We’ve noticed a disturbing trend over the last couple years. It’s the “Why your _____ sucks” trend. You see it in titles of supposedly helpful articles, blogs and videos: “Why your marketing sucks,” “Why your ‘great idea’ actually sucks,” “Why your metabolism is slow and how to fix it,” and on and on. It was even in the title of the 2005 book Why Your Life Sucks.
Maybe these things are actually helpful but the use of “sucks” is too much of a put-down for us. So, instead of implying that anyone here is a loser, we’re going to concentrate on what the successful postcard marketers are doing.
1.) The postcards they send out don’t look like advertisements.
It’s a marketing truism that people don’t like to be sold. When you send out a post card that looks like an advertisement, it can push people’s “sales aversion” button. That doesn’t stop some companies from sending out “salesy” postcards that look like ads. Some of them even work. But something that the pros do that can definitely improve your response rate is they design postcards to look like a note from a friend. You can go so far as to use casual “handwriting” fonts, graphic sticky notes and anything else that gives it a more friendly, less “ad” feel.
2.) They “work with the Post Office” to deliver their pitch.
The next time you get your mail, take note of how it comes out of the mailbox: address side up. This is the result of mail carriers sorting the mail. And because postcards have the address on the back, they come to you backside-up. For this reason, the pros start their pitch on the backside of the postcard. When you do this, you motivate your customer/prospect to turn the card over and read the rest.
3.) They use only authentic testimonials.
Pros always use testimonials from real customers. If you don’t have any yet, start asking your customers for them—and the more authentic, the better. They shouldn’t be long but should contain the actual results the customer achieved. In B2B, the ideal testimonial would be from someone that your prospects can look for and find online—either their company website or social media. In B2C, the customer’s real name or initials and their actual city and state are usually enough.
4.) They give people an easy-to-remember URL.
While, it’s likely that a prospect is going to go from their mailbox to their computer and look you up from the postcard you sent, it’s more likely that you will come to mind the next time they are online (and don’t have your postcard handy). The pros know this, so they always put a relevant and memorable URL on the card. Rather than directing people to www.yourcompanyname.com/promotions/get-a-great-deal.htm, create a new landing page like www.GreatDeal.com.
5.) They try to open, rather than close.
Marketing pros know better than to try and close a sale with a postcard. Rather, they use it open the sales cycle. You can do this by putting copy on your card that intrigues the prospect, develops their interest, and moves them to make the next move. For instance, your postcard could say “Buy two months of Service X, get the third free” (close) or “Find out how to get a month of Service X for free.”
That’s five things that marketing pros do to get professional results. Try just one of them and see what it does for your results.
Log on to www.prospectsplus.com/pei to produce professional-looking postcards (using your own design or our customizable templates) and fully targeted mailing lists. Then mail them out…all with a few mouse clicks.
Or, if you want, you can call Opportunity Knocks at 1 (866) 319-7109 and tell our design and marketing pros what you need. They create great-looking, high-response postcards all day long and help with list-building and mailing services too.