Postcards may be one of the best kept secrets of modern
marketing. They produce even better results now than in the
past. That's probably because postcards deliver information
the way people want to get it today ...fast and with little
or no effort.
Use Postcards to Generate Website Traffic and Sales Leads
A brief captivating message on a postcard with an enticing
offer sent to the right prospects will generate a flood of
traffic to your website - or a large number of sales leads.
Keep your postcard simple. Make it look at first glance like
a message from a friend instead of like an advertisement.
This creates a pleasant emotional response from readers even
though they quickly realize that it is a commercial message.
State the biggest benefit you offer to customers. Then
briefly add a few other advantages or features you provide.
End with a compelling reason for prospects to contact you
...or to go to your website for more details. It's that
simple.
Tip: Don't try to close sales directly from a postcard.
There's not enough space on a postcard to provide all the
information your prospects need to make a buying decision.
People Read Postcards
Almost everybody will read a postcard - even those who
usually throw out other direct mail without opening it.
That's because it's almost impossible to throw out a
postcard without looking at the message.
This high rate of readership is the main reason why
postcards produce a bigger response than other types of
direct marketing. With other types of marketing you often
lose prospects who would have responded to your offer - but
they never saw it.
Tip: Postcards are an excellent low-cost alternative to
email. People get so much email today that even legitimate
messages are getting deleted unread. But they get few if any
postcards. Your message is guaranteed to get their attention
when it's delivered on a postcard.
Postcards are Cheap to Produce
Postcards cost less than 2 cents each to produce if you
print them using your own computer. You can print postcards
individually on blank 4 x 6 inch index cards or print 4
postcards on 8 1/2 x 11 sheets of index card stock and cut
each sheet into quarters.
Your postcards will cost between 4 cents and 9 cents each to
produce if you use a commercial printer ...depending on the
number you have printed and the quality you want.
Postcards are Cheap to Mail
Even the postage for mailing postcards is cheap - 23 cents
each to send them by First Class Mail in the US. The only
requirement for this special rate is that the dimensions of
your postcards must be at least 3 1/2 x 5 inches but not
over 4 1/4 x 6 inches.
Tip: Always use a real 23 cent stamp on your postcards. It
produces more replies than a printed indicia (imprinted
postage) ...probably because people associate a printed
indicia with junk mail.
Don't overlook postcards the next time you want to drive a
huge amount of traffic to your website or generate a flood
of new sales leads. They're simple to use, highly effective
and very low-cost.
