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By Rhee Gold
Postcard Marketing
What’s one of the least expensive forms of direct mail
marketing, but is extremely effective? Postcards!
According to Patricia Schaefer, author of the article Stamp
Out the 10 Most Common Postcard Marketing Mistakes in
Business Know-How Newsletter, “Virtually 100 percent of
postcards get read and the reason is simple: Mail in envelopes
has to be opened first to be read. People often look at just
the envelope, decide they’re not interested, and out it goes.
In contrast, a postcard is already “opened,” ready to read
and, at the very least, the message will be seen – no matter
how speedily – by the recipient.”
Take a trip to your local office superstore and for a few
pennies each, plus the cost of ink, you can create an
inexpensive postcard marketing campaign for your school. The
U.S.P.S. only requires a 26-cent stamp and you’re ready to go.
Postcard cost versus return
So, let’s call it $0.30 per post card, plus your time.
1 new student @ $50.00 per month x 9
months + $450.
Send 200 postcards
(expense)
- $60.
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Return on your
investment
+ $370.
5 new students (annual income)
+ $2,250.
Send 200 postcards
(expense)
- $60.
--------------
Return on your
investment
+ $2,190 !!!!!!!
Postcard Tips
A repetitive post-card campaign works best; maybe once-a-month
or every-other-month. Recipients who consistently see your
logo begin to develop a familiarity and feeling of credibility
about your school.
Be patient; it often takes several mailings before the
recipient takes action. It’s also important to remember that
the familiarity factor creates another benefit . . .
the recipient brings up your school when dance lessons are
discussed or recommends your school simply because they feel
like they know you and your product from your mailings.
Add your faculty and staff to your mailing lists to help keep
them updated – especially the list that your current clientele
receives.
Postcards (or any other mail) sent with a good ole’ postage
stamp is read more often than those sent utilizing a postage
meter or printed indicia, which is often perceived as junk
mail. The stamp makes your mailing appear to be a personal
message. A hand-written address is really something special!
Patricia Schaefer adds, “Think brevity. Your postcard will
probably garner a one to two second initial glance, so don’t
weigh down your chances of success with clever dissertations,
jargon, or a laundry list of everything you offer. Use short
complete sentences with well-chosen plain language and bullet
points that will get the attention of the reader. Promote no
more than one key thing per card. Convey just what is
important and what the reader should do next.”
A spelling, punctuation or typographical error reflects poorly
on your school. A good way to proofread is to read your text
aloud. It is also beneficial to pass your document around for
others to review; it’s pretty much a guarantee another person
will find things that you may overlook.
An advantage of postcards versus newspaper marketing is your
ability to avoid your competitors seeing what you’re up to.
Newspaper ads and the concepts within them can be copied by
your competitors. Only you and your prospects are aware of
what you are doing when you send postcards.
It is not unusual for small businesses to use postcards as a
major marketing tool. It is also not unusual that a
well-thought-out postcard marketing campaign can lead to a
significant increase in student registration. Enjoy the
rewards of this powerful marketing tool.
Avoid the big mistake!
As crazy as it sounds, don’t forget to include your school’s
address, telephone, website, fax number, as well as an email
address. Often contact information is forgotten on postcards.
Be sure to include your logo, too.
Postcard topics |
