As the reach of digital marketing continues to spread, there’s a growing misconception that postcard direct mail marketing is dead. But to paraphrase a famous quote, “The reports of postcard marketing’s death are greatly exaggerated.” Continue reading this article to learn how postcard marketing campaigns are critical in increasing response rates, driving more sales, and enhancing your return on investment.
Why You Should Develop a Postcard Marketing Campaign
Think of postcard marketing as networking or dating. Initiating the conversation is half the battle. A postcard’s shape and size help it stand out in a crowded pile of mail. And because they’re not mailed in envelopes, they’re almost always read. Unlike emails that are often deleted without even being opened, a well-designed and printed piece of direct mail catches the attention of your target and compels them to act.
Let’s take a look at statistics about postcard direct mail marketing from a recent study:
Postcard Response Rate
Postcard marketing boasts a robust 9% average response rate when sent to house lists and 4.9% when using prospect mail lists. That is a higher response rate than other mail pieces like dimensional mailers, catalogs, and letter-sized pieces shipped in envelopes.
Email marketing shows a .12% response rate. When it comes to mail response rates, postcard marketing is an effective way to hit your target audience and increase response rates for direct mail campaigns.
Return on Investment for Postcard Marketing Campaigns
Whether your marketing strategy is to introduce a product or service or to entice a buyer who abandoned their shopping cart to return, the return it generates matters. Direct mail has an average return on investment (ROI) of 29%. At that rate, you can see that postcard marketing is anything but dead. Instead, it is a cost-effective way to reach more people and increase revenue for your business.
Postcard Direct Mail Marketing’s Staying Power
Research shows that postcard marketing materials are kept for 17 days before being discarded. Consider how often you keep an email unopened or marked as unread after viewing it in your inbox. If you’re like most consumers, it’s nowhere near two and half weeks. Social media posts, paid advertisements, and other marketing efforts have even less staying power. As half-interested readers scroll past them, they immediately get put out of mind.
Sending postcards that remain in sight and on the mind of targets helps establish a relationship and top-of-mind awareness. Adding to that, 73% of consumers report preferring direct mail because it allows them to read it at a convenient time. This proves advantageous the next time a lead needs the products or services you offered. The lingering effect of direct mail can be the difference between closed business and a missed opportunity.
Postcard Marketing Campaign Sales Results
Another reason to make postcard marketing a part of your marketing strategy is its effect on sales. Consumers who received direct mail purchased 28% more goods or services and spent 28% more than those who didn’t. These numbers prove that improving your postcard response rate substantially increases your conversion rate and ROI.
If you want to build a successful postcard marketing campaign, reach out to Presort Inc. We have over three decades of experience helping our clients achieve their goals.
How To Optimize Your Postcard Marketing Campaign
Prosperous postcard direct mail marketing efforts involve several elements, each of which plays an integral role in the campaign’s success. Failing to use best practices for just one part of your postcard can negate your hard work on the rest of your mailer. Let’s explore the critical aspects of your postcard marketing efforts to ensure you meet and exceed your goals.
Multichannel Marketing
Multichannel marketing is a beneficial strategy where traditional direct mail and digital marketing meet. Too often, businesses think they have to choose one or the other. The truth is email marketing and postcard marketing go together like stamps and envelopes.
Postcards printed with landing page URLs, QR codes, or items left behind in an e-cart are a fantastic way to draw a customer to your website. Adding a discount code or special offer only adds the likelihood of improving your conversation rate and increasing sales through multichannel marketing. You can also reach targets that visited your website and didn’t convert for various reasons through retargeting.
Targeted Mailing Lists
To whom you send postcard marketing materials is just as important, if not more important, than what you send. Your postcard response rate will surely suffer if you send offers to customers that don’t match your buyer persona or are outside of your area.
Postcard marketing professionals use innovative technology, experience, and USPS databases to develop targeted mailing lists based on the specific goals of your campaign. Whether you’re looking to draw leads for a seasonal service or announce a new store opening in the area, mail pieces sent to those most likely to convert increase postcard response rates and sales.
Clear Call to Action and Eye-Catching Design
One of the biggest pitfalls of postcard marketing campaigns is sending out postcards that don’t grab a reader’s attention or make them want to take the next step. The call to action on your postcard should be clear, concise, and eye-catching. Don’t bury the action you hope a reader takes deep in small font. Make it stand out and use larger font sizes.
Designs should use contrasting colors, strategically placed copy and images, and easy-to-read content. And don’t get too crazy with your color palate. In most cases, using two or three colors that pop against each other is your best plan. Any more than that, and you risk confusing or distracting consumers.
Launching a Postcard Marketing Campaign? Partner With the Experts at Presort Inc.
For over 30 years, Presort Inc. has worked with clients across several industries to build postcard marketing campaigns that grow their businesses. Along with our direct mail and printing services, our team offers comprehensive mailing, presorting, and warehousing services to enhance your campaign. Reach out today to connect with one of our postcard marketing specialists and begin discussing your direct mail marketing strategy.