough "white space" so your message is tempting rather than lost in hopeless mess.
3) Personalization. If you have got the opportunity to do so, take a yellow highlighter marker and run it across the recipient's name. This should make it easier to be delivered and will make it more prominent to them (we all think our names are important, and seeing them attracts our attention like a magnet). If your list is small enough, and you have enough space on your postcard, write a short, one sentence message (ie, "Fred, is this of interest? - Tim"). It will only take a few seconds of your time- -and it is easy to do when you are watching a TV show in the background.
4) Be consistent. Hopefully, with a clear, compelling offer you will get a solid initial reaction to your postcard mailing. Depending on the power of your sales call, the clarity of your message, and how well-targeted your contact list is, your success may vary. The best approach is to view postcard advertising as an experiment; try different tactics and make adjustments as you go along based upon your success rate. But don't just send out one batch of postcards and then be done. You want to view them as a CAMPAIGN, where you deliver your advertising message regularly over an extended period. Some market research studies suggest that it can take seven "touches" to get through to a new prospect. While not all of them need be postcards (it's good to try other selling tools along with them), commit to giving this approach a fair trial rather than a quick hit.
No matter what industry you are in or how large (or little) your business may be, postcard marketing can be an effective business-generating technique. Why not try it out?
Why can such a little advertising tool pack such a strong punch? When used correctly, postcards have 2 distinct advantages:
Firstly, postcards are a low-tech tool in an increasingly high tech world. My competition favors e-mail as it is fast and free- - but email is a common, undifferentiated, run-of-the-mill approach. Everyone seems to be doing it. Email prospecting can be useful, certainly, but it requires a customized approach and a careful balance. Because prospects receive so many emails, aspiring vendors need to be attention-grabbing without being slick or spam-my, and that can be a hard balance for many to achieve.
Secondly, unlike e-mail communication or regular letters, postcards do not have to be opened. Their message is right there, "in your face" before you even know it. A well-done postcard gets its main message across in a split second.
From an advertiser's point of view, postcards are appealing because they're not costly to create and inexpensive to send. I modify existing templates from my own simple to use desktop publishing software and have them printed on the web. Here in the USA, it costs me about 40 cents to design, print, and mail postcards to the potential customers on my business mailing list. For people that can use bulk mailing rates, this cost can be reduced further.
While postcards are an engaging advertising tool because they can be unique from your competitors and because your message can be delivered at a comparatively low cost to a specific audience, there are a number of factors that may dramatically impact the success of your postcard marketing initiatives:
1) Clear communication. Postcards are small. You don't have much physical space in which to get your message across. This is one of the best benefits of postcards from an advertising strategy perspective: they force you to think about exactly what message you want to send and demand that you say message clearly and concisely. Pick the ONE idea you would like to share with those on your mail list and stay focused on making that communication short and sweet.
2) Strong design. You do not need to hire a professional graphic designer to make your postcards impactful. If you design your postcards online or with the many desktop publishing options available, you will find many pre-designed templates at your command. Utilize them, making absolutely sure that you follow the foundations of good graphic design: a huge, attention-grabbing headline, a font that is easy on the eyes (do not get 'cute ' or use one that's smaller than 9 pt), and enough "white space" so your message is tempting rather than lost in hopeless mess.
3) Personalization. If you have got the opportunity to do so, take a yellow highlighter marker and run it across the recipient's name. This should make it easier to be delivered and will make it more prominent to them (we all think our names are important, and seeing them attracts our attention like a magnet). If your list is small enough, and you have enough space on your postcard, write a short, one sentence message (ie, "Fred, is this of interest? - Tim"). It will only take a few seconds of your time- -and it is easy to do when you are watching a TV show in the background.
4) Be consistent. Hopefully, with a clear, compelling offer you will get a solid initial reaction to your postcard mailing. Depending on the power of your sales call, the clarity of your message, and how well-targeted your contact list is, your success may vary. The best approach is to view postcard advertising as an experiment; try different tactics and make adjustments as you go along based upon your success rate. But don't just send out one batch of postcards and then be done. You want to view them as a CAMPAIGN, where you deliver your advertising message regularly over an extended period. Some market research studies suggest that it can take seven "touches" to get through to a new prospect. While not all of them need be postcards (it's good to try other selling tools along with them), commit to giving this approach a fair trial rather than a quick hit.
No matter what industry you are in or how large (or little) your business may be, postcard marketing can be an effective business-generating technique. Why not try it out?
About the Author:
Marie Elwood is a Christian marketing consultant who helps America's top branding companies find the consumer insights they need.
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