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In this issue:
• Marketing Article: How to Create Postcard Content
• Marketing Article: Press Release Success Criteria - Is it Newsworthy?

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You probably wonder how the small amount of space on a postcard conveys 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 your vacation postcards, the front of your business postcard should have an attention grabbing photograph or graphic, but it also needs an attention grabbing headline. It is important to keep it simple yet effective. It is important that the text and photograph compliment one another. For example, you want to offer a 20% discount on all web site orders received before February 1. The front of your postcard headline grabber might be “20% Discount on All Web Site Orders” in bold letters. You could put your website address across the bottom of the card. This is simple and is effective in getting the potential customer to turn the card over to learn more about your offer.

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 might have the statement, “The Louis Clock Company offers 20% Discount on All Web Site Orders”. You could include another photo or graphic, some bulleted items outlining the advantage of The Louis Clock Company and the basic information of your web site, email and phone number. You have given your potential customers just enough information to point them to your web site and even if they do not visit your web page, they now have information about The Louis Clock Company for any future clock purchases.

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. In this example, we have placed the web page prominently on the bottom of the front of the postcard. But we also took 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. Ideally it will create enough curiosity for the customer to contact you.

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Concept Marketing Group, Inc. is a full-service marketing consulting firm with over 29 years of experience in traditional marketing - including 13 years on the Internet. Concept Marketing Group Inc. assists in developing and implementing effective sales and marketing strategies for businesses through targeted, managed, strategic marketing campaigns. Visit our site, www.marketingsource.com, email us at concept@marketingsource.com or call 800-575-5369, for more information.

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Press Release Success Criteria - Is it Newsworthy?
by Concept Marketing Group Inc © 2006

You have decided you need to distribute a Press Release to the local newspapers about your upcoming lecture at the neighborhood library. You also think that the listeners at local radio station FM 99.9 would be perfect attendees at this event.

The Press Release is the perfect communication instrument for letting the newspaper readers and radio audience know about your lecture. There's only one possibility that would prevent this information from getting to its intended audience. What if the paper ignores your Press Release or the Radio Station decides it is not going make an announcement? Can they do that? Yes they can, and they will if they decide the information in your Press Release is NOT newsworthy.

Journalists and radio and television news directors are inundated with hundreds of press releases in the form of faxes, e-mails and standard USPS. They have the interests of their audience at the top of their consideration. If you want to get the attention of the journalist and get your press release noticed, you need to ask yourself:

Is the press release newsworthy to the public?
If you were the journalist, would you see value to your readers or audience?
In a stack of Press Releases, will your release catch the attention of the journalist?

Although this lecture seems to you to be a very important event and you believe the topic should be of interest to everyone, you must ensure the Press Release communicates that information to the newspaper and radio station.

For example, you will need an eye catching headline that persuades the reader to continue reading. You want to state the facts about who, when, where, why and how as concisely as possible. When you read it yourself, are you excited about it and think "This is very interesting". Make sure that you have included points that are important to their readers and audience.

For instance, your lecture is about the local jazz scene and FM 99.9 is the local Jazz Station. You might make an assumption that their listeners would automatically be interested in a jazz related topic. But if you didn't give the radio station enough specifics in the Press Release as to "Why" it would be appealing to their listeners, they may decide not to report your Press Release because it does not appeal to their audience.

A well written press release can give you publicity that is priceless. It can greatly enhance you or your company's exposure to the masses.

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Concept Marketing Group, Inc. is a full-service marketing consulting firm with over 29 years of experience in traditional marketing - including 13 years on the Internet. Concept Marketing Group Inc. assists in developing and implementing effective sales and marketing strategies for businesses through targeted, managed, strategic marketing campaigns. Visit our site, www.marketingsource.com, email us at concept@marketingsource.com or call 800-575-5369, for more information.