Postcard Direct Mail Marketing Tips And Ideas

Postcards are perhaps the least expensive way of reaching a large number of people with your sales message. Although they have their drawbacks, they are cost-effective at attracting new customers. But only if you follow some simple rules that professional direct mail copywriters follow.

Grab their attention on Side A
Side A is the side with the picture on it. One beauty of a direct mail postcard is that your prospective customer does not have to open it. There in the morning mail is your sales message, seen by all. So make sure you put something on Side A that arrests the attention of your prospect. Here are some ideas:

1. a wacky photograph
2. a photo of your product in an unusual setting
3. an outrageous (but true) claim
4. your unique selling promise stated in a clever or intriguing way
5. your prospect's problem (the one that your product or service solves), stated or presented in a compelling way

The only goal of Side A is to arrest attention and stimulate interest. OK, so that's two goals. You must motivate your prospect to turn your postcard over to read the other side. So make sure Side A is arresting and interesting but does not tell your whole story.

Sell them on Side B
Side B is the one with the address and postage stamp. Here you create desire and motive your reader to take action. You do not have much real estate upon which to give your sales pitch, so stick to your strongest benefit. Describe in clear, compelling language what your reader gets by buying your product or service. You don't have enough room here to say enough to make a sale, so just sell the next step.

Ask for the next step, not the order
The next step these days is often for the prospect to visit your website. That's a great use for a direct mail marketing postcard: driving potential buyers to a special page on your website (called a landing page) where you give the entire dog and pony show and give prospects a convenient way to part with their money, if I may put it that way.

The next step may also be for the reader to call you, or to visit your business. Both good uses of direct response postcards. So make sure you say enough, and in a strong enough way, on this side of the card to motivate a potential buyer to lift the receiver or start heading in your direction. Which brings us to your offer.

Make your offer irresistible
All direct mail pieces should contain an offer. The offer is what you dangle in front of prospects to motivate them to take the next step in giving you their business. What you are selling and what your offer is are two different things. For example, using direct mail, banks promote credit cards. That's what they are selling. But to persuade you to act today they extend you an introductory and time-limited interest rate of only 2.5% (some conditions apply, of course!). That's their offer. Their offer must overcome inertia. And so must yours. Make sure your postcard features a strong offer. For more information on crafting effective offers, read the many articles I've written on the topic, found at my website.

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

---

Systems - Marketing Your Business Successfully

Business Systems that work for anyone, are a fundamental necessity... Read More

Sell Big Ticket Items Now! - 1 Simple Step To Keep Your Fears From Holding YOU Back

First, some background on today's topic. I've had a terrible... Read More

How To Go From Under Dog to Top Dog by Unleashing The Power Of a Postcard

The Tale of Two Dentists...Dr. Namel and Dr. Ivory are... Read More

Rules of Thumb for Marketing to Your Past Customers

Keeping in touch can dramatically increase business, when done properly.It's... Read More

Have You Sold Your Internal Customers?

You can make the sale. You know your core message.... Read More

Business Cards That do the Business

A business card makes a statement about who you are... Read More

When Designing Postcards, Aim for Refrigerator Door Mindshare

If you want to design effective marketing postcards, then aim... Read More

Ten Amazing Ways To Increase Attraction at a Trade Show

These ideas are for anyone that has a small budget... Read More

The Building Blocks to Effective Marketing

The Building Blocks to Successful MarketingIt's More than Sales and... Read More

Discover 7 Hidden Profit Producing Secrets

Would you like to learn the lessons of the businesses... Read More

Can Message Board Marketing Work For You?

One of the things that makes the Internet fun is... Read More

Grow Your Business By Getting Your Customers Buying From You More Often - 35 Ideas

35 Ideas to Spark Your Creativity:There are 3 ways to... Read More

Devious and Deceptive Packaging

Have you read anything in the news lately about childhood... Read More

Joint Venture Marketing: What and Why

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

Why Great Companies Survey: Martian Logic!

If an alien civilization from Mars was planning a friendly... Read More

Packaging Trends You Cannot Overlook (part #1):

1) People are buying in smaller quantities. Our busy lifestyle... Read More

Increase Repeat Business and Referrals with Direct Mail

So you have been writing mortgages like crazy now for... Read More

Want To Impress Customers, Win Clients and Influence People?

Remember the baseball cards kids traded while... Read More

Spike TV - Know Your Audience

What do Klingons, giant rubber bands, and monster trucks all... Read More

Top 9 Strategies To Attract More Clients Now

1. Advertise in trade journals, ezines, and web sites that... Read More

Keeping Marketing Simple / Ten Simple Steps

1. Business CardsIt is very important to market yourself via... Read More

Networking Basics Turn Yourself Into A Profit Making Giant

I would like to introduce you to one of my... Read More

10 Packaging Tips That Will Make Consumers Buy Your Product

The customer is king/queen. We have all heard this mantra.... Read More

Free and Easy School Fundraisers | Elementary and High School Fund Raising Ideas

Parents are always looking for free and easy ways to... Read More

6 Article Marketing Smarts: How To Get More Reprints And Exposure

Article marketing is the latest buzzword for marketers... Read More

Is Your Marketing Working...

That is the question, you should be asking yourself. Many... Read More

Marketing Smarter To Earn More

An accountant once told me that he never met anyone... Read More

Make Your E-Mail Signature File WORK for You!

You're probably familiar with e-mail signature (or "sig") files -... Read More

Ten Ways to Market Your Business by Doing What You Love To Do

Most business owners get so involved in the work of... Read More

How to Write Irresistible Promotional Pieces that Attract More and Better Clients

Whether you're creating a sales letter, a brochure, a newsletter,... Read More

Sleigh Bells Ring...And Cash Registers, Too

During the holidays, folks everywhere shop many long hours to... Read More

Defining Moment

Do you know your audiences? I mean really know... Read More

Buzz Word

Offline, it's called word-of-mouth advertising. Online, it's known as viral... Read More