Postcard Marketing for Small Businesses

November 15, 2007

Still trying to advertise your business on a shoe string budget?  Here is an effective and easy marketing campaign you can implement for little money- and it has the potential for very big results.

If you try this around the holidays, you may experience a higher rate of response but it may depend upon your specific business and the products or services that you offer.  What you want to do is find an inexpensive service that will let you create postcards.  I like Vistaprint.com because you have full control over the creation of your post cards, can use several fonts and add clip art and other graphics for reasonable prices.  If you want, you can upload your logo and fully customize everything.  Vista Print also offers business cards, stationary, t shirts, you name it- they’ve probably got it.

Create your post cards.  You could wish the recipient a happy and healthy holiday season, and include a special discount code that customers can redeem if they mention the post card when they call your business.  You could also send out thank you notes in the form of post cards, to all of your existing customers.  Include a special offer for something free or discounted, and include a phone number for your post card recipients to call in and redeem for their offer.  The idea is you keep your business on their minds, and you might generate some new business from the inexpensive post card mailing.

Whatever you decide to advertise on your postcards, the most important thing to include is a toll free number that your customers or prospective customers can then use to call you back.  The toll free number almost screams “professionalism!” and people will automatically associate your business with high quality.  The toll free number will speak louder than the words of advertisement you include on the postcard.

If you don’t already have a toll free number, you can get one in just a few minutes at get800today.com and for as little as $25.  The service is pre-paid, so you don’t have to be concerned with any surprise bills.  You can also set up a toll free number that is specific to your postcard advertising campaign, so that you can measure the effectiveness of the postcards.  How many calls did you get on the campaign?  Was it worth the money it cost to create and mail the postcards?  This information is important to understanding which advertising campaigns you want to repeat again in the future and which ones you need to avoid.

Posted in Starting a Small Business