Boost Your Website Traffic and Sales Leads Using Postcards

The Power of Personalized Postcards

Avoid postcards that resemble a magazine ad printed on a card. Instead, opt for a more personalized format. A brief message that appears to be a personal note is more likely to garner a response. There are several reasons why a postcard formatted in this manner is irresistible to your prospects:

• It arrives already opened and ready to read.
• The message is concise and easy to digest.
• It gives the impression of a personal message.

Personal message postcards are also effective for business-to-business promotions. They are often passed through to your prospect by "gatekeepers" who screen incoming mail in many business and professional offices. Due to their smaller size, these postcards usually end up on top of the boss's mail pile, almost guaranteeing that your prospect will read it.

Three Guidelines to Maximize Postcard Results

To get the maximum number of responses to your postcards, follow these three simple guidelines:

• Personalize the message on your postcard. Include a date and a greeting like you would in a letter. Use "Dear [Recipient's Name]" when you know your recipient's name or something like "Dear Homeowner" or "Hello Doctor" when you don't.
• Keep your message brief. Avoid cluttering your postcard with too many words or your prospect won't read it. The most effective postcard announces one major benefit and asks the recipient to take an action to get more details.
• Always send postcards by First Class Mail. It costs only 21 cents in the US. To qualify for this special 21 cent postage rate, your postcard must be at least 3 1/2 inches high by 5 inches long but not over 4 1/4 inches high by 6 inches long.

Remember to use a real 21 cent postage stamp. A postcard sent with a real stamp generates more replies than the same postcard sent with postage applied any other way.

Easy Production of Postcards

You can have your postcards professionally printed by a print shop or print them yourself on your computer. One cost-effective method when using your computer is to print 4 postcards on an 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of standard index stock paper. Then cut each sheet into quarters to produce four 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" postcards. 100 sheets will produce 400 postcards for about 1 cent each.

For small quantities, print your postcards individually on the 4" x 6" blank index cards available from any office supply store.

Personal message postcards are simple and inexpensive to use. They achieve almost 100 percent readership and generate a high rate of response. Use them the next time you want to drive traffic to your website or generate sales leads for a very low cost.