Copywriting Tips for Postcard Marketing Success

by Brandon Cornett

Everything I'm about to say assumes that you already have a product or service worth selling. If you feel that you do, and you're researching direct mail postcards as a promotional channel for that product or service, then these copywriting tips are for you!

Many first-time postcard marketers make the mistake of starting with the copywriting process before anything else. "What should I write on this postcard?" they will ask. "What should my headline say? What points do I need to make within the body?"

Here's a copywriting tip that will make the process easier for you, while also making the direct mail piece more effective in the end. Start with the response you are trying to evoke, and then work backward from there. Before you write a single word of your postcard message, you should clearly identify what it is you want people to do when they receive it.

Copywriting Tip - Don't Overburden Your Postcards

Here's the key to this process. The desired response for your direct mail campaign must be something that a postcard is able to deliver. Think about the space and time constraints here. You don't have a lot of space for your marketing message, and you don't have a lot of time to convince the reader. They'll give you a quick glance at first, and if you don't grab them based on that glance you're done. So keep your response simple.

For example, let's say I am sending some postcards to business people in a certain industry to tell them about my new software program. My product is designed to make their life easier by streamlining some of the daily tasks they go through. But how much of this do I write into my direct mail message? Well, that depends on the desired response I am seeking from readers.

Copywriting Tip - Work Backward from the Response

In this scenario, I need to start with the objective of my marketing campaign. There is not enough space on a postcard for me to explain all the details of my software program. Nor will most people give it that much time at first glance. So I come up with a simpler response -- all I want people to do is download a free-trial version of my product. Now that's something my direct mail piece can accomplish, and it will make my coypwriting process a lot easier as well.

So from here, I simply work backward. I need a good landing page on my website that I can tie into the postcard campaign. I need to set up the free trial process and make sure everything is working. I need to ensure that names and email addresses are being captured for follow-up purposes.

The Message Writes Itself

Already, we can see how much easier the copywriting process is going to be. I have removed a big burden from my shoulders by determining a realistic response, something that is easy and risk-free for the respondents. I no longer have to tell them everything that makes my program great -- I only have to tell them enough to draw their initial interest, and to motivate them toward the free trial.

At this point, the message practically writes itself. And it's all because I started with a realistic objective and worked backward from there.

Good luck and good marketing!

-Brandon

Direct Mailing Service in the Spotlight

As a former employee of a direct mailing service, and as somebody who still uses these services to this day, I've tried quite a few direct mailing companies over the years. I would say a half-dozen or so.

Once in a while, I'll come across a company who is doing something unique or special in some way. Typically, this means simplifying the direct mailing process.

Because let's face it. At the end of the day, all of these services can get your postcards into the mailboxes of your audience. But where they really differ is in the convenience and simplicity department.

This is especially true with the new breed of web-based direct mailing services. Some are hard to use, while others are a breeze. It's a combination of website usability, offering useful web-based tools, and still having an effective direct mailing system that gets the job done.

Overnight Prints has been done a lot to make their web-based direct mail service easy to use. That's why I'm happy to recommend them for your further research and consideration.

Check them out today:


Good luck and good marketing!

-Brandon

Business Postcard Marketing - What Makes You Different?

Before you order a bunch of business postcards for marketing purposes ... before you start laboring over the postcard design or headline ... before you start segmenting your list in preparation for a mailing ... you need to ask yourself an important question:

What makes you so different?

To be more specific, what makes your products and/or services different? Better? Easier? These are crucial questions for anyone involved in business postcard marketing today, and for somewhat obvious reasons. It's harder to get people's attention these days, because we are all so flooded by information and marketing messages.

I stress this because all too often a business will use marketing postcards before they are ready to use them. Instead of spending the time needed to create a strong offer around a unique product, they will rush their message to the market. They will design a postcard and send it out with a message that basically says, "Hi there ... we exist."

If somebody pulls your marketing postcard out of the mailbox, reads it, but doesn't immediately see what's new and exciting about your offer ... then your postcards have already failed. And by then, you've wasted a lot of time, money and effort on your business postcard marketing campaign.

Now for the good news. All of this is easy to avoid. To succeed with business postcard marketing you simply need something worth talking about. In truth, the direct mail side of things is the easy part. Developing a product or service worth marketing is the harder part. Once you have something truly special, the postcard copy will be easy to write.

Good luck and good marketing!

-Brandon

Prospecting Postcards Explained

How can postcards be used for prospecting purposes? This is a common question among marketers looking for another way to reach their prospective customers.

To answer this question, we first have to answer another question: What is prospecting in the first place?

Prospecting is a form of marketing. In fact, the two terms are nearly synonymous. When you send out a marketing message in hopes of reaching a prospective customer (and getting that person to respond in some way), you are prospecting.

So it can be defined as a marketing technique used to reach prospective customers, in the hopes of turning them into actual customers.

And here's where direct mail postcards come into the picture.

Postcards are perfectly suited for this role. You can create a highly targeted mailing list made up of your ideal audience -- the people most likely to purchase your products or services. Then you can send prospecting postcards to this list with a strong offer and call-to-action, in order to motivate these prospects toward the action you want them to take.

The Primary Ingredients of a Prospecting Postcard

So what do you need to pull this off? Well, first you need a product or service that's worth promoting. I know that seems like a no-brainer, but I always like to start with that point. A truly remarkable product or service will make your postcard marketing efforts a whole let easier.

You'll also need a good mailing list made up of the people who are most inclined to need / want what you're offering. This mailing list should be highly targeted to a specific group. That way, your prospecting postcards can speak specifically to those folks, with a message and offer tailored just for them.

You'll also need a good postcard design and strong copy geared toward your prospects.

And, of course, you'll need to work with a postcard printing service who can take the logistical hassle off your hands. You'll have to handle the marketing strategy yourself (or outsource it to a direct marketing firm), but the printing company can handle the production and distribution of the prospecting postcards for you. One less thing to worry about!

Good luck and good marketing!

-Brandon