Does Top Quality Postcard Printing Really Help Boost Business Sales?
Receiving custom postcards in the mail during special occasions has become such a novelty because of the popularity of social media. Imagine the surprise of a friend if you will send a Happy Birthday postcard instead of posting a greeting on his or her Facebook wall or Instagram feed. This is precisely the reason why it pays to print postcards if you are a business owner. No matter which product or service it is that you are selling, the fact that you are promoting your wares using something tangible instead of digital is a novelty by itself. The recipient of the postcard becomes immediately interested in what you have to say. Thus, your marketing efforts become more effective. Read on to discover more reasons why you should print cheap postcards to promote your brand and boost your business sales.
Why Should I Go for Postcard Printing?
First, remember that custom postcards should be part of a complete print promotional campaign. When designing postcards, it should have the same look and feel as your brochures, business cards, envelopes, folders, letterheads, and rack cards. Use the same color theme and logo all throughout.
Second, here’s a quick list of the reasons why you should go for postcard printing:
- Postcard marketing is an effective way to boost sales.
Despite the presence and popularity of digital marketing, custom postcards are still considered a classic and effective tool in promoting one’s brand. Let’s say that you recently opened up a bakeshop and you want to increase foot traffic in your store. Everybody within the neighborhood is a prospective customer, so you can use postcards to send them an invitation to a bake sale, for example. Custom postcards can double up as a coupon code. Simply include a scannable QR code or a letter-number promo code, and they will be entitled to a certain percentage off the products from your store.
If you’re in the real estate business, you can print postcards and mail them out to prospective home buyers or sellers in your area. If you already have a steady stream of customers, you can mail out postcards as a way to build customer loyalty. Send them as birthday and holiday greetings. When it comes to postcard marketing, consistency and having a targeted mailing list is key.
- Cheap postcards can be made by online printing companies without sacrificing the quality of the printed product.
There are many companies offering postcards online printing services. Just because you’re offering cheap postcards does not mean that you are scrimping on quality. You simply need to look for a company that offers high-quality offset printing at a reasonable price. When you’re ordering a batch of cheap postcards, you can take your pick from different sizes, finishes, and card stock options.
- Postcards can be easily distributed in the mail.
When you print postcards, you can personally send them to your own mailing list. But if you want to launch a postcard marketing campaign without too much effort, you can opt for EDDM services. This stands for Every Door Direct Mail, which is a service from the USPS (United States Post Office). Through it, you can print postcards and have them mailed to residences or business – without having to purchase pricey mailing lists. At a few cents per postage, you can send custom postcards to every door in your neighborhood, for example, to let everyone know about a sale you’re holding or a new product that you are launching.
Postcard Printing Basics
When you print postcards, here are some of the things that you need to consider:
The most popular postcard size is 4” x 6” but there are other sizes available, especially if you want to have custom postcards made:
- 3” x 4”
- 4.25” x 6”
- 5” x 7”
- 6” x 9”
- 8.5” x 5.5”
- “9” x 11”
- 9” x 12”
You can always go for the most popular sizes – but remember that the bigger the size, the more interested a customer will be with the marketing message that you wish to send out.
Postcard printing can be done using a typical desktop printer. However, when it comes to the quality of print, offset printers are the better choice. They have six to ten times better quality print-wise; and you can have hundreds or even thousands of postcards made within a short span of time. The reason for this is that offset printing uses state-of-the-art printing presses with high-end technology. The result is more vivid colors and more professional-looking results.
Depending on the design when you print postcards, you can take your pick from high gloss or a matte finish. As the name implies, high gloss finish results to a shiny surface while a matte finish is just clear and shine-free. You also have the option to go for a dry surface finish. To see the difference between the two, ask the printing company for samples of postcards with a high gloss or dry surface finish. Based on the colors used for your postcard design, you can decide which option works best.
Similar to business cards, postcards should have a solid, thick feel to the hand. Postcards online printing companies usually offer a thick, 16-pt. card stock as the best option. There are thicker and thinner variants available, but this one usually works best for most postcard sizes.
Next, consider the quantity and cost. How many postcards do you initially need? Let’s say that you are sending out holiday greetings to 100 customers. You can order 100 cheap postcards and have them mailed out to all 100 addresses. Not only will you be able to attain customer loyalty, but you will also experience a boost in sales because of your print marketing efforts.
Most printing companies can offer a 24-hour turnaround time. Although you shouldn’t really rush the process of having postcards made for your customers, the good news is that rush printing services are available if you need them. The typical turnaround time is 2 to three business days but if you have plenty of time to spare, you can go for regular printing rates that will deliver the postcards that you need within seven to ten business days.
Check the costs, turnaround time, and quality of the online printing services available, then take your pick from there. Also, look into the reputation of the printing company – some have a purely online ordering process while for others, you need to pay their office a visit so that you can see what the actual products look like.
How about Postcards Distribution?
As mentioned earlier, there are postcards online companies that offer EDDM services. This method makes it easier for you to purchase a postcard size that the USPS accepts for EDDM mailing. The postcards will be sent to specific addresses, which gives your mail marketing efforts a further boost.
Aside from EDDM, you can also print postcards and mail them out yourself. If you have a brick and mortar store, you can distribute postcards on the streets where there is heavy foot traffic. You can bring them with you on tradeshows and similar events. You can have a stack of postcards ready for anyone to grab in your office reception area. Postcards can also be inserted in other mailers, delivery receipts, gifts for suppliers, business partners, etc.
Designing Postcards
Whether you’re printing a 3” x 4” or a 9” x 12” postcard, you need to make sure that the design and content of the printed promotional material will effectively get your message across. When it comes to creating the content and designing the overall look of the postcard, here are a few tips to remember:
- Use simple, friendly language.
When you’re receiving a postcard from a friend who is traveling from Europe, for example, the message is usually kept short and light-hearted, but still personal. For postcard printing, even if you are using it for marketing purposes, you can use the same writing style. This is especially true when you’re using the postcard as a holiday or birthday greeting. Your goal is to build customer loyalty and make your brand name imprinted in the minds of your customers. By greeting your customers as you would a friend, you can effectively get your message across.
- Keep your message short but sweet.
Postcards online marketing should be designed in such a way that the message is short but sweet. Again, try to use friendly language – but you can ditch the hard sell manner of writing. Avoiding the hard sell method is a good method of getting away from customers who will immediately put your postcards in the trash. The shorter the message is, the easier it is for the customer to read.
Since postcards have very limited space, you have a very small number of characters to use so that your message will come across. Do you want them to visit your website after reading the message on your postcard? Do you want them to give you a call about the real estate services that you are offering? Would you want them to give your clinic a call since you’re sending the postcard as an appointment reminder? Or are you simply sending a holiday greeting? Immediately reveal what it is that you want to say, so be direct when writing your postcard message.
A Final Word about Postcard Printing
If you are sending out the postcards yourself, you have the option to use bulk mail or first class mail. The latter option may be a bit more expensive, but it delivers better marketing results. When mailing the results of your postcard printing efforts, you can also time it in such a way that the cards will be sent on a weekday instead of a Monday. The first day of the week is always the busiest, so there’s a huge chance that the recipient of the postcard will not have plenty of time to look at, much less read, the message that’s in your mailer.
Although you should make sure that the look and feel of your postcards online is consistent with your image and brand, it usually doesn’t make sense to hire a professional to do it for you. There are printing companies that offer downloadable postcard templates – use them for your utmost convenience. As long as the postcard is simply designed, easy to read, and pleasant enough to look at – you can keep the overall look simple.
Perhaps the most important thing that you need to remember when it comes to postcard marketing is that consistency is key. This type of print marketing campaign should not be a one-off deal. Do mail out postcards often enough that customers feel appreciated and valued by your business, but not so often that it feels like spam in the mail.
If your business has a more targeted market, do send out postcards to interested parties who you can possibly turn into repeat customers. Otherwise, your postcard marketing efforts will be for naught. You should also take a look at the costs incurred from your postcard marketing campaign. Based on the number of mailings that you send out, what’s the percentage of the interested party? How much of the mailers can you turn into sales leads, inquiries or actual sales?
Finally, be patient with the results. If you send out postcards to customers four times a year, you may not immediately see a rise in sales or profit. But if you keep on going at it, you are bound to experience a growth in your overall business. Combining your postcard marketing efforts with other printed promotional materials and a solid digital promotional campaign is what it takes to advertise your business the right way. In the end, postcard marketing may be a small part of your overall advertising campaign, but it’s nonetheless important – so make sure to exert as much effort as you can into it.
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