July 29th, 2011
Most of us think of postcards as something we send to our friends and relatives while we are away on vacation. But this communication piece is now favored by many businesses as well.
Using postcards as a part of your overall marketing plan is the simplest and most cost effective method for communicating with new and current customers. They are the perfect tool for announcing a new store opening; offering special discounts or just enticing the reader to find out more about you or your business.
With the overload of information from both the post office, email and at our workplace, it is likely that we take the time only to skim the front of the envelopes or the email subject line in determining what gets our attention and what doesn’t. Many of us have spam filtering software on our computers to automatically delete anything that looks like junk mail. Postcards achieve almost 100% readership.
Because there is no envelope to open and hopefully an attention grabbing headline and graphic on the front, it will take less than a few seconds for the recipient to decide to continue reading or toss the card in the trash can. Either way, you have been successful in registering your company with the reader, even for only a few seconds.
Postcards are inexpensive to design, print and mail when compared to other advertising methods. Let’s say the overall cost of printing and mailing 10,000 cards is $3,200. In this example, the cost of each post card is $.32. A 1% response rate to this campaign is 100 inquiries. If you converted 40% of these inquiries into sales (40 new customers), at an average of $500 per sale, you received $20,000 in revenue from an advertising piece that cost only $3,200. This equals nearly a 700% return on your original investment of $3,200! You would be hard pressed to achieve this type of results from other, more costly types of advertising.
Postcards allow you the advantage of getting your message in front of your targeted market more than once. As human beings, we tend to remember things when we repeat them over and over again. Because post cards are inexpensive, you can afford to mail them frequently, thus increasing the probable recognition of your company and products over time. This is a very effective technique for building your business incrementally with each mailing.
Postcards have been around for a long time and now businesses are taking advantage of their simplicity. They are quite effective when used as a part of an overall marketing plan.
Categories: Postcard Marketing
July 29th, 2011
A part of planning your postcard campaign included determining your target audience. You took the time to profile your current and potential customers to ensure your message is received by those who will benefit the most from your offer. The more specific you are about your target audience the more accurate your mailing list will be.
Mailing lists are available from a variety of companies at varying costs. What is a mailing list? It is a list of names and addresses extracted and compiled from a database of consumer and business information. At a minimum, these databases contain the names and addresses of consumers and/or businesses. Some companies specialize in databases that contain demographic information, such as income level, age, gender and occupation. Some list companies specialize in business data that includes annual revenues, number of employees, dollar amount of sales per employee, names of company officers, web sites and email addresses. These databases and the information they contain are used to select the names and addresses of those individuals you profiled when you defined your target audience.
When selecting a mailing list, the quality of the list is more important than how many names and addresses are available. An outdated list will not be helpful in getting your message to the right audience. Ask the mailing list company how often the database is updated. Ask what sources are used to populate the database. Be sure your specific target audience profile information can be used when selecting the names for your mailing list. If you want your target audience to only include males over the age of 50, you need to ensure that your mailing list company has this information available in their database so they extract only the names and addresses of males over the age of 50 for your mailing list.
Luckily these lists are available in computer usable format (i.e. EXCEL or ACCESS) so they can be used by high speed printers to automatically print the addresses on the high volumes of postcards. When requesting your mailing list, verify the mailing list format you can expect to receive from the mailing list company.
If doing a campaign targeted at current and prospective customers, remember to append your current customer information to the list received from the mailing list company. To help verify that your mailing was delivered to the names on your list, add your own name and address to the list so that you will receive your card in the same manner and timeliness as your current and potential customers.
Getting your postcard in front of your target audience, those most likely to benefit from your product or service, is very important. Select your mailing list wisely and you will increase your response rate.
Categories: Postcard Marketing
July 29th, 2011
You probably wonder how the small amount of space on a postcard can possibly convey all the information about your offer, your company and the advantages you have over your competitors. Postcards must be attention grabbing enough in their wording to prompt the potential customer to contact you.
As with any postcard, the front of the postcard should have an attention grabbing photograph or graphic, as well as a headline that will peak the reader’s interest. It is important to keep it simple, yet effective, with the text and photograph complimenting one another. Of equal importance is a “call to action”. You want to offer a discount, freebie, etc. with a set expiration date to get the reader to respond. An example would be: 1) 20% discount on all web site orders received before February 1st 2) Purchase before February 1st and receive “xxx” gift at no additional charge.
Conversely, the back of the postcard might be the first side of the card that is seen by the reader. The only difference between the front and the back of the postcard is the recipient’s address is found on the back. Since the back side of the card could be your opportunity to make a first impression, you want it to carry as powerful a message as you have on the front. You should include another photo or graphic, some bulleted items outlining your offering and the basic information of your web site, email and phone number. Give your potential customers enough information to peak their interest and point them to your web site or get them to pick up the phone and call for more information or to place an order.
It is very important to make your contact information visible on either side of the postcard and it doesn’t hurt to have this information on both sides of the postcard. Place the web page prominently on the bottom of the front of the postcard. Take advantage of adding the address and phone number of the physical store location on the back of the postcard. Make sure the size of the contact information lettering is visible whether it is on the front or the back.
Although postcards are small, they can have a major impact using very few words and attention grabbing headlines. The postcard is the introduction of you and your business to potential customers.
Categories: Postcard Marketing
July 29th, 2011
The United States Postal Service (USPS) has different postage guidelines dependent upon how fast you want your postcard delivered; the size of the postcard; whether or not you are a non-profit organization and the number of postcards mailed. The post office also has strict postcard layout requirements. This article includes general statements about The USPS requirements for mailing postcards. It is best to consult with a professional mailing service when first looking into using discounted postage.
As with regular letters and packages, the post office has different rates for delivery times for postcards. Specifically, the faster you want it delivered the more it costs. First class mail is the best when mailing time sensitive material. It has a delivery time of 1-5 days nationally.
U.S. Bulk Rate, which is often associated with discounted high volume mailings, is now known as Standard Mail. Selecting this lower postage rate has a longer delivery time. An expected delivery time for Standard Mail is 10-14 days nationally.
A postcard is eligible for the postcard rate when its size is between 3.5” X 5” and 4.25” X 6”. Any piece larger than this but smaller than 6” X 11” requires first class postage. For Standard Mail, there is no special postcard rate, regardless of size. Therefore, all postcards mailed using Standard Mail, use a Standard Mail letter rate.
If you are a non-profit organization, you may be eligible to apply for special non-profit postage rates. Non-profit postage rates have the same delivery timeframes but are more deeply discounted than Standard Mail rates.
As already mentioned, the price per piece postage rate depends on the size of the postcards. In order to receive discounted, postcard, postage rates, you must mail at least 500 pieces at once. Standard Mail postage requires a minimum of 200 pieces be mailed at once. Keep in mind that if mailing cards larger than 4.25” X 6”, you will pay First Class Letter rate or Standard Letter Rate, depending upon your volume and whether or not you have applied for the discount.
The post office also has design requirements if you want to take advantage of the discounted postage rates. The bottom 5/8” of the card must be free of writing so the post office can print barcodes. The mailing address area must be positioned on the right side and be a minimum of 3.5” X 2 1/8” tall. It cannot contain any background images or text. Only the mailing address can be located in the bottom 2.5” of the postcard. Make sure your own address and other contact information is above this line or the postcard could end up delivered to you. An empty white area of 1.5” X 1.25” must be left in the upper right corner for indicia/permit imprint or stamps.
As you can see, there are a number of considerations when determining the postage and postal service that is right for your postcard campaign. Again, consult with a professional mailing service when considering discounted postage.
Categories: Postcard Marketing
April 27th, 2011
Creating a successful direct marketing program involves clean data records with highly deliverable addresses. Cleaning, enhancing and filling the gaps in your in-house files will mean cost effective postage rates, minimal bounces in mail pieces, and an increase your company profits.
1) Keeping Your List Clean
Are there key pieces of information missing from your database that could increase customer sales? Statistics show that most company’s customer and prospect databases are missing key pieces of information:
• Phone numbers but no addresses
• Out-of-date information
• Details that could effect your marketing strategies such as homeowner, presence of children, income level, marital status demographics; business size, employee size, sales volume demographics and more.
Keeping your data files up-to-date and complete with data hygiene services is an important component of a direct marketing campaign. The end result is improved deliverability, savings on print material and postage. Cleaning and data enhancement is a proven method to ensure that you’re maximizing marketing dollars.
Statistics show that up to 20% of records within a typicalhouse data file are undeliverable. In addition, up to 5% of records are identified as small- to mid-sized businesses, which typically require a separate marketing strategy than a consumer campaign.
2) Connect with Customers via Data Enhancement
Take the time to learn about the people behind those records. When you know who you’re dealing with, you know how best to approach them. Here’s a tip: Enrich your data with appended information. Here’s just a few examples of popular appends provided by the most reputable direct marketing data solutions firms:
• Add postal addresses to records that only contain email addresses. Or add phone numbers, names or business titles to your current file
• Add revealing consumer details, so that you can target your messaging for a higher response. You can find out whether your records include homeowners, parents, members of particular ethnic groups, or even customers who are connected to the Internet.
• Add revealing business details, including SIC codes, sales volume, business site type (for example, headquarters or branch office), number of employees, or contact names.
3) How Data Hygiene and Enhancement Boosts Your Bottom Line Sales Results
• Saves you money on printing and mail-house fulfillment
• Allows you to control mailing waste and save on postage
• Gives you the opportunity to target your selling messages to the right audience at the right time
• Opens up new channels to reach your consumer or business customers using the methods they prefer
• Drives higher response through more specific, personalized offers (as opposed to generic, one-size-fits-all promotions)
• Helps build loyalty programs that drive up lifetime value
• Leads to more profitable prospecting, through modeling and forecasting
Data enhancement and hygiene can open doors to new sales opportunities, make your marketing efforts more efficient and cost-effective, and help you get the most return on investment for any campaign. Most of all, it keeps your customers happy and loyal, by making their mailings more relevant and accurate.
Creating a successful direct marketing program involves clean data records with highly deliverable addresses. Cleaning, enhancing and filling the gaps in your in-house files will mean cost effective postage rates, minimal bounces in mail pieces, and an increase your company profits.
1) Keeping Your List CleanAre there key pieces of information missing from your database that could increase customer sales? Statistics show that most company’s customer and prospect databases are missing key pieces of information.
:• Phone numbers but no addresses
• Out-of-date information
• Details that could effect your marketing strategies such as homeowner, presence of children, income level, marital status demographics; business size, employee size, sales volume demographics and more.
Keeping your data files up-to-date and complete with data hygiene services is an important component of a direct marketing campaign. The end result is improved deliverability, savings on print material and postage. Cleaning and data enhancement is a proven method to ensure that you’re maximizing marketing dollars.
Statistics show that up to 20% of records within a typicalhouse data file are undeliverable. In addition, up to 5% of records are identified as small- to mid-sized businesses, which typically require a separate marketing strategy than a consumer campaign.
2) Connect with Customers via Data EnhancementTake the time to learn about the people behind those records. When you know who you’re dealing with, you know how best to approach them. Here’s a tip: Enrich your data with appended information. Here’s just a few examples of popular appends provided by the most reputable direct marketing data solutions firms:
• Add postal addresses to records that only contain email addresses. Or add phone numbers, names or business titles to your current file
• Add revealing consumer details, so that you can target your messaging for a higher response. You can find out whether your records include homeowners, parents, members of particular ethnic groups, or even customers who are connected to the Internet.
• Add revealing business details, including SIC codes, sales volume, business site type (for example, headquarters or branch office), number of employees, or contact names.
3) How Data Hygiene and Enhancement Boosts Your Bottom Line Sales Results
• Saves you money on printing and mail-house fulfillment
• Allows you to control mailing waste and save on postage
• Gives you the opportunity to target your selling messages to the right audience at the right time|
• Opens up new channels to reach your consumer or business customers using the methods they prefer
• Drives higher response through more specific, personalized offers (as opposed to generic, one-size-fits-all promotions)
• Helps build loyalty programs that drive up lifetime value• Leads to more profitable prospecting, through modeling and forecasting
Data enhancement and hygiene can open doors to new sales opportunities, make your marketing efforts more efficient and cost-effective, and help you get the most return on investment for any campaign. Most of all, it keeps your customers happy and loyal, by making their mailings more relevant and accurate.
Categories: List Hygiene
April 27th, 2011
After two grueling years, you finally finished and self published your book. How will anyone find out about it?
Your volunteer organization needs more volunteers to attend the annual beach clean-up Saturday. How to do you get the word out to everyone in the community when you don’t have any budget for advertising?
You are opening a brand new office in a different part of the City. You would like to invite the community for a grand opening celebration, but you don’t have the lead time to prepare proper advertising. How do you invite the community to your grand opening?
The most cost effective and efficient ways to communicate with the general public is through newspapers, magazines, radio and television. How will the media receive the information so it can be published? They receive Press Releases from individuals, companies, non-profits and government agencies.
The Press Release is not a communication piece that is reserved only for elite, rich or prominent individuals and companies. It is available to everyone and anyone who wants the media to receive newsworthy information.
Press releases written about a person, new product announcements, personnel changes or new services can put your name in front of vast audiences. It is the perfect marketing tool for receiving FREE publicity.
It is very effective when you want to announce:
New product or service (like your new book)
- An important date for the community calendar (like your Saturday clean-up)
- The opening of a new physical building location or a new branch office (like the opening of your new office)
- Launching the design of a new web site
- Dates for workshops or seminars
- Running for office for a civic or business organization
- New business partnerships or strategic business alliances
Here’s an example where TWO Press Releases are effective. First, you send out the Press Release regarding your new book. The press release is picked up by the New York Times. Diane Sawyer sees the article, reads your book and invites you to be interviewed on Good Morning America on November 30th at 8:00 AM EST. Now, you want to make sure that your local paper knows that you are going to be interviewed as well as other magazines, etc. You would use a second Press Release to announce you are going to appear on Good Morning America and interviewed by Diane Sawyer on November 30th at 8:00 AM EST.
As you can see from this abbreviated list and this example, the Press Release should be used to communicate to the media any information that you think others would be interested in reading or hearing about.
Categories: Press Releases
April 27th, 2011
How do newspapers, magazines, television and radio stations get their news? How can they possibly know about Silicon Valley’s latest product; the promotion of Bob Smith at the Acme Company; the results of experiments conducted at Rutgers; a new book published by an unknown author or the date of the local Rotary Club’s pancake breakfast? Obviously, they don’t have reporters everywhere, all of the time. They rely on individuals, companies or the government to send them a Press Release.
A published press release can be the most cost effective advertising you can use as a part of your marketing and selling strategy and budget. Articles in newspapers and magazines, and stories mentioned on television and radio are FREE. Any sales and brand awareness you receive from a press release creates nearly 100% return on your investment.
You may think, “I can’t afford to write and distribute hundreds of press releases.” “I don’t know a public relations or advertising firm.” Most people think only large corporations, movie stars, government agencies and others with big budgets can afford to generate press releases for them. But, if you are able to follow instructions; have the ability to write factual information concisely; are given the acceptable Press Release format; and have media contact resources, you too can produce and distribute effective, published, press releases.
used to be that you had to first retain a public relations or advertising firm to write and distribute press releases. Maybe you were lucky and could afford an internal public relations department. Either way, you can see how getting your message out to the media was a costly and complicated proposition. The internet changed all that.
The Internet revolutionized the way companies and individuals conduct business. Books became available on-line in the form of e-books or e-booklets; you can complete forms on-line instead of completing them with paper and pen. People started asking “Is there an easier, cheaper, faster way to do this?”
The market demanded changes. Many internet web sites and marketing companies make their services available on-line including press release templates, formats, writing guidelines, contact lists and distribution packages. You now have a choice whether you want to buy press release services from start to finish or you want to do all of it or some of it yourself.
Either way the Press Release is a powerful marketing tool. It can now be used by just about everyone for getting their message out to the media. If you want to create orders before you advertise (think Microsoft X-Box) or you want people to attend your lecture at the library, don’t be afraid to produce and distribute your very own Press Release.
Categories: Press Releases
April 27th, 2011
When you meet someone for the very first time it doesn’t matter how personable or intelligent the person might be, if they do not register a good impression in the first few seconds, in your mind, they have nothing to offer you. We quickly make “snap” decisions and judgments about people and things in our lives.
That first impression is just as important for a postcard campaign. You only have a few seconds to get the potential customer’s attention. Equally important, it is critical to make the front and back of the card equally attention grabbing. The back of the postcard is only distinguished from the front because it has the mailing address. Here are some ideas for making a good first impression with your post cards.
• Use high quality, glossy, color postcards. They are slightly more expensive but well worth it when trying to make a good impression.
• Choose the appropriate size for your campaign and audience. Studies have shown that businesses respond better to the 5.5”X8.5” postcard whereas residence and consumer contacts respond just as well to 4”X6” postcards.
• Use an attention grabbing headline on the front and perhaps para-phrase the same message on the back. Make sure your name and contact information appears on the back but don’t hesitate to put your logo, phone number and web site information on the front.
• Use a photograph or graphics that is complimentary to both the front and the back. Everyone likes pictures and pictures tend to register with the reader much quicker than words.
Remember, you don’t have a second chance to make a good first impression. The success of your postcard campaign depends on how many people respond to your offer. Improve your chances of being successful by making a good and lasting first impression.
Categories: Postcard Marketing
April 27th, 2011
Postcards are the perfect communication piece for announcing a new product, offering time specific discounts or merely asking the recipient to get in contact with you. In all these circumstances, the postcard is simple and cost effective because there is no envelope to open and it is conducive to skimming. Because everyone is constantly bombarded by information (i.e. e-mail, spam, junk mail), it is very important to design a postcard that will immediately get the attention of your potential customers.
Perhaps you are thinking that attention getting or high impact translates to mean fluorescent colors or outrageous lettering or pictures. You could use these techniques but depending on your business or brand, you will be more successful by using strong images relating to your offer or brand.
The quality of the images used is very important when designing your postcard. It is worth the time and money to invest in high quality images and photographs that will transfer and print on the postcard clearly. Many web sites offer stock photography and illustrations for little money. You should also consider hiring a photographer to take well lit pictures of your product or storefront. High quality imagery and photographs are key components to designing a high impact postcard.
You also want to select high quality stock postcards that will print glossy, color images and photographs. It is recommended that you use colored postcards but if appropriate and it is more suited to your campaign, black and white can be used and can be quite effective.
The size of the postcard should be considered during your design as well. Depending upon your target audience, and your budget, you may decide a 6” X 9” postcard is more appropriate than the standard 4” X 6” size. Also, postcards can be designed with detachable coupons or a handy calendar. Just because the card is small, there is plenty of room, front and back, for appropriate pictures and text.
Remember, text is just as important as images. An attention grabbing headline is always a good idea. You want to state your offer concisely and clearly. The goal is to get the recipient to contact you by whatever means you want them to. Be sure to print your phone number, web site, email address or physical address so that it is easily seen.
Taking the time to select the right type and size of postcard; high quality images and photographs; and clearly and concisely stating your offer all contribute to designing a high impact postcard. An attention getting headline and printing your contact information so it is legible improves your odds for a successful postcard campaign.
Categories: Postcard Marketing
March 1st, 2011
Planning is the key to a successful postcard campaign. There are a number of questions you need to ask yourself beforehand. Your answers will help drive your campaign to success.
What do you hope to achieve from your postcard campaign?
Do you want more sales or to create brand awareness?
Do you want to announce a new product or service?
Are you looking for new sales from current customers?
Who is your target audience?
The more specific you can make your target audience, the more successful your campaign will be. How often do you want to mail these postcards? Keep in mind that repetition is key with name recognition and what you have to offer. Statistics show that a successful postcard campaign needs to have 2-3 subsequent mailings to get the most return on your investment.
Once you have answered these important questions, it is time to establish your goals. Establishing your postcard campaign goals is essential to evaluating the success or failure of your campaign. If one of your goals is to reach every resident and business within specific zip codes, you need to decide if you will mail to every household or business in one mailing or multiple mailings that contain those specific zip codes. If you are offering a buy one, get one free that is only available for a specific time period, you must allow enough lead time for printing and mailing the postcards. This time sensitive message also determines whether or not you use Standard Class (bulk mail) postal rates or First Class mailing rates.
Create a sense of urgency to respond such as an expiration date on the offer. You can also instill a call to action with offers such as “Only while supplies last” or “Present this coupon during checkout before December 15, 2006 to receive a 15% discount.” Timely responses help to determine the effectiveness of the campaign.
Also, it is important to outline the advantages you offer in comparison to your competition. Your audience wants to know how your services and products benefit them. Outlining these considerations during the planning helps to frame the content and message contained on the postcards. This process also serves as a guide for your selection of an attention grabbing headline, graphic or photograph. Remember, you only have a few seconds to get the attention of the reader.
Don’t forget the quality of the postcard is a reflection of your business. Plan the size and type of postcard to be used and make sure it reflects well on you. Remember, first impressions are lasting impressions.
Taking the time to plan your postcard campaign can save you time, money and effort. With careful planning, you can have a successful campaign that creates brand awareness, increased sales and new business opportunities.
Categories: Postcard Marketing
