easy postcard marketing

Designing postcards for advertising is a serious task. Yes, it is fun and exciting but let’s not forget that the success of your postcard marketing campaign will largely rely on how well your postcards are presented. Poorly designed postcards will surely be neglected. On the contrary, a postcard with an attractive and catchy design is sure to win the recipient’s heart. In this article, let’s talk about some important aspects in designing and printing your postcards.

Designing Your Own Postcards

A lot of home based business entrepreneurs choose to take over the designing of their postcards. This is understandable as many of these home business owners are also artists in their own rights. Theses shop owners often sell products that they designed and created themselves. Thus, for many of these sellers designing postcards for advertising should be an easy and enjoyable task.

The most important thing to remember about designing postcards for advertising is to create a catchy message and match it with an equally captivating photo or image. By combining these two elements, you should be able to come up with a postcard that will get attention.

Another factor to keep in mind is to focus on just one message. Postcards have a limited space and you’ll want to make sure that there’ll be enough white spaces left on your card. Overcrowding a piece of card with too many texts or photos is surely not the best way to go. You’ll want your recipient to be able to read your message easily and grasp what you’re trying to say.

Don’t forget that your main purpose is to encourage the recipient to take a positive step after receiving your card. The best way to achieve this goal is to focus on one message at a time. If you want to invite a recipient to visit your online shop, then focus on that message. If you want a recipient to try your newest product, you’ll have to create a separate postcard for that. Focus is the key and that’s what every marketer should work on.

Printing Your Postcards

Is it okay to print your postcards on your own? If you’re sending a small number of postcards to a bunch of people, doing the printing yourself can save you costs. If you were able to create a great design, then the printing job should be the easiest part.

Don’t forget to purchase your materials in bulk to save money. Shop around first and compare prices before placing your order. Check out office supply stores or craft stores for schedules of sales and take advantage of these events to cut back your expenses.

However, if you plan to launch a postcard marketing campaign on a larger scale, you may want to consider hiring the services of a professional printing company. A lot of printing services offer package deals that include both the printing and mailing of the postcards. By availing combined services, you should be able to save more from the printing and mailing costs.


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Larissa Schenck has been promoted to Vice President of Sales & Marketing for BCT. Larissa will continue to oversee BCT's National Account Sales effort and additionally will be responsible for Marketing Strategy, Brand Positioning and Advertising Communications for BCT.
Fort Lauderdale, Florida (PRWEB) June 16, 2009 -- Larissa Schenck has been promoted to Vice President of Sales & Marketing for BCT. Larissa will continue to oversee BCT's National Account Sales effort and additionally will be responsible for Marketing Strategy, Brand Positioning and Advertising Communications for BCT.

Peter Posk, President, stated "Larissa has done an outstanding job overseeing our National Account effort over the past several years. Most recently she led our entire rebranding effort, which has been received exceedingly well. She has a great strategic mind, and is also a solid tactical planner."

"With orderprinting.com for corporate identity ordering, our retail online catalog for online print design and our state of the art preflighting solution, PerfectSend, BCT has the most widely used online print ordering solutions in the industry. Additionally we integrate with many other 3rd party online solutions, such as ARIBA, Oracle, Quantum and Four51," she said.

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Marketing with Postcards

Business Post Card

Even internet marketers find the usefulness of promoting the business offline through postcard marketing. Why? Because not everyone has the time to surf the web and not everyone is aware that your business exists online. That is why, promoting with postcards is also valuable even for online business owners. Postcards help them generate more traffic to their business website.

If you have a business, have tried marketing with postcards? If not, let’s talk about some suggestions you can do to make your postcard marketing a success. If you’re already marketing with postcards, make sure that you do not forget the following tips:

Use the right mailing list.

Sending your postcards to the appropriate market will surely generate positive response. If people are genuinely interested in the products or services you offer, they will surely take the time to read your postcard and check out your website. On the contrary, inviting people to check out your site will be a waste of time if they don’t have any interest in what you offer.

Where can you find the right mailing list? One way to collect mailing address is to get recommendations from your existing clients. Ask them if they have friends or relatives that they know would also be interested in your products or services. If you only get a small number of referrals, you can also buy a mailing list from a reputable mailing list broker.

Focus on your goal.

As an online business, the goal for sending postcards is to invite more people to visit your website. Therefore, don’t try to sell your products or services in your postcards. Postcards can only contain short, concise messages. In this case, use the postcards to encourage recipients to check out your business online.

Compose an effective message.

In connection with focusing on your goal, compose a message that will reach out to your reader’s interest. Why should they check out your website? What will they get out of it? One great way to encourage people is to offer a bonus, a discount or a freebie for the first visitors of your site. People love to receive gifts so they will more likely take the time to visit the site.

Personalize your message.

A personal message generates more response from customers rather than a strictly promotional message. Don’t make your postcard look like an ordinary print ad. Instead, try to appeal to your reader’s hearts and make them feel special.

Use a captivating image.
A heart-warming photograph or a funny picture will say more than what words can. Take the time to choose an image that will perfectly illustrate what you want to say or what you want the reader to feel. Beautifully-designed postcards are kept for a long time and achieve more response.

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Post Card Marketing

Microsoft Advertising Intelligence Comes Out of Beta

Today Microsoft announced the release of Microsoft Advertising Intelligence out of beta. Previously called adCenter Add-in, the product is a keyword research and optimization tool that operates with Excel 2007. Here are some screenshots:




Microsoft's Carolyn Miller says the tool helps users maximize marketing ROI for their keyword campaigns with:

- Keyword expansion
- Research
- Pricing
- KPI data

There are some learning resources available for the tool, such as the Microsoft Advertising Intelligence Forum, and a set of videos here, which provide an overview, and looks at features like:

- Keyword Wizard
- Keyword Suggestion
- Monetization
- Traffic by Month
- Content KPIs

For those who wish to learn all they can about the use of this tool, Microsoft will be featuring a series of how-to posts at the adCenter Blog over the coming weeks. The tool is currently available in the US, the UK, France, and Canada only. It is available for download here.

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One important aspect of being successful in postcard marketing is using the right mailing list. What sets postcard marketing apart from other advertising methods is that the promotion is directly sent to the intended recipients. Thus, a business gets to choose who to market its products or services to so that the message will be directly delivered to the target market.

Where can you find the right mailing list?

There are different sources of mailing lists which you can turn to. However, not all mailing list companies offer the same price for a database. In addition, not all mailing list brokers distribute the right names and addresses. Some mailing list brokers may include some false addresses or non-existent names on the list just to complete a database. Thus, it is very important to ensure the reputation and background of your mailing list source before buying a mailing list.

There are mailing list companies that provide not just the name and address of possible prospects. Along with the addresses, there are databases that include other details about the list such as the income level, age, gender, occupation, e-mail addresses, etc. A database that contains this additional information will be a tremendous help in creating a profile for your target audience. As expected, this type of mailing list can cost more than a simple name and address list. Nevertheless, if you haven’t exactly defined a target audience, a mailing list with demographic details will be a great help in your postcard marketing campaign.

Choosing a mailing list

Before choosing a mailing list company, make all the necessary inquiries about its services. For instance, ask how often does the company update its list. What are the sources it uses to complete its listing? Make sure that you’ll be getting an updated mailing list to ensure that the names and addresses on the list still exist.

Tell the mailing list company exactly what is your target audience. For example, if you only want women at the age of 30 and above in your list, be sure that the mailing list company will be able to provide it for you. If not, you might be given a mailing list with both men and women with younger people included. Thus, you might be paying for a mailing list without getting much valuable prospects.
Request a database format like Excel or Access which can easily be used to print the names and addresses directly from the database. This will save you time when printing the postcards.

Selecting the right mailing list will determine the response you will get from your postcard marketing campaign. An effective mailing list will help you reach out to the people who are genuinely interested in the products and services you offer. Obviously, if you’ll be marketing your products or services to the people who has the need for them and wants them, you have more chances of acquiring customers and getting the sales you want.

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SOURCE: JamBase

Words by: Cal Roach | Images by: Chad Smith & Norman Sands

Summer Camp :: 05.21.09 - 05.24.09 :: Three Sisters Park :: Chillicothe, IL

Being a Bonnaroo veteran, I couldn't help being a little excited getting to Three Sisters Park last Thursday night for the pre-party and not having to wait for a single car. With our Radio Flyer and lots of duct tape, we pulled everything to the campsite in one trip, although the woodsy spots were mostly already taken. Having to lug everything from car to camp is a blessing and a curse, but there's something to be said for a big open field with no vehicles around, staking out as much space as you want and just relaxing.

The lack of organization lends a pleasant, adventurous vibe, but the pre-party policy ostensibly allowed free admission to the late-night barn sets from Future Rock and Lotus, however, the fact that there were ten times the people as the barn's capacity allowed made the whole thing far from ideal. We stood outside for a few minutes, enviously watching the bumpin' crowd inside, but not many people were leaving the party to allow for more to enter so we skipped it. It was a nice night to just wander around and soak in the beginning of fest season before hitting the sleeping bag.

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One of the first things that should be considered is your target audience.  Where would you send your postcards to?  Defining your target audience is crucial to the result of your postcard marketing campaign.  Just like with any marketing tactic, trying to promote your business to the wrong crowd will most likely be futile and unsuccessful.

Defining Your Target Audience

Who is your target audience?  Of course, they are the people who have genuine interest in your business.  They are the people who have the most potential to buy the products or services you offer.  Trying to sell your business to people who have no need or interest on what you’re selling would be pointless.

How can you define your target audience?  First of all, you need to know the profile of your target audience.  For instance, are they individuals or are they business owners themselves?  Are you trying to sell your products to a retail business or to individual customers?  What is the income level of your target audience?  What are their interests?

Knowing your target audience will help you decide what type of marketing strategy you would need to get results. 

Where can you find a mailing list for your target audience?  One way to obtain a mailing list is to buy from a reputable broker.  If you have a listing of customers in your database, you can use them as well.  You may also ask referrals from your existing customers to widen up your list. 

Appealing to Your Target Audience

Once you’ve defined your target market, you can now focus on creating the right postcards for your audience.  When putting together a postcard design, always focus on your goal.  What would you like your postcards to accomplish?  Do you want people to visit your website, go to your store, or try a new product?  Postcards can only get across one message effectively.  Trying to sell all your products at once would be an ineffective way of using postcards.

Because many businesses use postcard marketing, try to come up with a unique design for your postcards.  Use an image that will best capture the message you want to convey.  But don’t forget to use a text message that clearly emphasizes what you want the recipient to do. 

Make your headline as interesting as you can.  Try to capture your audience’s curiosity and attention right from your headline.  Follow it up with a message that will convince the reader to take action.  Don’t forget to use straight-forward call to action statements instead of using ambiguous lines that can be confusing for a reader.

Lastly, sending a postcard once will not guarantee getting a response from your target audience.  Most successful businesses have found that sending postcards at least twice or three times generate better results in the long run.  Thus, be consistent and do not give up easily just because your postcards didn’t generate sales the first time.

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WASHINGTON (AFP) – President Barack Obama's administration is mulling creation of a federal consumer finance agency to protect the public from predatory mortgage lenders, credit card providers and mutual fund companies, the Washington Post has reported.
Talks have already begun with industry officials, lawmakers and financial experts on such a body, The Post reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.
While plans are in an early stage, the new agency could have broad powers to monitor terms and marketing of loans and financial products to make sure they are in the interest of regular customers, the daily wrote.
The US Senate on Tuesday adopted legislation aimed at protecting consumers from predatory credit card companies.
The Senate text is tougher than a proposal ealier approved in the House of Representatives.

Both versions must be reconciled then sent for the president to sign in order to become law.

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Business Post Card

Post Card Marketing

Marketing with postcards has been a method used by businesses for a long time. Despite the advancement of technology and the introduction of new marketing methods, they has not totally took the place of postcard marketing. The traditional way of sending postcards via post mail is still proven to be effective.
Even internet marketers find the usefulness of promoting the business offline through postcard marketing. Why? Because not everyone has the time to surf the web and not everyone is aware that your business exists online. That is why, promoting with postcards is also valuable even for online business owners. Postcards help them generate more traffic to their business website.
If you have a business, have tried marketing with postcards? If not, let’s talk about some suggestions you can do to make your postcard marketing a success. If you’re already marketing with postcards, make sure that you do not forget the following tips:

Use the right mailing list.

Sending your postcards to the appropriate market will surely generate positive response. If people are genuinely interested in the products or services you offer, they will surely take the time to read your postcard and check out your website. On the contrary, inviting people to check out your site will be a waste of time if they don’t have any interest in what you offer.

Where can you find the right mailing list? One way to collect mailing address is to get recommendations from your existing clients. Ask them if they have friends or relatives that they know would also be interested in your products or services. If you only get a small number of referrals, you can also buy a mailing list from a reputable mailing list broker.

Focus on your goal.

As an online business, the goal for sending postcards is to invite more people to visit your website. Therefore, don’t try to sell your products or services in your postcards. Postcards can only contain short, concise messages. In this case, use the postcards to encourage recipients to check out your business online.

Compose an effective message.

In connection with focusing on your goal, compose a message that will reach out to your reader’s interest. Why should they check out your website? What will they get out of it? One great way to encourage people is to offer a bonus, a discount or a freebie for the first visitors of your site. People love to receive gifts so they will more likely take the time to visit the site.

Personalize your message.

A personal message generates more response from customers rather than a strictly promotional message. Don’t make your postcard look like an ordinary print ad. Instead, try to appeal to your reader’s hearts and make them feel special.

Use a captivating image.
A heart-warming photograph or a funny picture will say more than what words can. Take the time to choose an image that will perfectly illustrate what you want to say or what you want the reader to feel. Beautifully-designed postcards are kept for a long time and achieve more response.

Read More Boost Your Website Traffic With Postcards Advertising
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Advertising Postcards

Business Post Card

Full and Half-Day SES Workshops Provide Training for Search Engine Marketing and Search Engine Optimization Professionals at All Levels

New York, NY (PRWEB) May 12, 2009 -- On June 16, 2009, Search Engine Strategies (SES) in partnership with DM Days will hold a workshop, "SEO Training: Basic to Advanced," at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York, NY. The hands-on training workshops are being led by Matthew Bailey, the president and founder of SiteLogic.

Matt has been training businesses about website marketing since 1997 and his speaking style has been described as conversational and entertaining. Previous seminar attendees have praised his ability to explain high level search marketing concepts in a way that even "non-techies" can understand.

Attendees can choose the full day workshop or participate in one workshop in the morning and one in the afternoon. The fee for the full day is $895, the fee for the half-day basics workshop is $295, and the fee for the half-day advanced workshop is $745. For complete workshop details and registration information, visit http://www.searchenginestrategies.com/training/newyork/

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Post Card Marketing

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Postcard marketing is a direct mail marketing strategy used to promote a company’s products and services. Instead of mailing letters in envelopes, postcards are sent instead. Aside from advertising products, postcards can also be used to announce special events, the opening of a new branch or grand sale events.

If you’re an entrepreneur, have you tried marketing with postcards? If not, it’s certainly worth the try. Below are some tips that you can use to get the most from postcard marketing:

Use quality printing. Poorly designed postcards would not attract attention. On the contrary, postcards with eye-catching designs not only grab attention, recipients often keep them for a longer time. Using highly quality printing services could mean spending a little more but because design plays is an important factor in postcard marketing, it is money well-spent.

Use the right size postcards. The standard postcard size is 4”x6” but you can also use smaller postcards or larger postcards depending on your message and purpose.

Use compelling headlines. Headlines are what recipients would first read when they receive your postcard. Would your headline spark their interest and curiosity? If your headline isn’t appealing enough, your postcard could end up in trash.

Make your message clear. Vague or ambiguous messages are out! Instead, short, clear and concise messages are a must! Tell your recipient exactly why you’re sending them the postcard. Tell your recipient exactly what to do.

Don’t fill up the space. White spaces are also important in marketing postcards. Don’t try to explain everything or do your selling in that little space. Instead, focus on just one thought for every postcard you send.

Don’t forget your contact details. This is a basic rule but some entrepreneurs forget to their contact details. Remember, you want the recipient to be able get in touch with you in the most convenient way for them whether through email, phone, the internet or by dropping by your shop.

Read More How To Design a Powerful Postcard Marketing

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Post Card Marketing

Campaigners against the controversial plans to part-privatise Royal Mail urged the government to review proposals as it was reported that Gordon Brown was preparing a climbdown over the issue.
Just last week there were defeats over the Gurkhas and MPs' expenses and it is now believed the scheme to sell off part of the postal service could be defeated if put to the vote.
Sources say the plan may have worked a month ago, but with growing opposition it is thought the government do not want to be left in the position of relying on Tory support.

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Around 150 Labour MPs have signed a Commons motion against the plans to sell up to 30% of Royal Mail to a foreign rival, such as Dutch-owned TNT.
It was expected to go to a vote after next month's European elections, but it is likely a full debate would not be held until after the party conferences in October.

Ian Davidson, Labour MP for Glasgow South West, said: "During the past week members of the Scottish group of MPs, met with both Gordon Brown and Peter Mandelson and the lack of support for the part-privatisation has been made clear.

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Filing for bankruptcy is an option sought by many people each year.  However, since the bankruptcy law was amended in 2005, additional procedures have made filing for bankruptcy and getting approved for bankruptcy more difficult than ever.

 

If you’re currently experiencing serious debt problems and is contemplating about bankruptcy, the question is, is it really the right time for you to file for bankruptcy?  Here are some pointers you should know about bankruptcy filing.

Should I File for Bankruptcy?

Have you considered other options apart from bankruptcy?  Your debt situation may not be as bad as you think and if you seek the proper help, you may be surprised to find that there are better alternatives to the problem.  Under the new bankruptcy law, consumers should first complete a credit counseling course six months before filing.

The government has assigned accredited credit counseling agencies that consumers can run to for their debt issues.  Upon completing the counseling, if filing for bankruptcy is recommended, then that’s the time you should start preparing your bankruptcy documents.  Otherwise, you would be advised to take on other possible debt solutions.

Filing for Bankruptcy

Unlike the past years, consumers were able to file their own bankruptcy applications.  Today, the government requires bankruptcy applicants to prepare their documents with the assistance of a professional bankruptcy attorney. 

Your bankruptcy attorney must ensure that all details and information that will be entered to your application are true and correct.  Any false information provided is a federal offense so you need to be very careful on filling up your bankruptcy forms.

The Qualification Income Means Test

After filing your bankruptcy application, what’s next?  Applicants used to have the option to choose on which Chapter of bankruptcy to request.  Today however, an applicant will need to undergo a Qualification Means Test to determine whether his monthly income will qualify him for a complete release from his creditors or not.

Chapter 7 bankruptcy is what most applicants prefer because this type of bankruptcy completely releases them from all debts from their creditors.  Nevertheless, if an individual fails on the means test calculation, he will be subjected to a Chapter 13 bankruptcy.  This chapter requires an individual to submit to a repayment program that will be set by the bankruptcy State court.  This means, a percentage of money will be automatically deducted from his income each month as repayment for his debts.

The Consequences of Bankruptcy

Don’t forget to consider the consequences involved in bankruptcy.  For the next seven years, your record of bankruptcy will be reflected in your credit report.  This can place a stigma to your credibility when you apply for a job, look for places to rent, or apply for loans or insurance policies. 

Therefore, seek bankruptcy only as a last resort to your debt problems and strive to work on other solutions to get out of debt.  Better yet, avoid getting stuck in serious debt situations by keeping control of your spending and keeping up with your debts.

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Google wants to conquer the social networking world without creating an explicit social network.
Rather than trying to revive its Orkut networking site, which has been a flop outside of Brazil, Google is weaving the various components of social networks through its existing services. Your contacts in Gmail and Google Talk, for example, are being turned into a list of “friends” with whom you can share photos from Picasa or blog posts from Blogger.
Another piece of Google’s decentralized social network is an option that lets people create a profile page with photos and the usual tidbits about where you went to school and so on.
On Tuesday, Google began a campaign to get people to create these profiles, using its biggest gun: the Google search engine. If you want to control what people see when they search for your name, create a profile and click the box to have it included in Google search results.
While some people may well want to do anything they can to hide from the prying eyes of surfers around the world, many more in this narcissistic era will want to ascend to the stage Google is offering them.

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Business Post Card

Advertising Postcards

Postcard marketing has been around for decades and despite the emergence of new marketing techniques, it is still a number one choice among business owners. Is postcard marketing really effective in generating customer response?

Based upon the experience of successful businesses, marketing with postcards really work when done correctly. Let us consider these top ten ways on how you can increase your customer response rate through postcard marketing.

1. Prepare the right mailing list.

Who would you be sending your postcards to? Who have the most potential to pay attention to your postcards? Who have the most potential to buy your products and services? Who are the people that have a genuine interest in your business? Do you have their names and addresses? These are very important questions that you need to find out before starting to market your business with postcards. Don’t be afraid to invest on a good mailing list. If you don’t have enough prospects on your database, buy from a reputable mailing list company for a list that matches your target market.

2. Offer something of value.

People will always ask, “what’s in it for me?” Postcards that offer something of value will surely be given attention and response. Think about what you can offer to your prospects.

3. Create a strong headline.

The headline would be the first thing that your audience will look at. You can either lose or capture their attention in that few seconds of reading your headline. Thus, it is crucial that your headline is easy to read and arouses interest in your reader.

4. Use a captivating image.

An image that well-illustrates your message is best. Don’t use an image just because it’s cute or pretty. Yes, it is very important to use an eye-catching image but try to find an image that is not just striking but also says more than what words can.

5. Focus on just one idea.

Postcards are meant to contain short but strong messages. Don’t try to put in too many ideas in just a single postcard. Instead, focus on just one idea. If you’re introducing a new product, make sure that the postcard is solely focused on that one product. If you’re inviting to a sale in your store, focus on that.

6. Make your message clear.

Don’t try to use metaphorical words that can confuse your readers. This isn’t the time to puzzle your audience. People will not waste their time figuring out what your message. State what you want to say clearly and to the point.

7. Use call-to-action statements.

Others fail to include call to action statements on their postcard. But it is a very important detail that must never be overlooked. Tell your reader exactly what you want them to do next after reading your postcard.

8. Be realistic of your expectations.

Don’t expect to earn thousands of dollars just because you send postcards once. Focus on your goal and what you wish to achieve from your postcard marketing campaign. Postcards are just tools in enhancing your business. The success will still depend on how you manage the rest of the business.

9. Track your results.

Generally, it is very easy to track postcard marketing results. If you use the postcard coupons, you can track the results by the number of people who bring along their postcard in your store. You can also use codes in your postcards that your customers can enter each time they make a online purchase.

10. Be ready to give what you promise.

Ultimately, the success of the business will depend on the quality of your products and service. If your customers are not satisfied with your products or services, you will lose them sooner or later. Never make promises on your postcards that you cannot live up to.

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TORONTO -- Actor Don Harron recently started using a cane, and now he's lending his alter ego Charlie Farquharson to a campaign to help other seniors consider the benefits of assistive devices that keep people steady on their feet. Harron, 84, realized it was time for a cane after a comment from a friend hit home.
He performs in a show in which he plays four different characters, including himself, Charlie in his trademark worn sweater and cap, the rich city cousin Valerie Rosedale and the Scottish cousin Hamish.
Some of the characters have a golf club or a standup microphone to lean on, he said.
"As Don Harron I stand and sometimes move about for 20 minutes, and a friend of mine said 'Were you drinking?' I said 'No.' He said 'Well, you were staggering about like a man under the influence."'
"And I didn't realize that I was doing it."
"Charlie, of course, did the same, but nobody cares about what Charlie does, and I decided that I better do something about it."

And now, he's urging others to take action too. His laughing character Charlie graces the front of 50,000 postcards showing him using a cane, scooter and walker and urging folks to "Get over bein' an old fogey! Get a handle on life." The cards are being sent this week to seniors in rural areas across Canada. In addition, he's featured in a public service television commercial.

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Marketing Postcards

One of the best things about postcard marketing is its cost-effectiveness. For just a small amount of budget, you can launch an effective marketing campaign with a promising Return on Investment (ROI). In this article, we’ll discuss how you can make sure that your postcard advertising campaign would generate positive results.

Increase Your ROI With These Proven Techniques

Pay attention to your postcard design. Does it really make a big difference how your postcards are presented? Yes, of course. People pay attention to great designs. If your postcard is boring, chances are people won’t even bother to look at them. However, this doesn’t mean that your postcards should be overly designed. Spend some time and choose a design that best matches the concept of your postcard.

Focus on one message. Don’t try to fill your postcard with too many information. Postcards have a limited space and you’ll want to make sure that your message would be easily readable. Make sure that there is enough white space on your postcard. Take time in conceptualizing and putting an effective message together. An effective message doesn’t need to be long. Even just a few RIGHT words or phrase can make a big impact to people.

Track the results of your postcard advertising. Use your postcards as coupons so you can track the results more easily. When a customer brings the postcard to your shop to avail of the discount, you’ll know right away that your marketing campaign is working. You can easily count your ROI based on the number of postcards that were returned to your shop.

If you have a business website, you can also enclose a discount code in your postcard that your recipients can use when they purchase online. If you want to track your results, you can simply count the codes that your customers used for online purchases.

Keep your customers updated with postcards.

What else can you do with postcards? Let your customers know the latest happenings in your shop by sending them postcards. Is there a sale in your shop? Are you introducing a new product? Are you celebrating your store’s first anniversary? Use postcards to announce important events about your business.

Postcards don’t always have to be mailed.

Mailing postcards is cheap but you can also just distribute them personally. For instance, if you’re part of a trade show, hand out postcards to the participants of the event. Hand them out to your friends or ask your friends to hand them out for you.

If you’re on a budget, you can distribute small cards or mini postcards instead of the standard sized cards. For instance, if you want people to check out your website, you can print the URL of your site on a mini postcard, with a short but captivating message and catchy design.

Keep track of the results.

Be sure to monitor the results of your postcard marketing campaign so you’ll know if it’s working. If the results were not as good as you expected, examine the steps you’ve taken. Remember, you may need to send out postcards to the same group of people at least three times before you get the response you want.

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Advertising Postcards

The United Nations' tourism organization said that international vacation travel could drop up to 2 percent in 2009 as the economic crisis worsens.
Europe's broad tourism industry would likely see the largest drop in visitors, but that small countries dependent on foreign spending might suffer most, said Talib Rifai, secretary general of the U.N. World Tourism Organization.
Approximately 924 million tourists traveled across international borders in 2008, Rifai said — or 2 percent more than in 2007, though the numbers fell sharply in the last six months as economic worry prompted people to curb spending.
Rifai called the increase modest compared with the "bullish years" of 2004-2007, when growth averaged 7 percent.
"This is not a tourism crisis. It's an economic crisis that spills over into tourism," Rifai said.
Still, he said his organization was predicting a drop of as much as 2 percent this year, based on the current situation.
A spokesman for the U.N. organization, however, said travel could fall by as much as 5 percent. Geoffrey Lipman said small countries whose gross domestic product is 70-80 percent dependent on service industries including tourism were most vulnerable. He and Rifai both declined to identify specific countries.

Rifai said Europe's likely decline could be partially offset by a boon in new tourism from China. Some 45 million Chinese traveled abroad in 2008, and China hopes to double that number by 2012.
Re

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One of the most important elements in the success of postcard marketing is using the right mailing list. To achieve the best results, you need to send out those postcards to the right people. Otherwise, handing out your business postcards to the wrong market could make your campaign futile or unsuccessful.

Obviously, people who are not interested with the message of your postcard may just throw it in the trash can. For instance, bachelors or yuppies won’t be interested in postcards that advertise about children’s books, diapers or other products for kids. On the contrary, mothers would be very interested to find out more about these products.

Remember, even if your recipients take the moment to read the message of your postcard, if it doesn’t appeal to them or if they have no need of what you offer, your postcards won’t initiate a response. Therefore, it is very important to make sure that your postcards are reaching your target market.

Do you know who your target market is? If yes, do you know where to find them? More importantly, do you know how you can reach out to them? The answer is by using the right prospect’s listing or mailing list.

Using the Right List in Postcard Advertising

So the next question is, where can you get the right mailing list? Some long time online internet marketers prefer to use their own opt-in list. If you’re offering newsletters from your business website, the people who sign up for your e-zine subscription are the most promising prospects. They signed up for your newsletter because they’re interested in what you have to offer. Therefore, sending these people your advertising postcards is most likely to generate positive results for you.

But what if you have just started your mailing list, or you don’t have a mailing list? In that case, you may also buy a mailing list from a reputable broker. If you search the web, you can find companies that offer mailing lists for business owners and internet marketers. But don’t just buy from any broker. Check the companies background and reputation and their policy in collecting their prospect lists.

Watch out for mailing list companies that may sell you poor quality listing. You may be provided with a thousand names and emails for a cheap price but some of the names or emails may be inexistent. Avoid listings that have not been updated for a long time as the email addresses on these lists may not be working. It is also advisable to get a list that includes a demographic report of the names on the list. This way, you can choose your prospects more effectively.

It is also recommended to start building your exclusive mailing list today. You can distribute free newsletters so visitors on your site can easily sign up if they agree to receive your e-zine through email. In just a few months, you should be able to build up your own quality listing.

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Oce one of top digital performers in all test criteria in postcard comparison
TRUMBULL, Conn., March 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Oce, an international leader in digital document management and delivery, announced that in independent testing, the Oce CS650 color system has proven to be a viable alternative to offset printing for direct mail without protective coatings. Printing Industries of America in conjunction with its Digital Printing Council compared the output of various digital presses to measure the durability of uncoated printed postcards under actual mailing and handling conditions. The Oce CS650 system was one of the top digital performers in all test criteria, including front side mailing and address side mailing. The system was also the top performer in the Sutherland Ink Rub test. The testing and results are presented in "Digital Printing and Survivability in the U.S. Postal System: A Printing Industries of America Digital Printing Council Research Study."

Direct marketers are turning to digital technology for affordable, personalized color mailings. The Printing Industries of America Digital Printing Council study was designed to show how well a digitally produced postcard could survive in the United States Postal System (USPS). The study compared the output of the Canon(R) ImagePRESS(R) C7000VP, HP Indigo press(R) 5500, Kodak(R) Nexpress(R) S3000, Oce CS650 Pro and Xerox(R) iGen3(R) digital presses, along with a Komori(R) NL28 sheetfed offset press.

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