Marketing Tip #4
The simple postcard is one of today’s most cost effective marketing tools.
Everyone tends to read a postcard even if they are going to throw it out. On the way to the waste basket most people will look at the card briefly to see if there is any value in the card itself. That is why you should always have some type of offer on your card. The more valuable your offer the longer people will hold on to it. Don't make the time mistake though, have an expiration date on the card. This lets people know that the deal is only good for a specific period of time, otherwise they will think that the discounted rate you offer is all your product or service is worth.
The American Marketing association in conjunction with the U.S. Post Office released statistics recently indicating that Direct Mail postcards are presently getting an average response rate of 5.38%. Not bad considering that most advertising only receives a response rate of between 1%-2%.
With a postcard you can go a number of ways with your mailing. For the lowest cost you can do a saturation mailing where the card goes to every postal patron on the route. You can pay as little as .22 per postcard including the mailing house services but you will not have the names and addresses that you sent your card to. A better way is to buy a specific list of targets that meet certain criteria that you determine: like home value, number of years in the house, married with children, home owner vs. renter etc. Another benefit of the postcard is that if you are using a small 4.25" x 6” postcard you can mail them out a few at a time and still only have to pay .26 cents for postage. With a specific list you can shrink the size of the campaign reducing your printing and mailing costs. Plus personalizing the card with the names of the people living there vs. just sending it to the current resident will increases your response rate. You also will have the list to follow up on with a second and third mailing. The more often you mail to people the quicker they become familiar with your company. Unlike the old saying familiarity doesn't breed contempt it increases sales. Be sure to include any third party endorsement and awards you have received on the postcard and be sure to use a picture of the product you are selling. For FREE advice regarding mailing campaigns call us at 508-966-9444 and get some tips on improving your campaign.
