10 Reasons To Mail Postcards

You're probably wondering, "Why should I use postcards rather than other marketing tools? Isn't advertising in my local newspaper a better option?"

If advertising in the paper brings in a lot more money than you spend on it, and you can afford to keep advertising, don't stop! But if you're like most small business owners, you don't have a lot of money to spend on advertising experiments. That's why it's time to consider. . .

. . . the Top 10 Advantages of Using Postcards:

1. Postcard marketing is affordable, even for the smallest of businesses.
2. When you're marketing with postcards, you keep your competition in the dark. But they'll always know when you advertise in the newspaper!
3. It's easy to track your results.Your card can tell recipients to bring the card into your store for a special discount. Or it can ask them to use a special ordering code when purchasing from your website.
4. Postcards are versatile. In a single mailing, you can seek business from prospective customers, and solicit repeat business from existing customers. Plus, a postcard isn't just something to send through the mail.You can use postcards as oversized business cards, hang tags for your products, and mini information sheets.
5. Your postcards can "brand" you and your business in ways that most marketing materials cannot. If you start and stick to a regular postcard-mailing program, you and your business will gain quite a reputation, and perhaps even a little fame.
6. Testing an offer with postcards is easy. Just send your card to a small group of people and see how many respond. If you're satisfied with the results, it's time to roll out a bigger mailing!
7. Postcards are time-savers. Recipients don't even have to open an envelope to read your message. And did you know that United States Postal Service studies have shown that, on average, only 14 percent of letters get read? On the other hand, postcards have a 94 percent readthrough ratio!
8. Postcards don't take up a lot of space.Your customers can carry them in their pockets and pocketbooks, or even create postcard displays on their refrigerator doors!
9. Postcards are inexpensive to print.
10. Postcards are easy to redeem. If you're asking your customers to bring your postcard into your store for a special discount, all they have to do is show up with the card. Or you can include a special tracking code with each card mailing. Just ask recipients to enter that code into the order form on your website or give it to the operator when they place a telephone order.

The idea behind "Bring this card for a discount!" or "Use this code and get an additional 10% off on your order!" is to give people an incentive to do business with you.

Conclusion: creating nice postcards and sending them out to an appreciative audience is fun. And, done properly, it will help grow your business.