How to Create a Successful Postcard in 5 Steps

PRP Admin — Tue, 10 May 2022 10:09:44 +0000

Direct mail marketing is a proven way to successfully reach your target audience. In fact, 98% of consumers bring in their mail the day it is delivered and 77% sort through it immediately while spending around 30 minutes reading mail on any given occasion. In comparison, the average open rate of email campaigns is only 23.6%.

It’s obvious that direct mail is a marketing tool that should be utilized, but how do you make sure your campaign is designed to maximize return? Follow our simple steps below to ensure your marketing piece succeeds!

1. Understand the postal requirements

In order for your postcard to get to your audience, you must meet the USPS postal requirements, some basics to know are as follows:

- At least 3 1/2”- 4 1/4″ high X 5”- 6″ long X 0.007”-0.016″ thick
- Have finished corners that do not exceed a radius of 0.125”
- Have adequate space for address, return address and indicia/stamp

For additional guidelines, the USPS has outlined them here.

2. have a clear call-to-action

What is the goal of your postcard? Visit your website? Use a discount code? Call your business? You need your call to action clear and easy to follow through with. Some examples of call-to-action are:

Call XXX-XXX-XXXX to schedule your first appointment
Scan the code to redeem your discount
Reserve your spot before July 12th
Download the app to start your free trial

3. relevant imagery

The images you use on your postcard need to be eye-catching and relevant. If you’re advertising a product, you should show it, if you want someone to visit your restaurant have a picture of people enjoying themselves at your restaurant.

Your image choice need to support your call-to-action while be visually appealing and relevant to your audience.

4. track your performance

Tracking the performance of your postcard is crucial in gauging your success and creating future campaigns! Using tracking information, you can tailor your next campaigns using the factors that worked and experiment with other elements to test what is more successful. There are several ways you can track your campaign:

- Tracked phone number
- QR code
- Unique short URLs
- A specific promotion code

4. personalize

When people see a postcard with personalization, they are more likely to pay attention and follow through with your call-to-action. Personalization can be achieved through detailed databases and variable data printing (VDP). To learn more about VDP and customized mailing checkout this blog post. Some ways to include personalization include:

- Inclusion of a first/last name
- Differing offers
- Differing images/designs
- Different tracking links

Need additional guidance or want to use our design or mail team? Contact us here.