Despite the popularity of digital, print marketing remains a key part of any successful marketing campaign. One of the most effective and low cost print marketing tools is the postcard. They are a quick and easy way to drive sales and consumer engagement. If you aren’t using postcards as part of your print marketing campaign, you’re losing out.
Here are some reasons you should consider adding postcards to your marketing campaign.
Versatile
Whether you are marketing to the consumer or other businesses, postcards are a great marketing tool. They can drive consumer engagement by generating sales leads, boosting traffic in your store, or on your website. It all depends on your goals and how you design your postcard marketing campaign.
Simple Design
Postcards are easy to design. Most companies can get away with simply shrinking a pre-existing small ad to fit on the card. But, it is important to give some thought to the layout. Double sided postcards tend to be most effective, so think about how best to split the content. If you are unsure of how to design your card, some printing services also offer design help.
Easy To Consume
Think of the last time you checked your mail. What were the items that most caught your attention? Was it the sea of white envelopes? Or the odd sized, colorful postcards? Which ones did you spend the most time looking at? The postcards, right? But why? Researchers attribute this to the average human’s short attention span. The human attention span is around 8 minutes, less than that of a goldfish. For marketing to be effective it has to not only grab your attention, but maintain it for at least 8 seconds. Postcards offer a quick glance at your company and what you are offering. No effort or envelopes involved. This ensures that consumers will see your name and logo right away, before they lose interest. This helps build brand recognition and converts touches into sales.
Low Postage Rate
Mailing postcards is surprisingly inexpensive. First class mail postage through USPS on cards ranging in size from 3 1/2 x 5 inches to 4 1/4 x 6 inches costs only $0.35 a card. This is significantly cheaper than the $0.55 for a standard sized envelope. This may not seem like a big savings, but when you plan to send out hundreds of postcards, it really starts to add up.
Targeted Approach
Direct mailing campaigns used to canvas huge geographical locations. This sort of broad strokes approach to print marketing is expensive and yields poor results. Modern market research allows companies to see which households are most likely to act on direct mail offers. These mailing lists help companies target their campaign to the right consumers. Smaller, more targeted campaigns help maximize return while minimizing cost.
A Multi-Channel Touch
While digital marketing is popular and can help boost sales, it is only one piece to the puzzle. According to a survey by the USPS, 86% of consumers take the time to look through their mail. And 81% said they really value receiving a handwritten letter, note, or greeting card in mail. With the flood of digital marketing in recent years many consumers have become ‘ad blind’. They scroll past advertisements and ignore bulging inboxes, often without even realizing it. Print marketing is another ‘touch’. And it’s one that keeps on giving! Consumers get a touch when they sort through their mail and another each time they pass the mail pile. The more times they see your brand, the more likely they will be to click that link, or open your emails.
Response Rate
Despite the appeal of digital marketing, it is not especially effective on it’s own. Email, paid search, and social media have a response rate of 1% or lower, on average. However, targeted print marketing has a response rate of 9%. That is almost double the rate of previous years. Market researchers attribute this to mail volume dropping. You’d think millennials, a generation raised on technology, would turn up their nose at direct mail. But, research shows that receiving mail remains an exciting experience for many, even millennials. With less mail to look at, consumers have more time to spend looking at what pieces they do get. Make sure yours is one of them.
Fast Results
Postcards have a quick return on investment. Depending on your printing company, prints can be ready in just a few days. With a successful campaign you’ll see an increase in sales activity about 2 to 3 days later.
Easy To Measure
Postcard marketing is a great way to test the effectiveness of your marketing strategy. Each campaign runs its course within 7 – 10 days of mailing them out. Including a coupon, promo, or QR code can provide you with even more information. Knowing your audience’s preferences will help you make the most of your postcard marketing campaign.
Sales Activity
We know that postcard marketing produces quick results. Business owners can take control of their sales activity changing their mailing habits. Want to boost sales over the next few weeks? Send out a new campaign each week and watch your numbers start to climb!
Beat The Competition
Because most companies do some form of online advertising, it is easy for the competition to see your strategy. With your ads being so public it is easy for your competitors to copy the plan you’ve worked so hard to perfect. With postcard marketing, your approach is much more personal. Your competitors will only know your strategy if they happen to receive one of your cards.
Nostalgia
Postcards touch on a bit of nostalgia for most consumers. They might make you think of a time before email, social media, and Instagram. A time when you told people about your vacation by sending a postcard instead of ‘tweeting’ about it. Postcards were a personal touch to let people know you were thinking about them. This plays into the psychology that gets consumers to look at the postcard. Even though they know it is likely just another advertisement. Making sure your ad is properly designed and sent to the right people, ensures that touch turns into a sale.
Postcard marketing is an important part of a successful marketing campaign. It is a low cost, multi-channel option that consumers are happy to engage with. Here at Portside Marketing we know that quick, professional prints can make a big difference in your sales activity. We provide high quality prints at a fraction the cost of local printers. With a full online design service, you can edit and reorder prints at your convenience. We also offer logo and print design services to help you grow your business. are happy to print your postcard marketing campaign whether we design your copy or not. Based in Flower Mound, Texas we pride ourselves on our fair, flexible print packages that you can easily add into your marketing campaign.