The Fundamentals of a Postcard Campaign

I’m a big fan of the social media platform, Reddit. I’m a nerd and a geek and a pseudo authority on a ton of subjects under the sun. If you aren’t aware, Reddit has ‘pages’ of information that are classified as subs or subreddits. And one of the most interesting that I’ve found is one called ‘ELI5′, which stands for Explain (it to me) Like I’m 5. I thought about that today as I was considering this topic. Far from discounting readers’ intelligence, the best thing about that subreddit is how even complicated subjects are broken down in a simple, educational manner.

Sometimes, business owners get nervous, or apprehensive about tackling a Direct Mail postcard campaign. They don’t know where to start, and they’re unsure of how to maximize their returns on investment, and it can lead to doing nothing at all. There’s ZERO reason to go down that crippling path. In the spirit of ELI5, and breaking down what you need to do in a simple, educational manner, here are my Four Critical, Fundamental Aspects of Planning ANY Campaign:

  1. Know your audience: This is your first step. You MUST know to whom you’re speaking. Your planning must include your target audience. Even if that audience is the whole world, that needs to be stated. More often than not, the smart money is on picking a smaller audience using things like data on age, industry, occupation, education, homeownership, pet lovers, etc. If you can narrow down the right fit for your product or service, and design the campaign with their interests in mind (as they apply to the benefits your product or service can generate for them), that’s an A+ starting position.
  2. Don’t get out over your (financial) skis – There is often temptation wrapped up in a marketing campaign. Adrenaline and the promise of ‘easy money’ rolling in from prospects and existing clients can be tempting. But you need to temper that enthusiasm with a real world understanding of what you can afford to lay out on a Direct Mail campaign, and back that up against what you anticipate – truly – where sales are concerned. You’ve probably heard that the secret to eating an elephant is one bite at a time. The same can be said for executing a brilliant and successful postcard campaign. You cannot – and should not – attempt it all at once. Design in stages that you can afford (see previous posts on ROI), and maximize the returns to help support future campaigns to get even more business.
  3. Give some SERIOUS thought to design – The way your postcard will hit the reader is of utmost concern. You’ve identified your target audience, and you understand the costs of sending X-number of postcards out. The last thing you want to do is turn them off at the mailbox. Considerate design of the visuals and the wording of your postcard need to be magnets pulling them in, and making them want to read more! Consider the size of the postcard, itself. Think about how it will fit in their hands. Does the stock seem flimsy? Are the colors offensive or loud (e.g., loud crazy colors and images are perfect for a bounce house business, but not for a landscaping firm).
  4. To offer or not to offer? This can be a subset of the financial planning bullet. If you’re going to try and tempt the reader with something you think will compel them to act on your Call-to-Action, it absolutely has to be something you can afford now – NOT when those sales start rolling in. Make sense? Plan for today’s expenditure, not tomorrow’s income. If the offer you’re thinking about either doesn’t conform to your product or service, or if you can’t find what you want to use for an offer at a decent price, skip it. Concentrate on lowering the target audience for quality, and then you can revisit once you’ve had sales success.

Give Opportunity Knocks a call today. Our Success Coaches are standing by to make sure you know where and why to focus so you don’t throw up your hands or throw in the towel. We are here to help you create that perfect postcard campaign, nail the basics, and produce amazing results!