Looking for a cost effective marketing tool for 2011? Postcards are the most inexpensive pieces of direct mail that a company can send out. The postage at 28 center per piece, which is the bulk of the expense, is significantly lower than that of sending a first class letter. Postcards are also a nice marketing piece because they require no effort from the recipient. There is no envelope to open. It is as simple as flipping the postcard over to read the information. This can even be done as it is being tossed in the trash. The first goal of any direct mail piece is to get the information read by the recipient.
A good way to save money on your postcard, without losing quality, is to have them printed in black only or black and one color. Four color printing can be quite costly and is best left for flashy brochures. Postcards should be simple and information based.
When designing your postcard keep things concise and easy to read. Bullets are a great way to convey the information quickly and efficiently for the reader. Be sure to include a call to action; “call for pricing”, “contact us for specials” and include your website, email and / or contact information. It is also often effective to include a coupon or offer for customers. This can be a discount on your services, or additional add-on products “thrown in”. Simply include a “Mention this postcard for…” This will also help you to track the effectiveness of the piece.
One of the things you need to think about when sending out postcards for your party event and rental business is targeting certain events and markets based on the time of year. For example, graduation parties should be targeted in March or April when the final details of planning are underway, focus on holiday parties for the end of the year, and so on.
Obviously the more mail items that you send out the more booked business you will see. You can send postcards to your own customer database, targeting the time of year they initially used your services in an effort to gain some repeat business. You can also consider harvesting a list. Simply select a geographic area you are targeting and harvest names and addresses using a phone book or the internet. This can be a time consuming project but can often be well-worth it once you have an established prospect list. http://www.whitepages.com/ also often includes some demographics about the individuals.
For a more scientifically targeted (and larger) list you may want to consider purchasing or renting a list. You can specify demographics and geographic information for the list. There are dozens of companies that specialize in this information. While the cost may be somewhat prohibitive, the ability to specifically target will significantly improve the return on your investment.
The following are some reputable list rental companies:
http://www.directmail.com/directory/mailing_lists/
http://www.melissadata.com/dm/mailing-lists/index.htm
Good luck and happy mailing!