For many businesses, small and large, one of the biggest expenditures is advertising. It’s an expense that is necessary. But, there is no guarantee of a return on the investment. In other words, entrepreneurs may spend a lot of money, in order to build their client base. But, if the campaign falls flat, the business remains at a virtual standstill. Fortunately, one of the most effective advertising campaigns involves the mailbox; and, it has also proven to be one of the most cost-effective means of promoting a particular product or service. The following are10 steps for direct mail postcard success:
- Decide on the Campaign: For postcard advertising to work, the campaign needs to be targeted to one major idea, one focus. So, what is it going to be? If you have no idea and are stuck, you might want to hire professionals to help you with this first direct mailing postcard. They will walk you through the process from beginning to end. Then, you will probably have a better idea how to handle the next advertising brainstorm on your own.
- The Mailing List: Any good businessperson will tell you to save all of the contact information received from former customers or clients. The database will definitely be used to develop the mailing list for your postcards. If you do not have a customer database, you will need to contact professionals that will be able to provide you with a list of people that fit the demographics of your product or service. For a silly example, you would not want to send a bunch of postcards to a senior citizens center, if your main product is surfboards.
- The Headline: In all honesty, many direct mail postcards go the way of all junk mail. At a glimpse, if the recipient doesn’t see anything compelling them to check out the card, it will be in the trash bin. If the recipient isn’t intrigued in the first couple of seconds, you have lost an opportunity to entice a potential customer. The headline must stand out and make people take notice the moment they flip through the mail.
- The Right Graphics: Even if you have the right headline, if the graphics are too busy, or don’t support the main idea of your campaign, something is wrong. The postcard should have online one main graphic that is relative to the viewer, the campaign, and the headline. Sometimes, a picture can really be “worth a thousand words”.
- Stay Focused: Again, don’t make a postcard that is too busy. Chances are that the recipient will miss the main focus. In fact, the postcard is more likely to visit the trash can, along with the other junk mail. Keep the direct mail postcard focused on your one main idea, keeping your ultimate goal in mind.
- Be Concise: Some people try to make their postcard cute or clever. At any other time, this may work to the businessperson’s advantage. But, this is not the time. Some potential customers will “get it”, making the mailing stand out in their memory. However, other individuals will simply be confused. Rather than taking the time to figure out the meaning, the postcard will sail into the trash. For the purpose of the direct mail postcard, it’s vital to stay concise.
- What’s Next? The postcard should offer a next step after reading the main headline to get their attention. Again, it should be like a sentence telling them what to do next.
- Call to Action: Next to the attention grabbing headline, this is the most important part of the postcard. Here you actually tell the reader what to do, in order to take advantage of whatever is offered. Whether it’s to call a specific number or come to the business, it requires a specific response from the person reading the postcard.
- Repay in Kind: The greater the call to action, the more you should be prepared to reward the potential client. For example, if you are offering “cash for clunkers” so they will buy a new car; you need to reward them realistically. If you are only going to give them a couple hundred bucks, it is not enough to really help them come up with the down payment necessary to make the transaction. The more you ask, the more you should be willing to give in return.
- Keep Statistics: How will you know if you ad campaign is truly successful, unless you keep statistical information. You need to know what works and what doesn’t. The information you glean will be very instrumental in making sure your next direct mail marketing is more targeted and reaching you intended audience.
In short, direct mail postcards are a cost effective and targeted means of attracting potential customers and advertising what you have that they need. |