112 years ago when I was in high school – don’t do the math – I had a speech teacher who told us something on the first day of class that I’ve never forgotten. Little did I know it would have stuck with me so many years later.
He said, “Tell them what you’re going to tell them. Tell them. And tell them what you’ve told them.”
[Mind blown]
No Direct Mail delivery vehicle does that better and more effectively than a postcard. And it’s probably why I love coaching clients around the best ways to use postcards in their Direct Mail campaigns. Long form letters and emails can accomplish the same goal, but there are disadvantages to those methods. Postcards have 6 Distinct Advantages over your other options (in no particular order):
1.) Postcards are simpler to produce than full packages – ‘Full packages’ is an industry term which basically refers to a letter in an envelope. I apologize. It just means you don’t have to go through the trouble of binding, packaging, stuffing, or folding anything.
2.) Writing/Designing postcards is easier and cheaper – Fewer words and less space means you’re spending less on getting your message across. Which is great for you AND the prospect!
3.) Postcards work for any size business – It really (and I mean really) doesn’t matter if you own/run/manage a Fortune 100 company or a start-up from your garage. Postcards are great ways to get a message across simply and effectively.
4.) Postcards are less expensive to mail out – You just about need an eye chart to read the 2019 USPS Price List! Buried in there, however, you’ll find that Machinable/Presorted 1 oz Letters run you $.45/each. Compare that to the $.28 it takes to mail a postcard and you’ll start to get a feel for the ROI postcards deliver (pun intended!).
5.) Postcards are short – Time is a luxury that no one wants to waste. Postcards quickly and briefly tell the reader who you are and what you want them to do.
6.) Postcards don’t need to be opened – What you need to say is, for lack of a better term, in their face. Designed appropriately, a postcard can speak to your prospect the second it’s pulled from the mailbox and they begin reading.
Tell them what you’re going to tell them. Tell them. And tell them what you’ve told them.
We use a variation of that in Direct Mail: I am going to tell you immediately what I’m offering. I am showing you AND explaining how it will benefit your life. And now I’m asking you to take action around what you just learned.”
That’s ridiculously easy to do in a long-form sales letter, or an email. But it can take forever. Don’t get me wrong: there’s a time and place for that kind of outreach, and in the right circumstances, it can be effective.
But compared to letters and emails, postcards work quickly and powerfully – like Superman swooping in to save the day – or Jordan stealing the ball before “Posterizing” somebody at the end of a fast break! Each direct mail option seeks the same result in the end. It’s just that Superman and Jordan got there faster, flashier, and more effectively. You want to be Superman swooping in or Jordan dunking on your competition.
At Opportunity Knocks (866) 319-7109), we can help you take advantage of the superpower of postcards, and make sure you’re using them in the best, most advantageous, and most efficient ways to reach your clients and prospects.