Postcard Marketing A Low Tech Approach For A High Tech World

This is our third post in a series of ideas for marketing your websites or blogs. We've discussed business cards, custom stickers and now I'm going really old school with postcards.

Now you might think being a tech geek I'd be pushing high tech marketing ideas and usually I would. But some of these low tech approaches can really pay dividends. They offer a bit more personal touch than just your everyday mass e-mailing. They are far less intrusive than e-mail, have less competition and of course are a bit more hands on as your recipient can't just click to trash it.

If you run a small business, website or forum that asks users to sign-up with a mailing address these little cards can produce a surge of traffic to your web site or a flood of high-quality sales leads. For businesses you can print postcards with tons of information on sales or special promotions or even coupons. For websites you can add in smaller things like incentives such as free gifts or drawings for checking out your site or responding with emails.

Your postcards don't even have to be marketing material, you can have postcards printed up as birthday cards to send out to forum members or customers on your mailing list. In the tech age sometimes it's the thought that counts and these personal touches have bigger meaning than just that random birthday email!

USPS has the following tips for an effective postcard marketing campaign

• Make sure they’re eye-catching: Your postcard doesn’t have to be art, but it helps if it’s attractive. Adding a high quality photo or other image will help
• Keep it simple: It’s a postcard, not a novel. Pretend every word is costing you $500. A jumble of information won’t do it. Simple, bold headlines like “Fall Fashions Are In!” or “50% Off Cookware” work best - then explain where, when and a few other details
• Timing is everything: Messages such as “Your Service Contract Expires June 1” work great - if you have a timely message of some kind for your customers, use it
• There are two-sides to that card: Be sure to use both sides of your postcard, but not every inch. Use one side like a poster and the other for a few details. Or put an ad on one side and a personal message on the other
• Double duty: A postcard can double as a coupon, gift certificate or event ticket. Ask people to present the card to claim an offer. It’s an easy way to measure effectiveness

The bottom line is marketing methods don’t have to be high-tech or expensive in order to be effective. For many types of startup ventures, a simple and cost-effective direct mail postcard marketing campaign might prove just the ticket for kick-starting company sales or website visits.