Planning Direct Mail Postcard Marketing

When you want an effective yet inexpensive way to market your products or services to the local community, postcard marketing can help you reach your goals. With postcards, you can spread your message to individuals, families, or businesses who may be receptive to your organization’s mission. Postcards can be a means to an end themselves, or they can be used as an important step in lead generation. Direct mail postcard marketing is a very flexible form of advertising that can suit a wide range of purposes.

Creating Your Mailing List

Before designing, printing, and mailing your postcards, you’ll need to find out where to send them. Creating a mailing list can be accomplished through information you already have in house or by buying a list from a marketing company. For example, if you’ve been running a travel agency for years, you know which groups of people use your services the most, and you can target those demographics for the best results. Startups may want to purchase a list if they’re not sure who in the area might be most receptive to their message.

Text, Graphics, and Layout

Postcards don’t offer a lot of space, so you have to make the most of every square inch when planning your direct mail postcard. One popular approach to design is to put a picture on one side to attract the recipients' attention while having text on the other side that provides valuable information. The key to all postcards is to have an enticing call to action. Whether that means a call to your office, a click on your website, or a visit to your store, you want that call to action to be loud and clear.

Mailing and Printing

If you plan to mail and print your postcards quickly and with the highest quality results, you’ll want to work with a full service direct mailing company. By working with professionals, you’ll save time, prevent clutter in your office, and take advantage of the knowledge of industry experts who know how to get results. Like any other marketing effort, you’ll want to evaluate the results of your postcards and make any necessary changes to optimize results. Planning will likely be an ongoing process.