I had heard all the hype about a new outdoor mall that was being built just 10 miles from my house. Since I live out in the boondocks, I was excited that I could go to a fashion store after driving just 10 miles, instead of the customary 25 miles as I’ve been used to my whole life.
The mall had taken out newspaper and magazine ads and there were a few television commercials, which all piqued my interest. Then the mall opened and I missed the grand opening.
A couple of days after the opening I got a postcard from the mall. The full color postcard showed happy people shopping with tons of shopping bags on their arms (a personal fantasy of mine) and it included a 20% off coupon at my choice of store in the mall. It then told me to come see them as quickly as possible. I was hooked and I went the next day.
Now, why did a postcard lure me to part with my money when other, more expensive, advertising didn’t? I’d like to venture a few reasons why I think postcard printing should be included in every marketing campaign, especially now that I’ve surrendered myself to the postcard!
1. Postcards are personal. I think part of the reason the postcard got me to the store is because it was addressed just to me. Unlike newspaper or TV ads, this message was directed to me. Postcards are much more personal than other marketing methods because the mail is going into a person’s house – her personal space.
2. Postcards are simple. The postcard had a clean, simple design that grabbed my attention and I was done reading it in under a minute. I probably finished it in less than 30 seconds, actually.
3. No message blocker. The dreaded message blocker – the envelope – was nonexistent. It’s easy for people to see the postcard’s message as compared to other direct mail pieces, like letters. When people see an envelope from an organization they’ve never heard of, they just throw the envelope away without looking inside. With postcards, you have no barrier to get through – if people throw away your postcard, they’ve at least seen your company’s name and logo.
4. They’re cheap. Postcards cost about 38 percent less to mail than regular size mail. They’re also cheap to print. You can get 5,000 postcards printed for about $250.
5. They keep your postcard mailing list up-to-date. If you use first class postage your postcard will be mailed back to you if you’ve got a wrong or outdated address. This is an easy way to update your mailing list.
6. Postcards are easy to create. You have nothing to assemble, collate or stuff when you send postcards. Once you get them printed the hardest part is sticking on a stamp and an address label. The nice thing is that you can get the printer to do these tasks for you! Even the U.S. postal service has these services – you can pay the post office to print, stamp, address and mail your postcards for you. Check out www.usps.com for more details.
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