Print Postcards to Complete Your Print Marketing Campaign

If you’re in the food business or if you are selling a line of products for babies, for example, you need to invest in marketing schemes like postcard printing. Naturally, nobody would know about your brand at first except for the direct employees. Over time, awareness about your business should build – and this cannot happen if you will not launch any kind of advertising campaign. Fortunately, you can combine digital with print marketing to spread the word about your brand. 

For digital marketing, you need to establish an online presence. Create an official Facebook page and do the same thing for other social media accounts like Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and other sites. Of course, you need to have an official website and email address where customers can get in touch with you. Your digital marketing scheme would target the young people who are always online. 

For print marketing, you need to look for an online printing services provider. This targets the older generation who are not always online. Surprisingly, there are still young customers who appreciate being sent tangible instead of digital marketing materials. This actually broadens the reach of print advertising, making it effective up to this day. 

When you print postcards, here are a few things to remember: 

  • Work with a trusted print shop. Check on the online feedback about the quality of customer service that they provide. Determine if they use a digital or offset printing process – some offer both and use the appropriate method based on the volume of postcards that you will order. Also check on the quality of materials that they use. 
  • Know how to distribute your postcards effectively. You can go with the direct mail option where you have to put together your own mailing list. Or, ask if the print shop offers EDDM or Every Door Direct Mail postcards. Here, they will partner with the USPS to every door in a zip code, mailing route, or demographic that you will specify. 
  • When designing the postcards, always include a call-to-action. This will guide the recipient of the card on what to do next. Would you like them to sign up for a mailing list, visit your website, or buy something from your store using the promotional code that’s included in the card?

Familiarizing yourself with the benefits and must-dos when it comes to postcard printing will help you get maximum results for your print ad campaign. 

Postcard Printing and Distribution Facts

If you think that print marketing is an old school way of advertising a brand that nobody uses anymore, think again. More and more businesses are going back to techniques like postcard printing with direct mail to reach out to their customers. Why? Because direct mail marketing campaigns deliver better results than email, SMS, or other digital advertising techniques. Here, we will take a look at why you should consider going back to print marketing. 

Quick Facts about Postcard Printing & Distribution

These are the reasons why it pays to go back to old school marketing techniques such as direct mailing postcards: 

  • Postcards are effective advertising tools. 

If you are a customer and you regularly receive promotional postcards from Business ABC, wouldn’t the brand name stick to your mind? This is especially true if Business ABC sends you holiday or birthday postcards with promotional codes for discounts on their products and services. This is a prime example of the effectiveness of postcard printing. With limited space, you can enhance your brand and get instant response, while establishing customer loyalty all at the same time.

  • Postcards are cheap to print. 

If you’d like to print postcards, you need to look for a shop that offers either digital or offset printing services. For professional-looking prints, go with offset printing. Cost-wise, you can order more pieces in order to enjoy a lower per-unit price.

  • Postcards are easy to distribute.

When you get in touch with a print shop, you can ask about their postcards printing packages. The available options are: print only, direct mail, and EDDM postcards. For the direct mail option, you would have to use your own mailing list. With EDDM or Every Door Direct Mail, the print shop partners with USPS to deliver your postcards directly to every door in a specific zip code or mailing route. You can even narrow down the mailing list based on your desired demographic such as age group, income bracket, or household size. Aside from mailing postcards, you can include one in every delivery package, customer purchase, and transaction receipts. 

Based from these facts, it is easy to see how postcards are a must if you would like to get great response from your customers for your print marketing efforts.

How to Combine Postcard Printing with Digital Marketing

People usually receive postcards from their loved ones who are on holiday, or during special occasions. This may be an old-fashioned way of sending greetings or any other message, but there is such a novelty in receiving something tangible because of the presence of digital options. Let’s say that you are a business owner and you want to send holiday greetings to your customers. With postcard printing, you can make your customers feel special – especially if you will include a promotional code that they can use for discounts when purchasing something from your store or when booking your services. 

Digital Plus Print is The Way To Go!

No matter what product or service it is that you are offering, you need to make people aware that your brand actually exists. This is where marketing efforts come into place. For digital marketing, you do need to have that online presence because that’s where the young audience is. If you don’t have a website, a Twitter handle, a Facebook page, or an Instagram account, you might as well not exist for the young people. This is where they get information and feedback about brands that they haven’t heard of before. As such, you need to establish an online presence first. 

However, there are members of the older generations who have not yet caught up with technology. This is the part of the market that you can reach through print advertising. If you will contact an online printing company to order 500 postcards, for example, you can mail these out to all the addresses within the vicinity of your business. With the help of the online printing services provider, you can launch a worthy print advertising campaign to complement your digital marketing efforts. 

By combining digital with print marketing, you can reach out to as many people as possible, based on how they consume their information. 

Postcard Printing with Direct Mail Marketing: What You Need to Know

If you decided to include postcard printing in your list of print marketing materials, you are on the right track. Similar to business cards, flyers, brochures, letterheads, and other print ad materials, postcards serve as a medium for you to communicate with your target audience. As a business owner, your goal is to inform customers about the background of your company, the products or services that you offer, or if there are any upcoming promos or events that they might be interested in. When you print postcards, you can include any marketing message that you want and the recipient could respond accordingly. It’s an effective advertising medium that is also cheap to produce. 

Direct Mailing Postcards 

The first thing to do if you want to include postcards in your print advertising campaign is to look for an online printing services provider. There are two options to choose from: digital and offset. Digital print shops use desktop printers while offset printing involves huge printing presses using state-of-the-art printing technology. The latter may be a bit more expensive but once the initial setup is done, the per piece cost actually gets lower. This means that the more postcards you order, the lower the price becomes. Another advantage of offset printing is that it can handle bulk printing jobs, and the print quality is excellent. 

After printing the postcards, what comes next? You need to distribute the cards because they actually belong to the hands of your prospective and existing customers. An easy way to distribute postcards is to include them in deliveries, supplier receipts, or gift packages for business contacts. You can also personally hand them out on the streets in areas where there is high foot traffic. But the main purpose of printing postcards is to include them in mailers. For this, you have the option to do a direct mail campaign. If you have a mailing list that you put together yourself, you can have the print company mail out the postcards for you. You can also purchase a mailing list so you don’t have to go through the tedious process of collecting names and addresses. 

Despite the prevalence of online campaigns, there is still a huge chunk of the market that can only be reached via direct mail. By direct mailing postcards, you can target this specific market, enhance your brand, and increase the sales of your products or services. 

Postcard Printing Options: Print Only, Direct Mail, or EDDM

One of the cheapest yet most effective ways to enhance your brand and establish customer loyalty is through postcard printing. By regularly mailing out postcards, your brand name will be familiar to your customers. If you will send out holiday and birthday greeting postcards with promotional gifts inside, you can earn their loyalty to your brand. You can even gain new customers by sending out postcards to every door within a specific zip code, for example. Since postcards are available in different sizes, you can choose which one will best contain your marketing message. Here, we will focus on the distribution part of postcards. Read on to find out how you can get your marketing postcards in the hands of your prospective and existing customers. 

Postcard Printing Options

Before even thinking about distribution, you need to come up with the postcard design first. Are you using it to introduce your brand to a new age bracket? Or do you want people within the vicinity of your restaurant to come to your soft launch? Depending on your main goal, you can craft the postcard content. The space is limited so keep the message short but impactful. If you must include images, make sure that they are printed in high definition to impress the recipient. Also, look for a good print shop so that the postcards can be made using high-quality materials and a reliable printing process. 

Now, when looking for a package from print shops, here are your options: 

  • Print Only

As the name implies, you can ask the print shop to simply print postcards for you. Once the cards are printed out, it is entirely up to you to distribute them. 

  • Direct Mail

If you have a mailing list, you can choose a printing package with direct mail. After printing the stack of postcards, the print shop can mail them out for you based on your list of names and addresses.

  • Every Door Direct Mail 

Perhaps the most hassle-free option among the three is EDDM or Every Door Direct Mai. The print shop will print the EDDM postcard, bundle them, take care of the USPS requirements, and deliver the cards to your local post office for individual mailbox distribution. 

No matter which among these three options you select, what’s important is to include a call-to-action in your postcard copy – then distribute them accordingly. This way, your marketing message will reach your customers and you will get the response that you want. 

Done with EDDM Postcard Printing? What’s Next?

You may already have a print advertising campaign in place if you are thinking about EDDM postcard printing. If not, then it’s high time to include EDDM postcards in your list of print ad materials because it is cheap, hassle-free, and effective. First, what is an EDDM postcard? It stands for Every Door Direct Mail where the online printing company will charge you just a few cents per postcard for the postage. You only have to select where to send the postcards to, and they along with the USPS will take care of the rest of the process for you. 

Key Tips for Distributing EDDM Postcards 

When having EDDM postcards printed, make sure that the printing process has a high-quality output. This is especially true if you plan to include images in your postcards. The pictures should be professionally shot and printed in full color HD. Your goal is to impress your customers so anything other than excellent printing results would be a disappointment. They would equate the quality of your postcards with the quality of products or services that you are offering. Next, choose an EDDM eligible size for the postcards. You should also decide whether to print on one or two sides; and if you want a matte or a glossy finish. 

Once you’re done with EDDM postcard printing, what’s next? Distribution is the keyword here. You can choose to mail the EDDM postcards to a specific zip code so one postcard will be sent to every household in your chosen route. You want to be as specific as possible in selecting the route because you want to have good marketing results. 

Let’s say that you are launching a line of women’s products. You want to mail out promotional postcards to households with this demographic. You can select by zip code, individual mail carrier route, age bracket, income bracket, or household size. Aside from paying for postcard printing package, you only need to pay a few cents additional for the EDDM postage. The print shop will bundle the postcards for you, fulfil the other USPS requirements, and bring the cards to the local post office for mailbox distribution. 

Effective distribution is key if you want your print advertising efforts to be a success using EDDM mailing. 

Enjoy the Marketing Benefits of 5 x 7 Postcard Printing

Are you planning to look for a 5 x 7 postcard printing package to promote your business? If yes, then you’re in for a treat because there are many postcard printing companies who are already experts in the task. You just need to look for one with great customer feedback, good prices, and state-of-the-art printing presses or digital printers. By doing so, you can order postcards that will truly impress your customers.

Benefits of Postcard Printing

Let’s say that you already have a printing partner to produce the business postcards for you. The next thing to do is to be aware of why you are printing postcards in the first place. Postcards marketing is a typical part of any print advertising campaign. The postcards are mailed through direct or every door direct mailing options. Once the postcards are mailed out, they will be read by the recipient. Depending on how effective your marketing message is, you are bound to receive a response from them in the form of repeat orders or inquiries about the products or services that you offer. 

Here’s more about the benefits that you can enjoy as a business through postcards marketing:

  • Brand awareness

When designing a postcard, its look and feel should be similar to how your logo is designed. This way, your business logo will be instantly recognizable – something that helps establish brand awareness. 

  • Promoting your products or services

Postcards are a great tool for marketing your products or services. Since they have more space than business cards, for example, you can talk about your offer a bit more. When using postcards for this purpose, make sure to include a benefit to the customer as well. This can be in terms of promos or discounts that they can use when buying from you. 

  • Reaching out to a new audience

If you already have a set of loyal customers, postcards can be used to entice new customers to try out your products or services. Again, mail out postcards with discount or promo codes to give your customers benefits. 

  • Retaining the loyalty of existing customers

Finally, consistency is key when it comes to postcard marketing. Always follow up your initial postcard mailers with holiday greetings, birthday greetings, and mailers about seasonal promos. With all these benefits and more, there’s no reason why you should say no to using postcards to spread the word about your brand.

5 x 7 Postcard Printing: Paper & Print Options

If you are thinking about 5 x 7 postcard printing for your business, you are already on the right track. Postcard printing in general is a great way to advertise your business. If you are working with the right printing company, you can print a set of postcards and they will take care of direct mailing or EDDM (Every Door Direct Mailing) for you. With direct mailing, you should have a list of customer names and addresses to send the postcards to. With EDDM, the printing company will work with the USPS to mail out your postcards to every door in a specific zip code or mailing route. EDDM is easier than direct mailing because you don’t have to put together your own mailing list. Aside from zip codes or mailing routes, you can also narrow down the mailing list to a certain demographic such as age bracket, household income bracket, etc. 

Naturally, the first thing to do is look for a suitable online printing company that will take care of the printing and mailing of the postcards for you. Remember that when it comes to printed marketing materials likes postcards or business cards, paying close attention to detail is important. Just imagine how much money you will waste if you will print 500 postcards haphazardly, only to realize that the logo is printed incorrectly or your address is spelled incorrectly. To avoid such costly mistakes, make sure that the printing company has the length of experience in the industry. They would know how to proofread the data first, and ensure that there are no mistakes on the proof before the actual printing. 

Another thing to consider when having postcards made is the paper and printing options available. There are plenty of postcard sizes to choose from, ranging from 2.5” x 2.5” to 5” x 7”, to as big as 9”x 12”. You can either print on just one side of the card, or use both sides if you have longer copy or if you want to include a promotional offer. Also check on the thickness and paper finish. 

More importantly, the quality of print itself should be excellent. Offset printing is usually the better choice than digital, especially if you need a large volume of cards made. All in all, a full color, HD postcard which is printed on thick paper with a nice glossy finish is an excellent addition to any set of printed marketing materials. 

Need a 5 x 7 Postcard Printing Package? Here’s How to Choose the Right Printing Partner

Are you wondering if you should look for a 5 x 7 postcard printing package and use the cards to market your business? Why should you have a print marketing campaign in the first place? Despite the digital craze that everyone seems to be jumping in these days, there is just something about printed marketing materials that provides such a novel experience to customers. Once they receive something tangible in the mail such as brightly-printed postcards, it will immediately catch their attention. Your brand name will be imprinted on their minds, and they will most likely try the products or services that you offer. 

The good news is that there are many postcard printing shops or companies from where you can order any postcard size. Here are a few tips on how to choose the right printing partner:

  • Check on their length of years in the business. 

Many companies specialize in printing postcards but if you want to go with a reliable shop, look for their length of experience in the field. Those who have been in the printing business long enough are reliable, they have both digital and offset printing equipment, and expertise in the printing process.

  • Determine the printing process used. 

Digital and offset are the available printing options so which one should you choose? It depends on the quality of print that you expect and the volume of postcards that you need printed out. For small printing jobs, shops using desktop printers will be able to deliver. But if you want high quality prints and you need a lot of copies printed out, offset printing is the better choice. 

  • Ask about the materials available. 

There are almost two dozen postcard sizes available, which can be printed on just one side or both sides. For the paper finish, choose between ultra-smooth matte and ultra-smooth gloss. The popular paper thickness are 16-pt. and 17-pt. 

  • How about the turnaround time? 

For an additional fee, you can have your order delivered in 24 hours. But if you’re in no rush, there is no need to pay extra. The typical turnaround time for offset printing is 2 to 3 business days. 

Choosing the right printing partner is important if you want your postcards to be attention grabbing and give a great first impression to your customers.

5 x 7 Postcard Printing & Designing Tips

A mid-sized postcard that you can use for marketing is 5 x 7 postcards. There are smaller and bigger sizes but this one has just the right size for you to deliver your marketing message. Here, we will take a look at why it pays to use custom postcards in marketing, and why size matters when it comes to this type of printed advertising material. 

Postcard Design and Printing Tips

There are almost two dozen postcard sizes that you can choose from and 5” x 7” is a mid-range size. It gives you the perfect paper area to say what you want to your customers. It’s also cost-effective, making it the perfect size to use in any print marketing campaign. So, if you would like to include postcard printing in your advertising arsenal, here are a few printing and designing tips to remember: 

  • Use the same colors as your business logo.

Consistency is important in branding and if you want to have a cohesive look in all your printed advertising materials, use the same colors as your business logo. If the same color palette is used to design your business cards, postcards, envelopes, notepads, brochures, and flyers, customers will immediately associate those colors with your business logo and your brand name.

  • Use sharp images. 

Whether you’re selling food or retail products, make sure to use sharp images. Invest in professional photography so that you can have the best results possible. Customers will have a not-so-good impression of your brand if your postcards have poorly lit images with pale colors. 

  • Use two-sided printing.

While you’re at it, take full advantage of the front and back sides of the postcard. On the front page, you can include all the important information about your business. On the back page, you can probably include a marketing tagline or two – then a promo code if you want the postcard to double as a discount card. 

  • Choose the right material, size, and printing process.

Finally, choose the right paper type and thickness. Size-wise, there are more than twenty available – the smallest being 2.5” x 2.5” and the largest measuring 9” x 12”. When it comes to the printing process, digital or offset are your two options. 

Keep in mind these postcard design and printing tips to make the most out of this type of advertising material.