How to Create a Powerful Direct Mail Postcard

Direct mail is an effective way to get new customers and sell more to existing customers. By developing a strategy for a powerful direct mail postcard, you can maximize your return on investment and get real results.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Conduct research. You have to understand your customers. You will use this information to target potential customers.

2. Make your point right up front with an uncomplicated, but powerful offer. Your reader should be able to get right to it. This makes your offer that much more appealing. Hook them from the get-go.

3. Make the required action evident. Explain what you want them to do. Do you want them to buy something, send a donation, or come to your business location? Tell them.

4. Use color, text and design with simplicity, but be bold. Use bright colors, great photography and large fonts to get your message across.

5. Use clear and multiple lines of communication. Do not make them search for your contact info. Put your phone, fax, website address, physical address and e-mail on the postcard. Customers will value being able to choose their method of contact.

6. A great way to double the impact of a direct mail postcard is to follow it up with a phone call. A phone call can double the response rate. Consider it a soft sell. They know something about you before you call.

7. Give useful tips on your postcard. Are you a Realtor? Use information on what have sold in their area. Are you a dentist? Give them dental hygiene tips. Use your expertise to provide more than sales information.

Tips & Warnings

• Postcards are a cost-effective method of advertising. Use them frequently to remind customers, clients or donors who you are.
• Direct mail postcards are useful to make announcements. Do you want to increase the number of people at your workshop or seminar? Send out postcards asking for registration.
• Give customers something free. This is a good way to get response. Give a free pizza with purchase of 1 at menu price. Give a free t-shirt to the first 100 registered for your event.
• Track responses. It will give you return on investment--an important number for whether your campaign was worth the money.