Postcards can be used as Marketing Materials

While postcards used to be just travel mementos of family and friends, now they have reached a whole new level. Marketers have discovered that postcards are more effective marketing tools because not only are they cheaper to send at the post office, the contents have more chances of getting read rather than just sending their message inside an envelope through regular mail. That is why many companies now are seeking postcards as an alternative form of advertising. And they get good results.

Postcards come in 4”x6” sizes but you can actually have bigger postcards printed, like 6”x9” or 6”x11”. These are actually custom sizes and may be more expensive to send, but bigger postcards also means that you have a lot of space to play with. Although small postcards can also catch your target markets’ attention if the design is attractive, but you can also put more substantial text with a bigger postcard. And instead of sending two postcards with much chances of the second one getting lost or unread, it is better to put everything in a big postcard.

Now that you know that a big postcard gives you more space for a bigger message, let us take advantage of the big space. Your design should have a big title or headline, an attractive photo or two, the content of the message, and contact information. With all these elements combined in your postcard, you still should be able to include white spaces or spaces with color but do not have elements in them. These spaces will make your postcard more appealing and it will have more chances of being read. Do not be tempted with filling every available space with text or photos because it can get too crowded and your reader will tend to just dump it without reading it. After all, why would you read something that gives you an eyesore or worse, a headache?

So you must be thinking now, will postcards really work? The answer is yes, especially if you carefully think of the offer you put in there and designing it in such a way that it will be appealing to your prospective reader. Your headline alone should be enough to catch his attention and get him to read the smaller print. Think about this. If you send a flier inside an envelope and the envelope contains your logo, chances are, people will know it is just an advertising material and then it will go straight to the trash without ever being opened. But if you send a postcard, they do not have to open it. They glance at the headline and if they are interested, they will continue reading. You get more readers to your ads this way.

Are postcards expensive? Postcards can be relatively cheap, especially if you order them in bulk, like let’s say, ten thousand pieces. If you only use a single color, then you can even get it cheaper. But of course, we all like color, right? You can also choose between many different materials and finishes, like having a lamination or coating, for instance. Additionally, they are cheaper to send than bulky brochures. Brochures are for those who have expressed initial interest in your product. But postcards will get them to be interested in your product. Postcard printing is easy, cheap, and efficient and a very effective form of marketing.