Postcards are not just for holiday messages. Small businesses can use postcard marketing to great effect, spreading a cost effective message far and wide. There are many benefits to using postcards for your business marketing campaigns, here are the top 10:

1- Instant impact
Postcards don’t need opening to be read. Your recipient will see your message just by picking up the mail, removing the risk of going straight in the bin.

2- High visibility
Because the message is in plain site the message will be seen on route to the postcards destination and if kept, will be easily read by visitors. Use strong branding and visuals to create something people will want to keep hold of.

3- Messages are short and sharp
Unlike some printed marketing materials, like folded leaflets or booklets, postcards are great for short bold messages with a strong call to action. Keep it short and snappy so you catch their attention. Avoid long sentences that test concentration.

4- Sturdy, resilient card
Flyers can be at risk of damage in the regular mail or even through leaflet drops. Rain, letterboxes and poor handling can all result in your message lacking the professionalism you are looking for. A strong card can withstand the majority of challenges it faces on route to the intended audience.

5- Cost effective
Postcards are a cost effective way to advertise. They are cheaper to print and less time consuming to process than traditional enveloped mail outs, particularly if you use Royal Mail’s Printed Postage Impressions when designing your artwork.

6- Simple design
It is easier to create a postcard yourself than most other formats, like any folded leaflet. If you get a pro designer to do it, the time taken will bring the cost right down too. Focus on your branding and visuals over copy for an eye-catching design.

7- They work whatever your selling
There is no business need that cannot make use of postcard marketing, service or product, it is all down to the message you are trying to get across. Make sure it is worth reading and drives action. It could be news, information or an offer but it must have value to your specific audience.

8- Drive traffic online
Postcards are perfect for short messages aimed at getting people onto your website or social media channels. You can reach out to people to engage new followers with offers and competitions if they like your business page.

9- Informative reminders
Depending on your organisation, you can use them to pass useful information like event dates, process guides or important contacts. This will encourage them to pin the card to the board or on the fridge as a reminder. You can even make the card a ticket or discount to be redeemed in store.

10- Strong returns
If you get the message right, you can get a good return on your print investment. Due to the lower outlay and easy processing you can recoup your costs quite quickly. Using redeemable codes will help track the success to inform future campaigns.

If you have found this useful, why not check out our article ‘How to integrate print into your marketing campaigns‘.

Lisa Cooper

Lisa Cooper is a photographer and marketing writer working for Print-Print Limited, promoting business and building your brand through quality print marketing.

If you’re interested in small business promotion then please get in touch info@print-print.co.uk