How Effective is Postcard Marketing? A Complete Guide
Postcards have been a print marketing tool for marketing agencies and small business owners alike since the beginning – but how effective is postcard marketing anyway? It’s crucial for you to design them strategically to get the biggest bang for your buck.
Whether you’re planning a direct mail campaign or imagining new package inserts for your products, custom postcards can be a go-to that boosts every metric. So let’s dive into postcard marketing, the benefits of it and how to devise a fool-proof send strategy.
What is Postcard Marketing?
No longer just a way to send a quick greeting, postcards are a print marketing must-have. Businesses and organizations of all sizes now rely on postcard marketing for branding, promotion, advertising and more. Versatile and entirely customizable, they slip easily into your broader marketing strategy and offer a much-needed physical touchpoint in customers’ ever-digital lives.
With their small size, postcards are naturally the perfect vehicle to communicate concise messaging quickly and easily. And in a time when our attention spans are shorter than ever, this get-to-the-point format is a winner every time, whether you place a stack of marketing postcards on a retail counter, mail them to target audiences or include them with your products.
How Effective is Postcard Marketing? 4 Benefits of Postcard Marketing
Often when a marketing tactic doesn’t work or isn’t as successful as you thought it’d be, you over-correct by trying something that’s the exact opposite of what you attempted in the first place. With postcard advertising and its enduring relevance, there’s no need to be that dramatic. In today’s marketing landscape, the right tweak in wording or slight shift in imagery or color can have the impact and ROI you’re looking for.
No matter how you design and print your marketing postcards, you’re likely to experience a high rate of engagement, a campaign that stays within your budget and a boost in brand recognition thanks to their targeting and personalizing options.
1. High Engagement Rate
Simply put, marketing with postcards has a high rate of engagement because they’re, well, simple. Recipients don’t have to open anything – your messaging, branding and CTAs are all right in front of them. According to the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), postcards consistently have the highest response rate when compared to various direct mail formats.
Think about it: How many times have you received a postcard mailer and understood the messaging within seconds? Every time.
2. Cost-Effective Solution for Small Businesses
For small businesses and nonprofits in particular, staying on-budget isn’t just something you hope will happen – it’s a requirement. With little (if any) wiggle room, postcards for business marketing is your cost-effective answer. Not only do they provide a high engagement rate, but also a high ROI – they really do go hand in hand.
Even if you’ve got big marketing goals, custom postcards do a lot with a little, allowing you to scale your campaigns to budget constraints and still come out on top.
Get inspired and get creative – see how a manufacturer makes the most of marketing.
3. Tangible Format Boosts Brand Recall
For any business, one main goal is to be top-of-mind for customers. When you have brand recognition, you increase the chance of customers making multiple purchases, while building relationships and earning their loyalty. Tangible marketing materials like postcards can do just that, as you design them with brand colors, logos and targeted messaging.
According to the U.S. Postal Service, 75% of millennials say receiving personal mail makes them feel special. Even to digital natives, physical direct mail like postcard promotion still resonates.
4. Easily Targeted & Personalized for Specific Audience
A crucial advantage of a direct mail postcard campaign is that you can target specific audiences with it. When you know your mailing audience, you can personalize messaging and content to increase sales and engagement. Plus, narrowing down your targets ensures you stick to that pesky budget. To do so, consider age, income, family size, address type, gender and homeowners vs. renters. (You can even purchase a mailing list through your Smartpress sales representative to reach new potential customers.)
How to Send Postcards for Marketing
When it comes to designing, printing and sending your postcards, Smartpress gives you plenty of options to suit your brand, message and intent, from coated paper stocks and rigid paper weights to addressing and mailing services that we handle for you. Your design itself is just as important as your print selections, so be sure to include a compelling message, can’t-miss visuals, and consider adding a digital element like a QR code for tracking.
And speaking of tracking – do it! After your send, measure your postcard marketing campaign’s success by monitoring the rate of response, conversions and your return. By doing so, you’ll be able to key in on ways to improve future campaigns and use your data to guide you. (Get more design help with our direct mail postcards FAQ.)
Explore Postcard Options from Smartpress
Direct mail postcard marketing continues to be a lucrative print tactic and one you should be including in your broader strategy. With an online printer like Smartpress, you get to customize and personalize yours not only for direct mail, but also package inserts, product promotions and event announcements. Double-sided printing lets you take full advantage of every inch and our convenient mailing services ensure the send goes smoothly.
With benefits like a high engagement rate, brand recognition and the ability to target audiences while being cost-effective, you’ll no longer wonder how effective is postcard marketing – you’ll know. Upload your print-ready design file and get an instant quote for direct mail postcards now.
