Business owners use a variety of methods to market their products and services to customers, both digitally and physically. In spite of the popularity of digital marketing, using printed materials to market your business still remains a successful and viable path for reaching your customer base. Printed marketing materials come in a number of different varieties, but many business owners choose postcard marketing since business postcards are an inexpensive yet effective source of information distribution. If you are looking for a way to connect with potential customers or reconnect with existing ones, consider having postcards printed and distributing them in a unique but effective way.
1. Reminder Postcards for Upcoming Events
Reminder postcards can be used in several different ways. For businesses such as medical or dental practices, reminder cards are useful to patients so they won’t forget upcoming appointments, enrollment periods or changes going on within the practice. For other businesses, reminder postcards can be used to follow up with individuals who requested information about an event or service you are offering. Retail establishments can use reminder cards for large sales or clearance events, while restaurants can remind current customers about the launch of a new dish or the upcoming opening of a new location.
2. Coupon Postcards for Discounts
One of the most popular uses for business postcards is to provide freebies and discounts for new or existing customers. Direct mail postcards are frequently used for this purpose and can be an incentive for the recipient to try your business for the first time. With this marketing technique, business owners often cast a wide web for potential new customers using an inexpensive postcard with printed coupons or discount codes. Another frequent use of coupon postcards is for repeat business. Employees can hand out coupons inside a retail store for a discount on a return visit or include discount coupon postcards in the bags during checkout.
3. Grand Opening Postcards
Before your business has even gotten off the ground, you can use postcards for marketing purposes to bring in customers from the start. Announce your grand opening by sending out postcards to your target audience or through direct mailers. Pair up with other businesses before your opening and hand out well-designed postcards to let your future customers know why they should shop with you in the future. If you are already established and opening a new location, print out postcards with information to hand out in your own establishment to keep customers informed about their choices.
4. Informational Postcards
Sometimes a business provides services or products that are not apparent from the logo or name only. In these cases, using printed postcards as information flyers can be a smart marketing move. Using a postcard to highlight the services your business offers or give an overview of your products can get your name out to more leads while also providing vital information that may not be readily apparent. Postcards are the perfect size for conveying information without the cost of a full-sized flyer or other promotional documents. Medical and dental practices can provide a list of services and add small profiles for providers on postcards, while businesses in IT or other technology-specific fields can paint a clear picture of what their services involve.
5. Referral Postcards for Soft Marketing
Some types of postcards can continue to do the marketing for you long after you have distributed them on your own. Asking for referrals from loyal customers is a good way to market to customers you haven’t reached yet, and takes minimal effort on your part. Use a postcard with specific referral information and incentivize it for any customer that makes a referral.
You can have generic referral postcards printed and then write in referral codes or other information that is specific to particular customers. Some businesses use stickers or print directly in the designated area on the postcard to make the referral specific to the person.
6. Postcards for Special Occasions
One of the ways a business can fill the dual role of reminding customers about their services and providing an incentive for customers to return is by sending a postcard on certain special occasions.
Constant bombardment with flyers and emails can be overwhelming for a customer, but receiving a postcard sent specifically to celebrate an occasion can be the gentle nudge a customer needs to return.
Collecting data on your current customers can help with this type of marketing, since postcards with a discount can be sent for a number of different occasions, including:
- Birthdays
- Holidays of all kinds
- Anniversary
7. Sales Event Postcards
Throughout the year, retail businesses have different kinds of sales. Using a postcard is an inexpensive way to let customers know about an upcoming sales event. If you choose to use direct mail postcards, you can inform potential new customers of your sales as well.
Some businesses need to rotate a large amount of stock at once, so adding printed postcards to promote an upcoming clearance sale to bags at checkout lets current customers know when to return for the best deals.
Anniversary or holiday sales are events that customers look forward to, so you can let them know the specifics of your sale by giving out and sending postcards.
8. Thank You Postcards for Current Customers
An easy way to give thanks to current customers is to say it on a thank you postcard. Periodically letting your customer base know that they are appreciated helps build a relationship and fosters future repeat business. Connecting with your customers can set you up for a higher level of customer loyalty.
On your thank you postcard, you can choose to include a discount or freebie as an added note of gratitude. This type of marketing is especially important for smaller businesses that need repeat visits from the same customer base to stay afloat.
9. Repeat Business Postcards
Loyal customers appreciate the recognition, and one of the ways to provide this is with repeat business or loyalty postcard. Postcards are a good size for including the necessary information you need without being cumbersome to bring back in.
Although many businesses choose to use wallet-sized cards, if your business wants to give more information than will fit on a credit card size item, a postcard is an excellent and inexpensive alternative.
Repeat business cards can be used for discounts with every visit, or you can sign them or use a punch system to let the customer earn free gifts or services after a certain number of visits.
Get Started on Your Postcard Project with Rush Flyers!
Postcards make excellent marketing tools for several reasons. They are typically less expensive than brochures and flyers but are large enough to provide information that a wallet-sized document is unable to cover.
Direct mail postcards can be sent in the mail as-is, so they are easy to distribute once you have them printed. The key to a successful marketing campaign using postcards is to put your trust in an experienced printing company like RushFlyers.
RushFlyers.com provides all of your printing and direct mail needs, including the development and distribution of marketing postcards. Get started on your postcard project by contacting RushFlyers today for any of your printing needs.
Image Credit: Shutterstock By Loiizallz