Postcard Direct Mail Marketing Works (Its Cheap, Quick, Affordable and More)

Used the right way and with the right audience, postcards often outperform their mailbox "competitors" in money saved and revenue generated (the competitors are sales letters, self-mailers, unaddressed flyers, dimensional mailers and catalogs). Here's why postcards are so effective.

QUICK
Postcards are quick to produce. You have only two sides to write on, two sides to design. And part of one side is taken up with the address and postal indicia. They are also quick to print and mail.

AFFORDABLE
Direct mail postcards are the cheapest of all the direct mail formats next to unaddressed flyers (unaddressed flyers require no stamp). They are cheaper to write and design, and cheaper to print.

NOVEL
Check today's mail. You likely got a number of letters, maybe a flyer or two. Maybe a self-mailer. But you likely did not receive a postcard. Postcards are more rare, and, for that reason, they are a wise choice if you want to stand out in your prospect's mailbox.

IMMEDIATE
The greatest challenge facing direct mail copywriters like me is persuading strangers to open our packages. One great benefit of postcards is that there is nothing to open. They land in the mailbox with no clothes on.

CONCISE
Postcards do not give much space for you to sell, so they force you to make your strongest selling promise right away, make your offer, and then ask for the order. That means they do not waste your prospect's time, but deliver your sales message without delay. They are so quick to read that some prospects read both sides of the postcard before deciding to act on your pitch or pitch your card.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alan Sharpe is a business-to-business direct mail copywriter and lead generation specialist who helps business owners and marketing managers generate leads, close sales and retain customers using creative business-to-business direct mail marketing. Learn more about his services and sign up for free weekly tips like this at http://www.sharpecopy.com/newsletter.

© 2005 Sharpe Copy Inc. You may reprint this article online and in print provided the links remain live and the content remains unaltered (including the "About the author" message).

---

What You Need in Your Marketing Calendar

Marketing calendars are used by many businesses to help keep... Read More

Sales Resistance on the Rise

Have you noticed it? More and more marketing campaigns are... Read More

10 Powerful Marketing Tips

1. Print your best small ad on a postcard and... Read More

Web Site Marketing Strategy: 8 Ways To Increase The Perceived Value Of Your Freebies

It is a well known web site marketing strategy: To... Read More

10 Tips to Grow Your Business Plain & Simple

"Try not to become a man of success but rather... Read More

Laws of Marketing ? The 10 Immutable

Most marketers believe that anything is achievable if you are... Read More

Secret of Strategy - Part 2

How to Create Strategies That Work In Today's Markets. Of... Read More

Are You Sabotaging Your Marketing Success?

What?!? Sabotage your own success? Who would do that? Well,... Read More

Keep Costs Down and Keep the Marketing Strategy Simple

One of the biggest mistakes we could make as business... Read More

A Forgotten Marketing Tool ? The Postcard

The postcard can be a very powerful marketing tool. Many... Read More

Is A Marketing Plan The Same Thing As A Communications Plan?

How does a marketing plan relate to an organization's communications... Read More

Reverse The Risk And Boost Your Profits

As a business owner or marketer, if you don't reverse... Read More

More Marketing Dope

Direct marketing can make you very successful, but you've got... Read More

Get More Clients From Networking - Follow The Rules Of Dating!

If you're a business owner, you probably spend quite a... Read More

Take The Test: Does Your Marketing Copy Sell?

Your marketing materials must grab your prospect's attention long enough... Read More

Making More With Existing Clients

Have you ever put on a jacket you haven't worn... Read More

Linking Features & Benefits

I'm sure that you've had those Eureka! moments, too. When... Read More

Marketing From Both Sides Of The Ball

In the world of business, marketing is often conveyed as... Read More

Bedroom Marketing

Hopefully we are all adults here, so let's talk about... Read More

The 3 Unknown Steps of Marketing Success

To be your own marketing expert you first need to... Read More

Sponsorship: A Key to Powerful Marketing

Sponsorship is the fastest growing form of marketing in the... Read More

How to Turn Your Promotional Products Expense Into a Profit Center

If you use promotional products you probably already know the... Read More

Guide to a Profitable Marketing Mix

You may have heard the term Marketing Mix used in... Read More

Marketing Messages: Your 10 Most Important Business Principles

As a self-employed professional, you have two basic strategies for... Read More

Effective Lead Generation

How to Gain your Prospective Clients' Attention and Generate the... Read More

Ten Effective Ways to Capture Market

1.Evaluation of Existing Products / Therapies2.Assessment of New Products3.Market assessment... Read More

The YOU Factor

I don't mean you, I mean the YOU that is... Read More

2 Little Words That Work Marketing Magic

In his classic best-seller, "How To Win Friends And Influence... Read More

Simple Marketing Strategies Versus an SEO Line of Attack!

Each and every day those of us on the Internet... Read More

To Swag or Not to Swag: Tip to Brand Your Tchotchkes on a Shoestring

It's interesting to see how resourceful people become when starting... Read More

Website Marketing: 10 Uncommon Bonuses That Will Help Make Your Product Hotly In Demand

Giving away free bonuses is an important website marketing secret... Read More

Direct Mail Still Works!

Direct Mail CampaignsDespite the proliferation of communication facilitators--mobile phones, faxes,... Read More

Top 7 Ways to Get Your Products in the Hands of Celebrities

Celebrities are the tastemakers that drive brand awareness and usage.... Read More