|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Design Direct Mail Postcards Back-to-Front to Boost Response Rates
Conventional wisdom says that the front of a direct mail postcard is for the picture and the back is for the address, stamp and a short message.
But some savvy direct marketers design their postcards the other way around-and boost response rates as a result.
The goal of the front of the postcard is to grab attention long enough to arouse curiosity and motivate your prospect to turn the card over and continue reading. But postcards are usually delivered with the back of the postcard showing, not the front. Check today's mail. You'll notice that the letter carrier delivered your mail with the address facing up (unless it fell through your mail slot in a random pile).
The letter carrier reads the name and address for each piece of mail and, without turning them over, places them in your mail box. That means that the first thing your prospect sees of your postcard is the back, not the front. And you can take advantage of this fact.
A graphic designer and marketing consultant from Denver, Colorado, wrote to me recently, explaining that her firm studied the way mail arrives. "Through my observations and research," she says, "I have found that many, many more times than not, side B [the back of the postcard] is what the prospect sees first and then decides whether or not to turn the postcard over."
This savvy marketer now designs postcards for her clients with the back being the main focus and attention grabber, leaving the front of the card for secondary messages. She is achieving "very good results," she says, by flouting conventional wisdom.
I see only one thing wrong with her brilliant method, and that is that I did not think of it first.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alan Sharpe is a business-to-business direct mail copywriter and lead generation specialist who helps business owners and marketing managers generate leads, close sales and retain customers using business-to-business direct mail marketing. Learn more about his creative direct mail writing services and sign up for free weekly tips like this at http://www.sharpecopy.com.
© 2005 Sharpe Copy Inc. You may reprint this article online and in print provided the links remain live and the content remains unaltered (including the "About the author" message).
Advertisement: Honest Riches - Click Here!
Advertisement: Lost AdWords - Click Here!
Advertisement: Get $1 Million A Month In Google Pay-Per-Click Ads Free! - Click Here!
Advertisement: Who Loves Money? - Click Here!
Advertisement: SEO Elite, the GrandDaddy of SEO Software - Click Here!
San Jose Mercury News, USA - 2 hours ago
AP LOS ANGELES—The city on Friday unveiled a new marketing campaign built around the slogan "That's So LA" to keep tourists coming despite the nation's ...
New campaign to boost LA tourism abc7.com
all 23 news articles
Reuters
Chicago Tribune, United States - 4 hours ago
Those marketing dollars have an aim to push Audi US sales to 200000 vehicles by 2018. Schwarzenbauer said the company has a goal to sell 1.5 million Audis ...
Audi plans record US marketing spending Reuters
Audi plans to boost US marketing budget Automotive News
Audi says it will increase US marketing efforts Fox 28
DetNews.comall 16 news articles
Bizjournals.com, NC - 7 hours ago
Implications International, which specializes in interactive marketing, brand design, and Web development, has offices in Peoria, Ill., Mumbai, India, ...
MSNBC - 2 hours ago
TMI's marketing plan includes a program where LTC facilities can lease the equipment necessary to perform skin assessments and store the necessary data ...
Bizjournals.com, NC - 6 hours ago
Effective April 1, Imperial Hotel will start reservations service, sales, marketing and public relations activities within Japan for Halekulani and Waikiki ...
MSNBC - 19 hours ago
Proton will start by marketing a variety of enhanced water products that provide health benefits for people and the planet as well as the commercial product ...
Proton Laboratories opens Southern California office Bizjournals.com
all 9 news articles
Salt Lake Tribune, United States - 4 hours ago
... different companies around the US The Utah Chapter of the Society for Marketing Professional Services recognizes excellence in marketing communications ...
Boston Globe
Bizjournals.com, NC - Jan 8, 2009
United Parcel Service Inc. rival FedEx Corp. will cut its marketing budget by more than 25 percent for 2009, the company recently disclosed on its blog. ...
FedEx cuts marketing spend by more than 25 percent Reuters
FedEx cuts marketing budget DM News
FedEx to reduce marketing budgets by 25% Brand Republic
all 45 news articles
FMQB, NJ - 10 hours ago
Katz Media Group has launched a new, national marketing unit that will create custom solutions for advertisers and their agencies with the goal of ...
Katz Launches National Marketing Unit, Trims Staff Media Buyer Planner
Katz Media Group forms marketing unit BtoB Magazine
Katz creates unit to handle ads for new radio platforms SmartBrief
all 6 news articles
Examiner.com
Examiner.com - 14 hours ago
by William Sokolic, Jersey Shore Examiner The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International will recognize the Cape May County Department of ...
Testimonials - FREE Quality Advertising FOR YOU!
Every business person who has any kind of product or service, and the merest beginning of marketing sense, invites TESTIMONIALS. These might be called "reviews" or... Read More
Boost Your Business With Testimonials
When used correctly, testimonials can boost your response dramatically. They help build the prospect's perception of believability, stability, honesty, and value in your product or service. When... Read More
Overcoming Resistances To Marketing a Practice-Part 2
In Part 1 of this article, "Resistances to Marketing a Practice" the seven most common resistances helping and healing professionals (counsellors, therapists, naturopaths, homeopathetic doctors, massage therapists,... Read More
Free Publicity for Restaurants
One of the best ways to get a restaurant free publicity is by taking advantage of events and seizing the opportunity. For example, February 5th is Television... Read More
Direct Mail Response Rates Soar With Dimensional Mailers in Business-to-Business Lead Generation
The toughest job you face as a B2B direct marketer is reaching your prospect with your message. Reaching C-level executives is particularly difficult because they employ mailroom... Read More
Clever Headlines Usually Flop! Are You Being Too Clever For Your Own Good?
Copywriters that try to be clever, humorous, abstract, or use double entendre with their headlines and ads will normally find that they flop and are thus a... Read More
Avoid the Duds: 10 Strategies for Selecting The Perfect Speaker
Today, more than ever, the success of meetings relies heavily on the strength of program content and presentation. Nothing can spoil a meeting more than hiring the... Read More
Find the Goldmine Within Your Business
Doing a current customer breakdown can help you find the goldmine within your business by determining who you should be targeting in your marketing efforts in the... Read More
Are You Guilty Of Interruption Marketing?
You muted the commercials on the TV last night because you were fed up with interruption marketing. Ditto if you went through your mail to find most... Read More
Your Secret Marketing Weapon
As a professional service provider, you're paid for what you know. People come to your firm for the expertise you offer, first and foremost. Did you also... Read More
Mortgage Marketing - How to Write a Mortgage Marketing Sales Letter That Gets Results!
Have you ever sat down to write a sales letter and been at a complete loss where to start? It happens to all of us.Sales letters are... Read More
The Death of Product Packaging as We Know It.
It used to be you that if you had a great product you put it in a package and voila! . . .someone would come along and... Read More
The Advantages of Full Color Brochure Printing
A brochure can be a great promotional tool, whether it is for is a real estate listing, a trade show handout, a data sheet, or another application.... Read More
Networking Magic
YES-- it is true that Networking is an art that must be mastered. However, for those of you that are new to the networking game and the... Read More
What Can Star Wars Teach You About Creating a Buzz for Your Business?
Many people think marketing is some type of mystery that only a few select people know the secret too. In fact if you look at the entertainment... Read More
Laws of Marketing ? The 10 Immutable
Most marketers believe that anything is achievable if you are energetic, creative or determined enough. But laws of marketing follow laws of business, and if you violate... Read More
Alarming Marketing Trend
One key discipline of successful direct marketing has been to test marketing communications tactics to continually improve results. There is now an alarming trend according to a... Read More
A Perfect Partnership for Business
Too often we small business owners get caught up in our day-to-day bottom line, and miss the needs of the community outside our door. By doing this,... Read More
Good Marketing is Like a Bad Habit
You know those bad habits we get. Like raiding the chocolate biscuits during late night TV shows. Or slouching we when we sit. Or biting our fingernails.... Read More
How to Turn More Referrals Into Paying Clients
60% of all small business owners, sales and solo-professionals claim that more than half of their new business comes from referrals. Yet when asked about the process... Read More
7 Marketing Lessons I Learned From the Muscleheads at Golds Gym
Can I share a secret with you?I love working out. So much that several years ago I considered a career in fitness. I modeled for Reebok and... Read More
How to Put the Profit Producing Power of Couponing to Work for You
Coupons have proven themselves to be highly effective sales tools for every conceivable size and type of business.Because coupons "pull in the business" they have gained remarkable... Read More
Business Postcard Marketing: 35 Ways to Use It
Postcards are an effective way for many business owners and marketing managers to attract new customers and increase sales from existing ones. Postcards are inexpensive to produce... Read More
No One Gives A Damn About Your Business. Unless You Give em A Reason To
The good news is that there are thousands of people looking for what you offer. The bad news is that those people are extremely tough to attract... Read More
8 Ways to Fill a Workshop in a Bum Economy
Yes, you can fill a workshop when spending is down and buyers are wary. If your topic is clear, your marketing materials well-done, your product solid and... Read More
Brainstorming Techniques as New Product Development Strategies
When developing new products and strategies, coming up with unique ideas is often a struggle. It is one of the reasons why, in any industry, there is... Read More
The Beginners Mail Order Business Guide
No claim is made that the steps outlined would be successful for someone else. Each individual should obtain whatever professional advice may benecessary for his particular operation.... Read More
Make Out Marketing
What is the single biggest fear of teenagers, business owners and CEO's alike?The answer is simple. Making out for the first time, with an attractive partner or... Read More
Corporate Gift Tips To Wow Clients & Associates
1) Know the company and their culture. Are they trendy and artistic or conservative and elegant? Your gift giving should reflect this. Also, global customs vary significantly.... Read More
How Much Is Your Popcorn Worth? Powerful Lessons In Marketing & The Psychology Of Selling - Part 3
To read the beginning of this special report, you can read part two here: http://ezinearticles.com/?id=58712Let's continue to discuss the various marketing principles that are involved in "popcorn... Read More
10 Reasons Why Businesses Fail at Marketing.
1) They don't fully understand it.Perception: Marketing is advertising. Reality: Marketing may not even include advertising. Perception: Marketing is an expense. Reality: Marketing is an investment. _______________________________________________________________________... Read More
Making Your Mark With The Millennials
Generation Y--The second-largest crop of young people in America's history, offspring of the Boomers-80 million of them, nearly 27 percent of the U.S. population-are in their late... Read More
Copy SoapNet and Make Money
Whether you want to admit it or not, soap operas may hold the key to your home business success. This article includes a few home and small... Read More
Making Networking Work
Several years ago, "networking" was the hot buzzword. Everyone was talking about building their network, because this was the secret to becoming incredibly successful. Well, yes, networking... Read More
Marketings Nuclear Weapon
Three seconds. That's what you have to convey your message. Creativity is the strategic weapon that allows us to capture those few precious moments of attention from... Read More
Top 5 Ways to Generate Qualified Leads for Your Small Business
Do you ever wonder if you could be doing a better job marketing your small business or professional service firm? Successfully marketing a small business is hard... Read More
How To Be A First Class Marketer?
Did you now how to follow up a new customer with less phone calls?First thing for you to know that you only have about 5 minutes for... Read More
Five Joint Venture Marketing Skills A Small Business Owner Must Have
Joint venture marketing is a lucrative way of leveraging the assets of two or more businesses. It is the fastest way for businesses to achieve certain business... Read More
Keeping Pace with Business Marketing
Today's business marketing rules are different than they were in years past. Those rules that once focused predominantly on local and regional business marketing have now gone... Read More
Focus...a Marketing Strategy
The secret to increasing sales doesn't lie in choosing just the right marketing tactic for each of your businesses. The real problem that's experienced by many entrepreneurs--a... Read More
How To Create A Complete Referral Marketing System
These steps are taken from the Referral Flood Marketing Program. Referral Flood is an insider's shortcut to referral marketing and features over 4 hours of audio training,... Read More
The Greatest Business Tips are FREE
The best way for someone to hang on to a tip is on a business card.Do you remember seeing the TV commercials of OSH Hardware stores, the... Read More
Business Marketing Strategy
The term business marketing strategy might sound like it is esoteric or stratospheric, so let's take the mystery out of it so you can devise and implement... Read More
5 Ways To Entice Your Parallel Market to Trade Links
Lots of people get confounded when attempting to exchange links, you're not alone. The people who have the spot you want are competitors. The people who don't... Read More
Marketing Lessons from Santa
If a nonexistent man can change the world and millions of people with a message of joy then his marketing plan surely works. Right? Then what has... Read More
My Product is Obviously Better ? Why isn?t it Selling?
The movie, "Field of Dreams" opens with a farmer standing in a cornfield. He hears a disembodied voice saying, "If you build it, he will come"?by the... Read More
What is a Marketing Plan Anyway?
Building a business that grows steadily in size and profits is like building your dream house. First, you identify what kind of home you want, then you... Read More
Client or Customer? There Really Is A Difference
Some people use the words "client" and "customer" interchangeably or generically. I'd like you to think a little about these important words because there is a significant... Read More
Putting Your Website to Work
Websites have replaced the brochure as the "must have" marketing tool for businesses large and small. While virtually every business has a website, few are harnessing the... Read More
The Marketing Recipe: Money, Marketing and Me ? 3 Keys For Success
You have a great product or service? Now, how should you market it?You have to make others know about what you have to offer. There is no... Read More
Marketing on a Budget
A successful marketing plan doesn't have to include an athletic superstar, prime-time placement, state-of-the-art computer graphics or a massive budget. Being resourceful and smart can be just... Read More
Why Pay for Online Press Release Distribution?
We've all heard that "free advice is worth what you pay for it..."Shakespeare put it a little more eloquently in King Lear, when the aging monarch admonished... Read More