Postcards are among the most important items in a direct mail campaign, but not everyone uses them correctly. When your direct mail strategy is executed effectively, a postcard can help generate plenty of sales.
A postcard is one of the most widely used promotional items. Companies send them to a range of prospects for a variety of reasons. Whether it’s to promote a new sale or just say thanks to a loyal customer, postcards can help bring the right attention from your target audience. In a previous post, we discussed what you need to do to [execute a successful direct mail campaign], but this blog will expand on that by revealing the secrets to successful postcard mailings.
The Ultimate Guide to Postcard Mailing
When it comes to direct outreach, postcards are key. But creating them isn’t as simple as printing a design on a piece of cardstock. A lot more is involved than meets the eye. If you really want to boost your response rates from your mailing list, make sure you follow these postcard strategies:
1. Select the Right Size
Postcards are typically printed on three main sizes: 4X6-inch, 6X11-inch, and 8.5X14-inch. So how do you know which size is most appropriate? It depends on what you want to get across as well as your budget. The bigger the postcard, the higher your printing costs. Smaller postcards give you more control over letter class (first class, standard mail, and others). If you have a longer target list, you should consider building a campaign with smaller postcard samples. This helps save you more money and gets more postcards to your prospects a lot faster.
2. Create a Stellar Design
Postcard designs are among the most pivotal aspects of any direct mail marketing strategy. You’ll want to create an out-of-the-box design that captivates audience members at first glance. Postcards with dull designs will likely just end up in the trash. Keep the font simple and make sure the message is easy to read. Support the message with attractive colors and visually appealing images and graphics. Your audience will be more inclined to participate in the promotion when the postcard is designed with a memorable theme.
3. Come Up With an Enticing Headline
Designs are the foundation, but the headline is the icing on the cake. The best postcards have to pass the eye test, but to do that, you’ll need a headline that stands out from the rest of the copy in a bold, inviting font. When deciding on potential headlines, it’s best to brainstorm at least five to 10 options. Make sure the headline teases at a solution to a common problem. For best results, try to incorporate your offer into the headline. Here’s a few examples that have been proven to turn heads!
4. Strengthen Your Offers
The objective of your direct mail campaign isn’t just to create a promotional appeal. Postcards are meant to attract responses from audience members. To do this, you’ll need to entice prospects with an offer that satisfies their needs. Present your prospects with something like a free trial, a coupon, discount, or a buy one-get-one-free offer. Whatever your offer is, it needs to be unique and provide readers with a valuable takeaway.
5. Develop a Clear Call to Action (CTA)
You’ve come up with an awesome offer for your audience, but how exactly will they capitalize on that opportunity? Do you want the recipient to visit your website, follow you on social media, or send a response in the mail? You need to persuade recipients to follow through on the offer. Like a headline and an offer, your CTA also needs to stand out. Make sure your postcard is interactive and encourages readers to take action, but just make sure you’re ready to handle their responses.
6. Send to the Right People
The design is complete and all of your prints have been made. It’s officially time to distribute all your postcards, but before you start shipping them, make sure your mailing list is up to date. You may need to make a few adjustments to your distribution strategy depending on who your intended audience is.
If you’re targeting consumers, you’ll want to run a longer campaign and monitor engagements at least once a month. Small businesses are easier targets to plan for because they don’t have as many address changes as individuals. Performing a little research goes a long way, because you’ll be able to track which stage of the buyer’s cycle each prospect is in. This comes in handy when it’s time to send personalized postcards to your potential customers.
Successfully Execute Your Direct Mail Campaign
At Presort Inc., we work tirelessly to help you make the right connection with your audience. Whether you’re hosting a long-standing campaign or just want to promote a quick sale, we’ll do everything we can to help get your message in front of the right eyes. We’ll be there every step of the way, from the initial design to the final distribution, to ensure that your campaign turns out flawlessly.
If you’re ready to take advantage of all of our exciting postcard mailing solutions, contact us today to schedule a free consultation with one of our experts!
Marketing is constantly evolving and direct mail tactics are transforming with the evolution of digital technology. Nowadays, companies use high-quality software to put a personal touch on all mailed pieces. Businesses rely on variable data printing (VDP) technology to help create more engagements and responses from clients and consumers. If you are a business owner, it would be in your best interest to adopt VDP to boost the results of your marketing mailing campaigns.
New printing technology can bring a fresh new aspect to your marketing strategy. Take advantage of the top perks and watch your business grow right in front of your eyes. These are some of the ways that VDP software can help your business generate a greater ROI:
Build Attention-Grabbing Mailing List Data Sets:
Increase the response rates from customers and prospects by filtering out any sets of irrelevant data. With VDP technology, you have the ability to build specific mailing lists that pertain to different audiences. This software generates analytics and insights about where people live, their marital status, occupation, and so much more. Variable data printing is one of the best tools for you to utilize when you’re building a strategy for mailing campaigns.
Create Automated Mailing Processes For Multiple Locations:
When you are sending mail to businesses, make sure you send it to the right branch. If you are targeting a company with multiple franchises, it’s important to send your piece to a decision maker at his main office. Variable data printing allows you to print pieces that are most convenient for that targeted recipient. This helps if there are multiple store locations available. With VDP, you have the ability to see which address makes the most sense. You’ll get access to the zip codes and distances
Generate Analytics To Target The Right Market:
With variable data printing support, you have the ability to discover demographic data and consumer interest information. VDP offers sophisticated targeting applications so you can determine which audience is best to send mail to. With VDP software, you’ll always have the metrics you need to get the right reach. Additionally, you can also integrate VDM software to monitor website traffic and digital strategy approaches. Using VDM gives you the ability to detect the interest of your website visitors. If you run a digital advertisement, you can track how many engagements that specific ad generates.
Save Time And Money:
A variable data printing system will help you eliminate the frustration that comes with mass printing. With VDP, you have the ability to print the exact amount of mail pieces that you need. This eliminates waste and duplicate prints. In addition, VDP reduces the amount of time spent on labeling. VDP systems grant users the ability to print addresses directly onto the mail piece. Just type in the information and when the piece is printed out, you have the advertisement ready to mail.
Create Custom-tailored Mail Pieces
Create custom-tailored mail pieces with VDP software. Variable data printing systems give you a gallery of fonts, colors, and other custom applications to create an authentic marketing piece. Thanks to these advances in technology, you have the ability to create a piece that makes a direct connection to each client or consumer..
Make your mark with postcard printing.
You might normally associate a postcard with a faraway place that your parents went to once, but they can be a whole lot more than that with the right marketing strategy. Postcard printing and mailing services can be a huge boon for your company if done effectively—their high readability, cost-effective price, and high-quality, full-color design combine to make them a potent marketing tool in the right hands.
You might be hearing more and more noise recently about going digital. Pouring all of your resources into digital marketing isn’t necessarily a bad move, given how effective that’s proven to be for so many businesses. But if you do have room in your budget to diversify your options, it’s a no-brainer—more advertising platforms are better than less and spreading the word about what you have to offer across multiple mediums ensures that you gain traction in areas that otherwise might go untapped. We’ve highlighted some of the most pertinent benefits of printing custom postcards for your business so that you can effectively reach more potential customers than ever before.
- They’re cost-effective: When it comes to deciding what marketing strategy you want to roll out for your business, the cost is an enormous factor. You must analyze which marketing strategy is going to yield the best results for the lowest price; as we mentioned above, diversifying your options is always a healthy decision if you’re looking to veer away from putting all of your eggs in one basket.
- They’re measurable: Unlike convoluted, sprawling marketing campaigns, postcards offer a direct reflection on how effective your product is at reaching customers. You know how many you sent out, and you know how many inquiries or sales it generated. They’re perfect for test marketing—you can send out a small sample size and see what kind of response you get.
- They’re versatile: Postcard printing services can be fine-tuned to meet your specific needs. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution—whatever you envision for your brand, whether it’s a specific font, color scheme, or image, printing postcards is one of the best ways to get that message across in a unique way.
- They’re efficient: As soon as your audience receives your postcard, they receive the message—no opening tricky envelopes, no strings attached. Delivered right to your door, direct mail postcard campaigns are an effective way to get your information in the right hands without coming across convoluted.
- They’re easy to produce: No more languishing around, waiting for your marketing campaign to finally roll out. Postcard printing gives you the opportunity to hit the ground running and get your message out quickly and effectively.
- They’re ideal for targeted marketing: Not seeing the results that you anticipated with your advertising? It might be an issue with who your mail is being sent to. Targeted marketing is easier than ever with postcard printing. Make sure that your information falls in the right hands.
Printing and mailing may not seem like a difficult task; but when you’re a business, it can be a huge burden. Not only is it a lot of work to get the mail out accurately and on-time, but it also uses a lot of time and resources.
If you print, assemble, and mail your monthly statements in-house instead of utilizing printing and mailing services, you’re missing out on a tremendous opportunity to reduce costs, save time, and make better use of your employees. Here are five reasons why you should outsource your printing needs.
Gives You Control Over the Process
A dedicated provider can provide top-notch printing services. Most businesses don’t have this same infrastructure or technology in-house. Between the state-of-the-art equipment and the expert staff, a print and mail provider can focus on small tasks and easily make last-minute changes. All of the capabilities that you wouldn’t have had in-house are available with a printing and mailing provider.
Reduce Errors
A business specializing in print and mailing services can focus specifically on providing accurate statements. These companies focus on accurate printing and inspecting, ensuring that your mail has minimal errors. Minimizing errors helps your business maintain a good reputation and keeps your customers happy.
Save Money
Quite possibly the biggest reason to outsource printing and mailing services—the cost savings. Many business owners assume outsourcing printing and mailing will be too costly; when in fact, it saves money. By making use of a printing service provider, you save money on materials and labor. Taking advantage of a provider’s volume discounts is far less costly than investing in sophisticated equipment and paying maintenance costs.
Boost Your Marketing Campaigns
Working with a provider allows you to send a targeted message to your customers. Many provider’s offer creative design as a part of their mailing services. Utilizing this service will enable you to work with a talented team of designers who will ensure that your marketing material is designed in a manner that grabs the attention of your consumer. Many providers also offer list services, allowing you to build targeted mailing lists based on various demographics. A targeted message will always work better than a one-size-fits-all approach.
Focus on Your Business
If printing and mailing aren’t a part of your business, then why should you be focused on it? When you outsource printing and mailing, your valuable time can be invested in your business. You can focus on doing what you do best while your provider handles the rest.
Top Quality Printing & Mailing Services
Whether you need bank statement printing services or mail services for a more creative marketing campaign, Presort’s printing and mailing services are top-notch and can help your business save both time and money. Contact Presort for your printing and mailing needs today.
About
Presort Inc. is a St. Louis–based company that specializes in a variety of direct mail services, from printing and mailing to warehousing. We have the resources and capabilities to help companies pull off any direct mail campaign.
