Postcard direct mail marketing tips and ideas
by Alan Sharpe
Published on this site: July 14th, 2005 - See
more articles from this month...
Postcards are perhaps the least expensive way of reaching
a large number of people with your sales message. Although
they have their drawbacks, they are cost-effective at attracting
new customers. But only if you follow some simple rules that
professional direct mail copywriters follow.
Grab Their Attention On Side A
Side A is the side with the picture on it. One beauty of a
direct mail postcard is that your prospective customer does
not have to open it. There in the morning mail is your sales
message, seen by all. So make sure you put something on Side
A that arrests the attention of your prospect. Here are some
ideas:
- a wacky photograph
- a photo of your product in an unusual setting
- an outrageous (but true) claim
- your unique selling promise stated in a clever or intriguing
way
- your prospect's problem (the one that your product or
service solves), stated or presented in a compelling way
The only goal of Side A is to arrest attention and stimulate
interest. OK, so that's two goals. You must motivate your
prospect to turn your postcard over to read the other side.
So make sure Side A is arresting and interesting but does
not tell your whole story.
Sell Them On Side B
Side B is the one with the address and postage stamp. Here
you create desire and motive your reader to take action. You
do not have much real estate upon which to give your sales
pitch, so stick to your strongest benefit. Describe in clear,
compelling language what your reader gets by buying your product
or service. You don't have enough room here to say enough
to make a sale, so just sell the next step.
Ask For The Next Step, Not The Order
The next step these days is often for the prospect to visit
your website. That's a great use for a direct mail marketing
postcard: driving potential buyers to a special page on your
website (called a landing page) where you give the entire
dog and pony show and give prospects a convenient way to part
with their money, if I may put it that way.
The next step may also be for the reader to call you, or
to visit your business. Both good uses of direct response
postcards. So make sure you say enough, and in a strong enough
way, on this side of the card to motivate a potential buyer
to lift the receiver or start heading in your direction. Which
brings us to your offer.
Make Your Offer Irresistible
All direct mail pieces should contain an offer. The offer
is what you dangle in front of prospects to motivate them
to take the next step in giving you their business. What you
are selling and what your offer is are two different things.
For example, using direct mail, banks promote credit cards.
That's what they are selling. But to persuade you to act today
they extend you an introductory and time-limited interest
rate of only 2.5% (some conditions apply, of course!). That's
their offer. Their offer must overcome inertia. And so must
yours. Make sure your postcard features a strong offer. For
more information on crafting effective offers, read the many
articles I've written on the topic, found here: www.sharpecopy.com/blog
Alan Sharpe is a business-to-business direct mail
copywriter who helps business owners and marketing managers
generate leads, close sales and retain customers using creative
direct mail marketing. Sign up for free weekly tips like this
at www.sharpecopy.com
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