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).

---

10 Essential Criteria For Choosing Your Target Market

A specific group of people you will focus on selling... Read More

A Successful Solution: 10 Things to Consider

A provocation for the coming year, decade, century or millennium.By... Read More

Six Essential Principles for Marketing to Women Business Owners

Marketing to women entrepreneurs is not difficult. You just have... Read More

Ready, Fire, Aim!

You probably read my headline and thought, wait a minute,... Read More

Do You Make These 5 Common Marketing Mistakes?

The famous P.T Barnum once said, "Without promotion, something terrible... Read More

Secrets of Trade Show Success

The ropers at Annie Oakley's Real Western Dudette Ranch were... Read More

When The Stars Align - Choosing the Right Entertainment

Savvy event producers follow the Golden Rule: know thy audience.... Read More

Marketing Secrets #101- Your Most Important Sale

Which sale is the most important one you will ever... Read More

Write Better Web Content

If you're reading this article, chances are that you, like... Read More

Value Proposition is the Key to Success

Value proposition is treated as the standards or service that... Read More

Gaining Business Intelligence

A white paper on how companies should analyse customer data... Read More

Joint Venture Marketing: What and Why

What is a Joint Venture? A joint venture is an... Read More

The Top 10 Ways to Market your Business or Professional Practice Without Networking

While focused, strategic networking is usually the most efficient way... Read More

Marketing 101: The Power of Marketing

When you hear the word "marketing" what comes to mind?... Read More

How To Bond With Customers So That They Stay With You Longer

How many of your customers are loyal customers? More importantly... Read More

Five New 5 Ps!

NO! When I say "5 P's", I'm not talking about... Read More

Let Your Survey Write Your Business Plan

Most entrepreneurs first write their business plan and then develop... Read More

Six Secrets to Creating Successful Tourism Marketing, Websites, Ads, Tradeshow Booths, & More

If you want to substantially increase your tourism prospects and... Read More

Packaging Made Frozen TV Dinners Possible

I was saddened to hear of the passing of one... Read More

How To Get Business With Your Business Card?

So, you have a business card? And you have given... Read More

Dramatically Improve Your Marketing Results With These 6 Simple Steps

What if there were things you could start doing now... Read More

Marketing on a Budget

A successful marketing plan doesn't have to include an athletic... Read More

Getting More From Your Customer

We are all customers of one product or another. How... Read More

Writing Business Newsletters: Avoid the ?Me, Me, Me? Mistake

Effective customer newsletters find the right mix of promotional and... Read More

Your Ultimate Competitive Advantage

The biggest secret to success in business is to always... Read More

Painless Marketing for People Who Hate to Market

Face it?you know you've got to do something to keep... Read More

How To Be A First Class Marketer?

Did you now how to follow up a new customer... 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

Burnout

Today I want to share a question from a reader... Read More

The Most Powerful Marketing Strategy Available To Small Businesses

Most small business owners want to generate huge profits, with... Read More

Smart Ways To Rocket Launch Your Profits

If you really want to pull more profits from your... Read More

Powerhouse Marketing With Persuasive Postcards

The lowly postcard?it's more than just a "having fun, wish... Read More

Top 3 Reasons Why Your Headlines Fail

Many professional copywriters estimate that the headline contributes to 80%... Read More