in print

Big Impact in a Small Format

It’s a fact that no direct mail marketing has greater impact than the inexpensive postcard. Done right, it’s an unbeatable lead-generation tool that can promote special offers, introduce a new product or service, keep current clients close, drive Website traffic and much more. Here are the key elements—the critical design and content factors—that can maximize the presentation and effectiveness of any postcard.

"Given all the communications outlets available, postcard marketing offers some real advantages in terms of keeping up with current customers and prospects," observes Janet Attard, founder of small business information Website BusinessKnowHow.com. "Recency and frequency of contact is critical and postcards really work well in that regard."

Certainly, you don’t have a great deal of editorial real estate with a postcard, but you do have the opportunity to quickly make an impact. To that end, Attard offers a few keys to making the most of your space:

• Say it fast—It starts with the headline. “Be compelling but be brief,” she says. “Remember, this isn’t about your company, but about a benefit you provide or a problem you solve. ‘Reduce Your Office Supply Spending by 30%.’ “Guaranteed Painting Quote, Not an Estimate.’ It needs to have immediate impact for the customer or prospect.”


• Create a focused message, with a valuable offer—Keep it short. Even with an oversized postcard, you don’t have a lot of space. Typically, the postcard is about creating sales leads, not closing the sale. Your goal is to get customers or prospects to take action. As such, any offer you make in the context of the card must be brief and to the point, yet offer real value. It might be to call you to schedule a free 20-minute consult, to go to your Website for free information about your product or service or take advantage of a special discount or to e-mail you for a free product sample. The offer must support that critical call to action.


• Graphics—“Any art should work to support your message, so it should be related to your product, service or offer,” Attard says. “Postcards can work well without graphics at all, as long as you keep the reader focused on your solution. We sell labor law posters, so we make sure we include sample images, coupled with our logo, in every postcard we mail.”


• Must-haves—Your contact information, including Website, phone and e-mail, should appear on both the front and back of the card, as should your logo. If frequency matters, so does ensuring that recipients remember who’s sending them the information. Also, make sure you take the time to proofread your postcard before you go to print. It seems obvious, but it’s an often forgotten step in the process.


• Track results—It’s not difficult to track the results you get from specific postcard campaigns. For example, if you’re asking people to come to your Website, create a separate landing page for the postcard and monitor traffic to that page. Or add a special code to redeem an offer.

“There’s one other great opportunity postcards offer,” adds Attard. “If you’re tracking results, then it only makes sense to test, test, test. Try different headlines, content and offers and learn what draws the best response.”