There are many marketing options you can follow when you’re trying to reach potential customers, but one of the best ways is direct mail with marketing postcards. Marketing postcards are an excellent way to promote your business product to potential customers.
They’re a cost-effective marketing tool that can reach a targeted audience with minimal effort. Creating the perfect postcard can be a daunting task. With so many design options and messaging strategies, it can be challenging to know where to start! Here are five steps to help you create the perfect marketing postcard for your business.
Step 1: Define Your Objective
The first step in creating the perfect marketing postcard is to define your objective. What do you want your postcard to achieve? Are you trying to promote a new product or service, generate leads or increase sales? Defining your objective will help you determine the focus of your postcard and guide your messaging and design decisions. With direct mail, you have the ability to tell people a compelling story.
Step 2: Identify Your Target Audience
The next step is to identify your target audience. Who do you want to receive your postcard? Understanding your target audience will help you tailor your messaging and design to their needs and preferences. Are you targeting a specific demographic and/or geographic location? What are their interests and pain points? Knowing your target audience will help you create a postcard that resonates and motivates them to take action.
Step 3: Develop Your Messaging
Once you’ve defined your objective and target audience, it’s time to develop your messaging. It should be clear, concise, and focused on the benefits of your product or service. It should also be tailored to your audience’s needs and preferences. For example, if you’re focusing on busy professionals, you may want to emphasize the time-saving benefits of your product or service. If you’re targeting homeowners,, you may want to highlight the convenience and affordability of what you’re offering.
In addition to your main messaging, your postcard should also include a strong call-to-action (CTA). Your CTA should be clear and compelling, encouraging the recipient to take action. Whether it’s visiting your website, calling your business, or visiting your store, your CTA should be the focus of your postcard.The best way to do this is to make a motivating offer.
A. Give Them Reasons To Buy
From the receivers point of view, they need a reason to buy/act from you. Dollars off statements or coupons always work best. Show them the value quickly and they will respond.
B. Take It Away
Now that you’ve made an offer, it’s time to take it away. (Not literally!) You can do this in 3 ways:
● Time Fuse (Expiration date) This should be somewhere between 14 – 60 days after they receive the card.
● Limited Quantity Get a number on how many you have left of a specific product or service. Don’t forget to tell them the “why” you only have ‘xx’ left.
● The Why. Perhaps the biggest point you need to make is to describe “the why” you only have X time or XX quantity left.
Step 4: Choose Your Design Elements
The design of your postcard is just as important as your messaging. Your design should be eye-catching, on-brand, and easy to read. Consider the following design elements when creating your postcard:
Color – Consider the psychology of color when selecting your colors. For example, blue is often associated with trust and reliability, while red is associated with energy, excitement and enticement.
Images – Use high-quality images that are relevant to your messaging and target audience. Avoid using stock photos that look generic or staged. People want honesty and transparency.
Typography – Choose fonts that are easy to read and on-brand. Avoid using too many different fonts, as this can make your postcard look cluttered and unprofessional. Too busy is bad.
White Space – Use white space strategically to make your postcard easy to read and visually appealing. Giving white space around elements and offers, gives the eyes focus and is less confusing.
Step 5: Print and Distribute Your Postcard
Once you’ve developed your messaging and design, it’s time to print and distribute your postcard. Consider the following tips when printing and distributing your postcard:
Choose a reputable printing company that specializes in postcards. They can help you choose the right paper stock and printing options to ensure that your postcard looks professional.
Use a targeted mailing list to ensure that your postcard reaches your target audience. You can purchase mailing lists from a variety of sources, including online mailing list providers and list brokers.
If you have a small list, consider alternative distribution methods, such as hand-delivering your postcards to local businesses or people or placing them in high-traffic areas.
You could do all this on your own, but with all the other myriad tasks you have to do for your business, it’s a time crunch. You want to take your time and make sure your postcards are eye-catching, look professional, and get to the audience you’re targeting.
Or you can let Bedrock Markets take care of your direct mail marketing for you. It’s what we excel at.
If you’d like to check out what we can do before committing, we offer free samples. Contact us today and begin your direct mail marketing journey