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With conference season about to heat up again, many companies will be contemplating how to best reach their prospects. Does old-Afashioned direct mail still make sense? You bet it does! Direct mail actually outperforms all digital channels combined by nearly 600%, according to the Direct Marketing Association’s 2015 Response Rate Report.

And guess which format has one of the best response rates? Postcards, at 4.25%. Compare that to email and social media, which both have a 0.1% response rate.

But not all direct marketing is created equal. The list you use has a big impact. Direct mail achieves a 3.7% response rate with a house list, and a 1.0% response rate with a prospect list.

Direct mail has another thing going for it. Fewer companies are using it, which means there is less competition in the mailbox for your prospects’ attention, the DMA says.

So here are 10 tips to get the most from postcard marketing:

1. Plan ahead

Create a specific purpose for your postcard campaign – as big an idea as possible to grab people’s attention. Don’t be boring.

2. Time it correctly

Send your postcards so they arrive on Tuesday or Wednesday. The volume of mail delivered in the U.S. on those days is usually light and your postcards won’t have to compete with a lot of other mail delivered at the same time. Try to avoid having your postcards delivered on Monday. It’s usually the biggest mail delivery day of the week and a very busy day for most people

3. Be bold

Postcards should be eye-catching, so be sure to include high impact photos or other striking images, graphics and colors. Go for full-color, glossy printing.

4. Be funny

Never under-estimate the power of humor! Funny postcards not only get remembered, they often get saved and passed along.

5. Be concise
Use short, strong headlines. Postcards work best for short messages and for generating leads – not closing sales. So try to keep your message simple. Don’t try to explain everything, and be sure to include multiple ways to contact you.

6. Use available real estate
There are two sides to every postcard, so make the most of both of them. The non-address side should have the biggest, boldest photos and colors. Think of it as a poster. The other side should carry your offer, contact information and other details. Don’t be shy to go full color on both sides.

7. Go big!
Oversized cards – often 6×11 – stand out in the mail. They also give you more space to include photos, data or even a map to your location.

8. Generate a response
Encourage quick action. Give customers a good reason to act now, perhaps a bonus or discount with a deadline.

9. Keep it simple
Send customers to an easy, memorable and relevant URL. Customers are likely to check you out the next time they’re on the computer – on their terms, and when they might not be able to find your postcard any longer. So if you don’t have one, create a simple URL, such as Leadsfor35.us or SuperLeads.us.

10. Show them proof
Use a credible testimonial from someone who can be found online (so customers know they’re real) and with results that actually happened.

Postcards can be very effective in generating leads, but the key to effective postcard marketing is execution. Just because you mailed out a postcard doesn’t mean it will generate results. It’s critical to make sure that your postcard is compelling to view and read.
If you need help in creating a postcard or any other marketing campaign, all you have to do is let us know. We’d be happy to help! Just reach us at Info@StrategicVantage.com or call 305.971.6239.

By Rosalie Berg, President, Strategic Vantage