Whether you’ve just sent out your first postcard campaign or your hundredth, it’s likely that there’s room for improvement—maybe a little, maybe a lot—in your response. Though there is a ton of information available today about how to get better marketing results, the small business owner can feel as if he/she is in a cloud of confusion as how and where to start to improving their own results.
Luckily, there isn’t a multitude of possibilities but rather just three specific areas you need to look at. Usually, it takes addressing just one of these areas to produce greater response.
But before we address those three areas, let’s consider your marketing from the viewpoint of the prospect. It is estimated that the average person is exposed to (some would say “bombarded by”) thousands of marketing messages every day—so much so that they will ignore it for one or all of these reasons:
- It doesn’t address them by name but rather as “Dear Resident,” “Dear Neighbor,” “Dear Sir or Madam,” etc.
- It presents no benefit but only asks for the sale.
- There is no clear direction on what they should do.
It’s these three oversights that make people cynical about marketing, waste your marketing efforts and wreck your response and ROI. So here’s three ways to avoid those oversights and create greater response:
1.) First Names
There is no sweeter sound than the sound of one’s own name. So address your prospect by their first name: “Hi, Bob,” “Dear Susan,” or “Howdy, Zeke.” When you call someone by their first name, it’s personal. You will have their attention. Calling someone by name on a postcard is not much different than it is when meeting people in person. When you call someone by name, they will be interested in finding out your name. And they will feel compelled to respond. And when they respond, well…you will have “response.” Using their name also helps them to remember your name. Try it.
2.) Appeal to Prospect’s Self-Interest
Let’s be blunt: when it comes to your marketing, the vast majority of prospects don’t care about the quality, speed, value, or price of your product or service. It’s the age-old marketing duality of features and benefits. Businesses and marketers are naturally more aware of their product—it’s specs and features. The prospect is largely aware of his own needs, problems, and dreams. So, once again, as a business, you’ve got to walk in the prospect’s shoes. Figure out what problem your product/service solves for them. Or what need it fills. Or what dream it fulfills. Once you’ve identified it, put in your headline. Expand upon it in your copy. Make sure the image on your postcard supports it.
3.) Give a Clear Direction
Your marketing should not be a puzzle. It should not be literature. It should not require the prospect to figure it out or interpret it. On the contrary, it should be totally obvious—and this is especially true of your call to action. You may present the juiciest, most desirable offer but if you don’t tell your prospect exactly how to get it—in large, prominent copy—few of them are going to take it upon themselves to figure it out. So if you want the prospect to call, tell them “Call now.” If you want them to bring the postcard into your shop to get a 20% discount, tell them in large type, “Bring This Card Today for 20% Off Your Next Order.” Also, make it as easy as possible for people to reach you by making your phone number, address, and or website URL easy to find.
And while we’re talking about three things, you can design, print, and mail your next postcard campaign as easy as 1-2-3 by logging on to www.prospectsplus.com/pei. Use your own existing design or one of our custom templates, upload your mailing list or use our audience-targeting tools to produce a new list, with just a few mouse clicks.
Or, save time and make it easy by calling Opportunity Knocks at 1 (866) 319-7109. (See? We know how to appeal to your self-interest.) Our design and marketing pros will produce a great looking, high response postcard for you, target it, and mail it too.