The Benefits of Postcard Marketing
Advertising
All businesses require sales and cash flow to survive.
The first step to getting a sale is to advertise regardless of what you're selling because advertising in its simplest definition, "is creating the awareness that something exists".
The short story is, if you don't tell, you can’t sell, and that's what advertising is supposed to do, tell people that your goods and services are available.
The Web VS the mail
Since the advent of e-mail, the Internet and the web, there has been a huge push to convince businesses that they no longer need to put printed material in people's hands and need only to send out huge volumes of e-mail which don't incur the costs of printing, postage, and handling.
Although E-mail advertising was novel when it was first introduced, people are now dumping e-mails faster than junk mail and a great percentage of the population have installed spam blockers to make sure that it never even gets to a human being to be reviewed before being tossed.
If this seems sacrilegious in light of today's techno-marketing trends, look closely at your own patterns and behaviors in handling the sheer tonnage of e-mail that you get and you'll understand why the concept of exclusively marketing electronically is less than successful.
This
isn't meant to lessen the value or the impact of e-mail but sending unwanted
information to everybody [known as spamming] does nothing more than antagonize
people and encourage them to tighten up the reins on their spam blocker software
and hit the delete key even faster than before.
The proponents of technology say that we should only look forward, upward and rely exclusively on the latest technology for our marketing success. The primary problem is that only thinking “up and forward” are only two directions and in the world of effective marketing, these aren't always the most profitable ways to go.
Successful, professional, direct marketers recognized long ago that the Internet is simply a new set of tools that are constrained by the same old rules that we had to abide by when all we had was paper-based advertising material.
If you follow the lead of the best organizations in the business, like those who are represented by the Direct Marketing Association, you'll find that there are tried and true methods that actually fulfill the true purpose of advertising.
Most futurists don't like to admit that the method that actually works the best is printed materials rather than electronic blasts.
Ironically, if we step back, we find that one of the single most effective advertising tools ever created is a postcard.
Lots
of stuff VS a little targeted material
Postcard marketing is an innovative small business marketing strategy that’s very much under-rated & under-utilized they’re one of the more cost effective options.
Postcards produce even better results for marketers in the 21st century than they did in the past ...especially when you use them to generate website traffic and sales leads.
The postcard has an advantage over a large package full of printed material because it's noninvasive and tightly targeted.
Consider this:
· When you send a large volume of material to someone, even if they're interested in the material, statistically they probably don't have time to review it when it's received.
· The result is that they set the material aside with the intention of reviewing it when they have time to get around to it.
· By the time the recipient actually has the time to review the material, it's gotten lost, tossed or forgotten and that defeats the whole purpose of sending material for review.
For this reason, postcard marketing is still popular among businesses and internet marketers alike. Posted mailings can’t be hindered by spam filters and often gets straight to the recipient’s hand.
Two step approach
Postcards, especially when coupled with today's technology and a website, allow you to capitalize on a long-standing process for effective sales known as two step marketing.
The process is simple and has been widely used for over 100 years. Here's how it works:
· The first step is to present the potential buyer with a small amount of tightly targeted information that addresses their specific needs, concerns, or interests.
This material also gives the reader a technique for obtaining whatever additional information they want or need to make an informed buying decision.
· The second step is to provide the reader, at their request, with the additional information that they have decided they need in order to make a purchase.
A ready example of this process that has been around for a long time is to look at the small space ads in the back of the magazine where they usually have a small graphic, a dynamic headline, one or two benefit statements, and contact information where you can either write for, call for, or go online for additional information.
The logic behind this kind of advertising is virtually flawless because of the following elements:
· The magazine where the advertising is located has been selected because the statistical profile of the readership says that they are likely candidates for the products or services being offered
· The ad is small, dynamic, direct, and targeted which means that it will serve as a filter for eliminating the bulk of non-interested people immediately
· Because it's short and to the point, it doesn't overwhelm the reader and require that they invest a lot of their time on something where they're not interested
· The person placing the ad doesn't have to supply large volumes of material to disinterested parties thereby saving time and money
· For those who are truly interested, all they have to do is make the inquiry and the advertiser sends whatever materials necessary and adds the inquiry to their mailing list.
The big advantage that we have today is that rather than print and mail a paper catalog to an interested party, we can create an electronic catalog, called a website, and allows people instant access to as much material as they need to make a buying decision.
Although small magazine space ads are an effective marketing technique, they still require a process of weeding out those who are not interested in your products and services.
On the other hand, if you have or can obtain a targeted mailing list of prospective buyers for your goods and services based on their past interest and buying profiles, direct mail, in the form of postcards have proven to be the most cost effective advertising technique you can use.
The benefits and advantages you gain by marketing with postcards.
1. Postcards Work for Any Business - Including Yours - Postcards have a proven history of producing just about any kind of sales activity a business wants. Internet marketers have used them to generate profitable website traffic. Direct marketers have used them to generate receptive sales leads and retail stores have used them to attract "pre-sold" walk in customers.
2. Postcards Produce Fast Results - Postcards are small so it doesn't take much time to create a sales message for them. The small size also makes printing, addressing and mailing postcards a quick job. Your postcards can be in the mail a few days after you decide to use them. 2 or 3 days later you'll be getting sales from them.
3. Postcards Get Read - Postcards get delivered ready to read and can't be ignored like other types of advertising. This guarantees maximum exposure for your sales message. Think about it. Did you ever discard a postcard without first scanning it to find out what it was about? You can't do it.
4. Postcards Make a Good First Impression - People like to get postcards - probably because they get so many of them from friends and relatives. You can make the most of this positive first impression by using a personal approach for your postcards.
5. Postcards Are Inexpensive - Postcards are simple and inexpensive to use. You can print them for just a few cents each. And in the US You can even send postcards by First Class Mail for only 26 cents. That's 37 percent less than the postage for letters.
If you haven't tried postcard marketing, then give it a go. It's an awesome, innovative & funky marketing method that is easy on your wallet, simple to implement and has great impact.
Marketing
with Postcards by Nancy Miller
For as simple as postcards are, many people overlook their impact to get callbacks, increase response rates, and enhance their business.
This one hour DVD will introduce you to the world of effective postcard marketing and show you how to do it right the first time.
The program covers everything from where to buy your postcards inexpensively, where to get graphics, clip art, and other elements inexpensively, and how to make sure that the card mails for the minimum price possible.
In her informative program, Nancy shows you a variety of postcard sizes, designs, formats, and layouts including full explanations as to why they did work or didn’t work – a critical part of postcard design.
Postcards are GUARANTEED to save you money and
get you more responses faster than any other form of advertising!
In this program, you’ll learn how to:
· Design a GOOD Marketing postcard that gets response
· Dramatically reduce the cost of 4-color postcard printing
· Develop a cost marketing effective strategy for generating "warm" leads
· Use courtesy reply cards in media kits to get callbacks
· Design postcards to increase response rates
Other things you’ll learn and be able to apply immediately include:
· The benefits of marketing with postcards
· The different applications and uses of postcards that work for speakers
· Most effective words to use with postcards
· Sizes, types, and colors of postcards that work best for which applications
· How to effectively evaluate your postcards before you have them printed
· Resources for low cost postcard layout and printing
This award winning program is delivered by Nancy Miller, one of the country’s leading authorities on effectively marketing anything with postcards.
Order from www.RMACart.com
ISBN 189144034-9
$39.95