In the uncertain times that we currently live in, many small businesses struggle to stay on the market. Therefore, investing in affordable and effective marketing campaigns is important now more than ever.
Direct mail postcard marketing is one of the ways to reach your target audience, let them know you are still in business, and connect with them on a more personal level.
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Direct mail postcard marketing in the digital age
Many people believe that direct mail postcard marketing is a thing of the past. It feels slow and outdated. After all, it’s so much easier to send an email. But the truth is that direct mail postcard advertising allows you to reach your audience and grab their attention.
In a study conducted by the Direct Marketing Association, it was reported that the response rate from direct mail was 5.3%, while the response rate from email marketing was only 0.6%.
And while digital marketing is still the leading strategy on the market today, direct mail postcard marketing is a great way to diversify your advertisement portfolio and maximize your results.
Advantages of postcard direct mail marketing
If you’re still wondering whether postcard direct mail marketing is worth your investment, here are a few advantages postcard marketing companies have seen for you to consider.
High ROI
According to another research by the Data & Marketing Association, direct mail postcard advertising has a medium return of investment of 29%. It takes third place behind email (124%) and social media (30%) marketing.
If the number doesn’t seem high enough to you, keep in mind that paid searches and online displays are reporting lower ROI results.
Portfolio diversification
In today’s competitive market, any single-channel campaign is doomed to struggle. No marketer would advise you to rely solely on Facebook ads, which means investing only in direct mail postcard advertising could also bring unsatisfactory results.
Fortunately, digital and postcard direct mail marketing not only works well as separate channels but exhibits wonderful synergy. You could also add a QR code and a call-to-action to your postcards to cross-promote your online campaign.
Audience targeting
Many marketers prefer the simplicity of targeting in online campaigns — choose age, sex, location, and interests and you’re all set but targeting your direct mail audience is not as difficult as it may seem.
Many postcard marketing companies use UPS’s Every Door Direct Mail tool to define their audience better. All you need to do is to enter a city and state or a zip code. By hovering with the mouse, you can see data about the number of residents and businesses, average household income, age range, and even the approximate cost of mailpiece in the area. This allows postcard marketing companies to easily target a specific audience.
Less common
Fewer marketers today are using direct mail postcard marketing than they did 5 or 10 years ago. In case you’re wondering how this is a good thing, it’s easy. The fewer advertisement mail the recipients get, the easier it is for your postcard direct mail marketing campaign to stand out.
While your email could be skipped amongst the dozens of others received today, all you need is proper targeting and a message to get noticed with direct mail postcard advertising.
Suitable for all age groups
One of the best advantages of direct mail postcard marketing and advertising is that it is an appropriate channel to target all age groups.
Email campaigns and Facebook ads are a good way to target young people. Still, many people over the age of 60 are not active on the internet. They do receive regular mail, however, which makes postcard direct mail marketing your best option if you’ll be targeting seniors as well.
Best postcard marketing strategies
Different postcard marketing companies, such as San Jose Direct Mail, have different creative ideas but they still follow the same ground rules.
If you have decided to give direct mail postcard advertising a chance there are several best postcard marketing strategies you should consider.
Graphic design
With so many companies advertising on the market, it could be really hard to get noticed. Therefore, if you want your postcard direct mail marketing campaign to be successful you need to capture the undivided attention of your audience.
The best way to do this is by hiring a professional graphic designer to prepare your postcard. Alternatively, many reputable postcard marketing companies have a team of designers available onsite. You can check out graphic design services through free postcard samples here.
The design should incorporate all the important details without looking too crowded. The key elements you would need on your postcard include:
- A bold headline to grab the attention.
- An image presenting a clear message.
- Appropriate use of colors to evoke the desired emotion.
- A special offer to engage the customer.
- Your company’s name, logo, and contact information.
Personalization
A sure way to grab someone’s attention is by mentioning their name. The same goes out for direct mail postcard advertising.
Personalizing postcards is one of the best postcard marketing strategies postcard marketing companies recommend. In essence, by using a special printing process you change the part of the message on each postcard by adding the recipient’s name.
While it may be a bit more expensive, the extra touch reaches the customer on a more personal level, and with the right message and targeting, you could increase your response rate significantly.
Dare to be different
And if you really want your postcard direct mail marketing campaign to stand out, try to reimagine the old classic look of the postcard and unleash your imagination. While the possibilities are nearly endless, here are a few ideas to get you started.
- Vertical orientation. As simple as it sounds, people are used to holding postcards horizontally. By giving the card vertical orientation, there is a higher chance that the customer will instinctively turn it and start reading into it.
- Something to keep. Most people will toss away the card once they’re done with it. But if you add a small magnet or a sticker with your main message and details, there is a high chance they will keep it and it would be there waiting when they’re ready to make a purchase.
- Scratch-off areas. If you are planning to add a special offer with your direct mail postcard advertising campaign, hiding it behind a scratch-off area will give the customer a feel of winning something. And since everyone loves a win, they are more likely to redeem the prize.
There are tons of ways of being creative with direct mail postcard marketing. Your business will stand out from competitors and reach your target audience in a special and unique way.
You have access to the best postcard marketing strategies and have all the reasons to pursue postcard direct mail marketing. If you don’t know where to start, reach out to postcard marketing companies for professional help.
You may check out San Jose Direct Mail’s services here: https://sanjosedirectmail.com. Call through (408) 410-3541 or click here for personalized direct mail postcard advertising.
San Jose Direct Mail Postcard Marketing services are all available through their website, created by Wahi Digital Marketing.
