2. • Some people say there are seven steps to
building an effective postcard, others claim
there are twelve. At VerticalResponse, we say
there are ten steps, and we’ve listed them
below to aid you in creating a successful card
of your own.
• Note that many of these steps would apply to
just about any kind of marketing:
3. Step 1: Start with an Idea
• You can’t build an effective postcard if you
don’t have an idea of what you want it to be
about.
• Why are you creating a postcard? Are you
looking to invite new residents to your
neighborhood business? To increase
attendance at an event? To sell a particular
item? Figure it out before you start.
4. Step 2: Decide On an Offer
• You know why you’re sending the card. Now
what exactly are you going to offer up to your
recipients to get them to take action? Is the
item, service, event, etc. compelling enough
on its own? Or are you going to offer a
discount or provide some other incentive?
5. Step 3: Identify Your Audience
• Is the idea a good fit for your entire list? Or do you want to reach
out to only a certain segment based on their interests or location?
• You can also use purchased or rented lists for direct mail postcards,
something that is generally an awful idea with email
(VerticalResponse prohibits the use of third party lists for email
campaigns). So give some consideration to whether your offer
could generate prospects for your company.
• If you’re looking for direct mail lists, then sites like
http://www.hoovers.com, http://www.onesource.com and
http://www.infousa.com are a good place to start.
6. Step 4: Select an Eye-Catching Image
• With the possible exception of the offer itself, the
image is probably the most important part of the card.
An eye-catching image could land your card on a
recipient’s refrigerator for the next three months, or,
even better, make them want to flip the card over and
see what you’re offering them.
• An image that fits your offer and is funny / striking in
some way is never a bad choice. If you don’t have an
image of your own, then you can always choose an
image from our free Stock Photo Gallery.
7. Step 5: Write Your Headline
• The headline on the front of your card is like
the subject line of an email. It should usually
be short and interesting, and (in conjunction
with the image on the front) make recipients
want to flip the card over and read what you
have to say.
8. Step 6: Clarify Your Message
• It can be tempting to write a long explanation
of what you’re offering and why people should
take action with it. But that is the wrong way
to go. Your offer should be easy to read and
understand in the time it takes a recipient to
go from their mailbox into their house.
Otherwise your card could end up in the
garbage without it having achieved the impact
you wanted.
9. Step 7: Design Your Card
• Now that you know your offer and have chosen your
image, you’re ready to design your card. You can do
this with a tool like photoshop or using the tools within
VerticalResponse.
• Try to keep the design simple and easy to scan,
because (again) you really only have until the recipient
reaches the trash or the recycling bin to get your point
across. If you can say what you need to say in a
sentence, then don’t say it in a paragraph.
10. Step 8: Include Tracking
• Tracking an email is easy. You just have to send them email and
we’ll immediately tell you who opened it, who clicked a link and can
even tell you who made a purchase or otherwise converted from
your message.
• Postcards are not quite so easy, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be
tracked. If you’re linking recipients to your site, send them to a
landing page that is specific to the card. If you want them to make
a purchase, include a postcard specific promo code. If you’re doing
a sale at your store, require that they bring the card in with them.
• Doing some kind of tracking is important, because otherwise you’ll
have no direct way to measure the success of your card.
11. Step 9: Send Your Card
• Once your card is together, you’ll obviously
need to send it out. You may of heard of this
great service that makes it easy for you to do
that.
12. Step 10: Track Responses in Salesforce
• If you’re tracking your responses in such a way
that you can see exactly who took action, then
make note of that on your Lead & Contact
records. And if a postcard is returned to you
as undeliverable, then be sure to note that the
address on record is no longer correct.
Otherwise you’ll be wasting your money on a
bad address again and again in the future.
