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The
Advisor
BUILD SALES & PROFITS FAST WITH SIMPLE POSTCARDS
For nearly 30 years I've used postcards to develop new business. They work even better today than in the past. That's probably because they satisfy the need today to get information quickly and easily. Postcards are one of the most effective tools you can use to build your business. They're low-cost and simple to use. You get results in just a few days. And, you can control the flow of responses to avoid "feast or famine" sales activity. Let's look at some benefits of using postcards to build your business. SAVE MONEY ON POSTAGE. The current postage for mailing a postcard is 20 cents. Yet, the U S Postal Service will process postcards just like First Class Mail. That's 1/3 less than the cost of a letter or self-mailer without losing any of the benefits of First Class Mail service. SIMPLE AND EASY TO PREPARE. By sending postcards you eliminate the work of folding, stuffing and sealing envelopes. You eliminate the cost of buying envelopes. You also substantially reduce the cost for paper and printing. You don't even need to spend a lot of time developing your promotional message. A brief "benefits stressing" message requiring a response for more information works best. Developing the message for a postcard is a lot like writing a classified ad. You probably already have an ad that could easily be used for your postcard message. Your postcards can be mailed within a few days of your decision to use them. And, in less than a week you will know your results. There are a few postal regulations for postcards concerning size, paper thickness and paper color. The minimum size for a postcard is 3 1/2 inches high by 5 inches long. The maximum size is 4 1/4 inches high by 6 inches long. A standard 4 x 6 index card can be mailed at the postcard rate. A 3 x 5 index card cannot be mailed because it is less than the minimum size of 3 1/2" x 5". A standard 8 1/2"x 11" sheet of index stock paper cut into 4 equal pieces will produce four 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 postcards that qualify for postcard postage. The minimum paper thickness is 0.007 inches and the maximum is 0.0095 inches. Don't try to figure out the technicalities of paper thickness. Just use paper with thickness similar to an index card and you will be well within specifications. For those who want to be more precise, use paper designated as 67# card stock (pronounced 67 "pound" card stock) or any paper designated as index stock. Paper used for a postcard can be any light color that does not prevent legible addresses and postmarks from being placed on the card. I've found light blue, light green, yellow, pink and tan/buff colors to be best. Postal Service regulations prohibit using "brilliant" colors. THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF PEOPLE WILL READ AND RESPOND Perhaps the greatest single benefit of the postcard format is its ability to get the maximum number of people to actually read your offer. Your postcards should be simple and present an uncluttered appearance. A personal message that is brief and easy to grasp in a second or two will get up to 95% or more readership. It only takes a flip of the wrist to get the message. Because more people read the message on a postcard, more people will respond to a postcard mailing than any other format. The area for your message is limited by the size of the postcard. That's one reason why postcards are best used as the first step in a 2 step sales process where you're just looking for qualified responses in the first step. Postcards will increase the number of qualified, interested prospects coming to your business. You'll still have to close the sale. But, you'll have many more opportunities to close sales. Implementing a successful postcard mailing program begins by determining who you want to mail your postcards to. You need to find or compile a mailing list of qualified prospects for your postcard offer. But, that's another subject I'll cover in another article. (Bob Leduc recently retired from a 30 year career of recruiting sales personnel and developing sales leads. Contact him via E-mail for several publications to help small businesses grow and prosper. Subject: "Postcards". Voice: (702) 658-1707, after 10 AM Pacific time) |