Postcard printing is one of the most cost-effective marketing methods for small businesses.  Easy to create, easy to mail, and easy to get your point across, postcards are a fun way to share the news with your clients.

Remember to keep your postcard printing short and to the point.  The goal with postcards is not to inform the reader of every last detail, but rather to whet their interest so that they contact you for more information.

The visual appeal is important as well, as you may have mere seconds to make an impression on the reader before they toss your postcard into the recycle bin.  Choosing appropriate color schemes and images are important.

Lastly, every postcard should include your contact information in some form, whether it is your phone number, website, or physical address.

Not sure how postcard printing can work for you?  Here are some direct mail strategies that your small business can utilize:

Announcements

Do you have a grand opening or a great sale coming up?  Make sure that your customers are in the know with postcard printing.  New stores can do blanket mailings for very little cost by sending out postcards to every household within a geographical area.

If you already have a client base, then you can use this as your mailing list to notify your loyal clients about your special event.  Remember to send out the postcards far enough in advance that your customers can plan for it, but not so far in advance that they forget about the event before it happens.

Coupons

These days, everyone is trying to save money, and more and more businesses are becoming aware of this by offering their customers special incentives.  Whether you want to offer them specific coupons or percentages off, postcard printing is a great way to get the postcard into their hands.

Plus, this is a great method for verifying the effectiveness of your advertising campaign.  By tracking the number of postcards sent out compared to those coupons that are redeemed, you will get a better idea as to the health of your business and if you are advertising to the right people.

Reminders

Many service industries rely on repeat business to keep sales high.  For example, your dentist relies on you coming in for that annual appointment every year, your vet wants you to bring your dog in for shots, and your mechanic expects you to show up for regular oil changes.  If you are in a business that relies on regular, repeat business, then you can use postcard printing to create a gentle reminder for your clients.  Keep track of when your clients will be due for their next visit with you, and send a postcard out a few weeks before.  You can even include a coupon or other incentive to encourage them to come and see you.

If you aren’t sure how you can use postcard printing for your business, talk to your printer.  Your printer can go over different features that may be useful for your industry, including automatically using your own mailing list, purchasing mailing lists, and utilizing printing features like two-sided and four-color printing.

Direct mail has continually been a trusted and effective method of conveying your message to customers.  However, for a direct mail marketing campaign to work, it requires a considerable direct mail printing job, costing both money and time to monitor the results.

Are there ways to conduct a direct mail marketing campaign that is budget-friendly and effective? Here are three ideas to get you started.

1. Acquire a Targeted Mailing List

Your direct mail recipient list should be targeted specifically to your researched demographic. Remember all the target customer research you did before you ever got your business off the ground? This information can be helpful in getting a solid mailing list of leads.

A direct mail campaign geared to acquire new customers can get very expensive when you start mailing to untargeted recipients. Your responses end up being much less than the standard, and money is wasted. However, when you aim your direct mail printing materials to targeted individuals, you have a much better chance that they will at least read your material and get a response.

2. Cost-Effective Printing with Postcards

To help save money on your direct mail printing materials, choose your media wisely. Of course, a typical direct mail marketing campaign utilizes a 1 to 2-page letter, a return envelope, and other promotional papers. But why spend so much on unneeded paper?

Using a simple postcard can save you considerable money on your direct mail printing and provide you a better chance of getting read. With a post card, there is no envelope to open, which means your recipients are more likely to get your headline message.

In addition, with postcard printing, not only can you save money on printing, but also on the copy. Professional copywriters charge much less for a postcard size direct mail.

3. Use Smaller Size Catalogs and Newsletters

Do you want to send your product catalog as part of your direct mail campaign? Avoid using traditional size printed catalogs. Instead, opt to have your catalog printed on postcard size paper.

The same strategy can be used on a newsletter. A newsletter printed on a booklet size paper saves you money. Print your material on all side of your booklet, and save the last page for making your offer to the recipient or sending the reader to your website for more information.

Direct mail still works. And while it may cost a bit to perform direct mail printing, it is still affordable, and if done creatively, you can enjoy lucrative returns on your investment.