Direct Market:
Postcards:
Postcards are low cost, direct mail marketing winner. They allow you to make a quick and simple offer to your prospects in a general area. You can be more specific with your targeting using mailing lists.
Using Google or your favorite search engine, simply type in mailing list brokers in your city or state or province and you will find multiple opportunities to rent a mailing list that is targeted to your prospect or customer.
Postcards are not just something you send when on vacation
Don’t think of a postcard ad as what you get from your parents while they go on a vacation. Think of it as a way to pass your message on to your targeted customer. You can use both sides of the postcards to give your message and make your offer.
Postcards are no longer just little squares
You can get postcards custom cut to a design that you choose. Your postcard can be the shape or a house, a car, a plane or just about anything. You need to find a printer capable of doing this and you may need to use a national firm and custom order it. It is more expensive but normally worth the expense. It makes you standout from the rest of the mail that day. You pique your customers interest.
Make sure you talk to the postal service to ensure they will deliver your custom designed postcard. A simple phone call can save you a headache and money.
Postcards are cheaper to mail
Once you know what the post office will allow you to mail, you can then find a printer that can print off your new custom postcard. There are local firms you can source and national companies. Once again, use your favorite search engine to find someone that can help you. Of course you can still use the Yellow Pages in your search, if your city still prints them.
Easy to test for the best Return on Investment (ROI)
The good news is that you can make up a few different offers. You can use both sides to sell your offer or you can have two different offers coded so you can see which sells better.
You can test the colors, the images, the actual offers and sales presentations. Try to make at least 4 to 6 different offers so that you can test these against each other to see which one pulls the best result. Once you have a winner this becomes your CONTROL AD.
What is a CONTROL Ad?
It is the ad that has proven to get the best response and makes the most sales and profit. Not just gets the most hits, (unless that is what you want) but the most sales, actual money that is coming into your business. IN the end it must make the most profit for your company. Once you have a Control ad, you now test all new ads against this one. When one out performs your first Control ad it becomes the new Control ad.
You need to constantly search for the best CONTROL Ad you can create. Each time you find a winner this becomes the new ad to use to test for more results.
Remember that you need to do multiple tests when trying to replace a good CONTROL Ad, you need to try it in a few different places to ensure it pulls the same results or close to the same results each time you use it before it becomes the Control ad.
Once you find a good CONTROL ad you can print money
Once an ad makes money for you, now have your very own money printing press. You know each time you mail it. It will produce a certain level of income. When you need more income, do another mailing. Build your customer list using this Control ad.
Make an irresistible offer.
Now don’t waste your valuable money on just making a public announcement of your company. Use this valuable space to make an offer to your prospects.
Give them a great, not average discount. Offer them a free report or eBook that can give them tips or tricks to help them. Find something that you can give them to make them want to respond to your offer. Build real value into your free product offer.
If you can build value into the initial ad, do so. This proves that you can offer even more when they become a customer.
Collect the contact information of your prospect
You can exchange your free gift or promotional aid for their contact information. Try to get their name and address or name and email address, even better get their mailing address. You just want to be able to get in touch with them in the future.
Us an autoresponder or a multiple mailing piece.
Once you have their contact information, you can mail them follow up postcards or even sales letters and packages. If you get an email address you can use an autoresponder that sends out a series of emails over a specific time period to follow up. Find out more about autoresponders in the Resource section on this website.
You can build a multi touch system using both an autoresponder or direct mail to follow up and sell more services or products.
Postcards work and are easy to test
Businesses have used postcards ads for decades and they have proven to be great and reliable source of business. Try using them for your business and decide for yourself. If you sell to consumers this could prove to be one of your best advertising methods.
Remember make it outrageous and exciting
Don’t just announce your business. Figure out a great way to offer a unbelievable deal. Ask the reader to take some type of action. Offer them a free report, book or sample, anything to get their contact information You can lose money on the first sale if it creates a long term client and builds your list. Consider how to give away a sample of your product or service. Whatever you do make it exciting and interesting and if possible irresistible.