After reading this title you’re probably going to surmise that this article has something to do with the internet. After all what Ideal Tool wouldn’t include the internet? But it’s not.
The ideal tool that is in play today is the often forgotten postcard. No, it’s not some exciting cutting edge technology made with a 3-d printer, but it is a tried and proven device that has been forgotten by so many small companies in their effort to drive traffic to their website, Facebook page, twitter tweets and the long line of electronic media that is mainstream these days.
The trouble with those mainstream media is that everyone is doing it and in multiples. Companies can have a half dozen websites or Facebook pages in their efforts to gain as much “free” attention as possible. Unfortunately those efforts never really break through.
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So here’s why Postcard Marketing makes sense.
#1 Postcards brief format is perfect for today’s busy business professional. You know how busy you are. How much time do you spend reading odds and ends mail from companies you don’t know. If there is an administrative person opening the mail then it may not even get to the person that was supposed to see it. However a postcard, if done right, contains a message that will allow it to get passed on to the right person.
#2 Postcards are more easily saved. When you send a letter with a brochure and other additions if there is not an immediate need then the receiver often doesn’t know what to do with it. Because of the small nature of a postcard it is more likely to get pinned to a bulletin board, tucked away in a drawer for later use or passed along to another person for some action.
#3 But I can’t fit my story in a small postcard. Let’s face reality. Chances are if your story is that long than you can’t say it in a quick message it wasn’t going to be read anyway. People’s attention spans are short and unless you are Boeing selling a new Jet Plane you can do an elegant, professional postcard that portrays your company’s image in a positive way and still present your message and feel confident that at least someone in the office that you sent it to has read it and thought about it. You can’t always say that about envelope mail.
#4- Postcards are quick to create. Unlike a brochure, catalog or more advanced mailing, you could probably create a postcard for your business in a half day (or less)
#5- It’s less expensive to have someone else create it for you. Postcards, because of their simplicity in nature are easy to create and take a minimum amount of time if you hire an outside designer. If you really want to be cheap there are plenty of online printers with templates that help you design-it-yourself and waive the creative fees.
#6 Its less expensive to print. With the arrival of competitive online printers you can print full color postcards on nice heavy card stock for $.05-$.10 each. That’s not too bad for professional printing.
#7 It’s less expensive to mail. Postcard postage is about $.15 less than standard letters so you can mail more for less money.
A post card is an ideal tool to drive traffic to your website. You can create a special offer page(on your website) that is listed on the postcard to help monitor the website visits driven from your postcard mailing. So much current marketing is internet driven that the amount of marketing mail received is far less than it was 10 years ago.
Marketing mail stands out and gets responded to on a higher basis than it did when it was referred to as Junk Mail. Now email has taken over that designation, so your choice to send a marketing postcard will be appreciated by the recipient. For help putting together an effective postcard campaign connect with General Marketing Service.