My first experience of the power of a postcard came when I
decided to print up a couple postcards on my personal printer
and hit the streets to start my marketing campaign. These cards
were just black ink on yellow paper, nothing fancy. I
distributed approximately 50 cards to different business owners
at a busy business community. I chose businesses because I
thought they were my greatest prospects, since I was in the
graphic design and printing business.

I must confess that it was not easy, but I was motivated simply
because there were no other alternatives for me at the time. It
was more of a survival situation for me. Another motivating
factor was that before I could make it back to my little home
office, I got a couple of calls. People were already starting to
show interest.

I could go on and tell numerous stories of how I used postcards
to initiate business contact, make sales, and build business
relationships. However, I would like to summarize by giving some
important facts:

I've never stopped using postcards. Why? Because after
experimenting with many marketing methods over the years, I've
come to the conclusion that postcards, whether by direct mail,
distribution, or however you choose to use them are very
effective marketing tools. I don't use simple black ink anymore,
because the cost of color postcards has gotten so cheap. It
makes better sense to use a professional postcard with color and
graphics.

Here are the reasons why you cannot neglect the postcard as a
part of your marketing resource plan.

- Time is money and people are very conscience of the value of
their time. The postcard addresses this perfectly because you
can deliver a short message in a minimal amount of time.

- If you have an idea this very moment, you can take that idea
from concept to distribution before the day is done. Postcards
can fit any budget and you can produce any quantity that
companies of all sizes can benefit from - small, medium, or
large. You can save a lot of money on your marketing budget
since these two sided cards do not cost as much as other methods.

- You can purchase 5000 four color, professionally designed
postcards, for less than $200. In some cases, even less than
$100.

In the U.S. the cost to mail a 4 X 6 postcard is only $0.24. You
have companies who will design, print, and mail your postcards
for you. Check out www.DesignsnPrint.com

Think about this, have you ever gotten a postcard in the mail
and not, at least, looked at it? Postcards are true attention
grabbers. They initiate the contact with your potential customer.

Here's how you can use postcards successfully and in a way that
is beneficial to you:

a) Generate New Leads

b) Make announcements to your existing database of customers

c) Thank customers for their support and loyalty

d) Follow-up with prospects as a part of a campaign

e) Send traffic to your website

f) Offer specials or discounts to generate more sales

g) Seasons greetings with your personal logo and information

In the crowded highway of mail that your customers receive every
day, you have to make your card demand attention. Yes folks,
that's the secret to having a successful mailing piece.

One side of the card should send a message so powerful that the
prospect will want to turn it over and read the other side. On
the other side of the card you will deliver the benefits of your
company (just remember that the prospect is only concerned about
what is in it for them). Provide a strong offer to create
action. List your contact information clearly.

If I had to choose the most important part of the postcard apart
from the contact information, I would have to say it's the
headline. It must be Powerful. It must be Concise. It must be
Bold.

Use graphics only if it is in relation to the message you are
trying to get across. A nice clean graphic or image can be
powerful, but overuse can be deadly to you marketing campaign.
It all depends on you target market. When creating your text
always think in terms of the benefit of your product to the
prospects. Think about the product's unique advantages. One very
important feature of the card should be the offer. Give your
prospect a reason to Act Now!! Remember that "FREE" is the most
powerful word in any offer.

If you are into selling real estate, you might not want to send
your postcard to a group of teenagers. I am just saying, zero in
on the right prospects and you will get greater results.

Many people make the costly mistake of producing their
postcards, but lack the will to get it to the prospects. In this
case, you may as well not produce the cards in the first place.
They are no good sitting in the box in your office.

I encourage you to test the power of postcards today with a new
approach. Just take that extra step and follow the right
guidelines. You will separate yourself from the competition and
soar ahead.

Michael Reid - Marketing & Sales

If you are interested in any product to increase your sales,
visit Designsnprint.com. You can sign up for free samples and
our newsletter at http://www.designsnprint.com/catalogrequest.php

There is a new and exciting website where you can submit
articles, download free e-books, free newsletters templates,
list your business in the directory, etc. All FREE - It's called
http://www.AboutCityBusiness.com Happy Hunting.

About the author:
Michael Reid - marketing/advertising Over 15 years experience in
marketing. Michael Operates a number of websites, one of which
is http://www.designsnprint.com