Breaking into any industry is hard, and staying relevant, popular, and profitable is even harder. It’s likely that a big part of your time, energy, and budget are spent on marketing. One very effective marketing tool that you may not have thought of is the postcard. This is a great tool because it can be sent directly to existing and potential customers, and it doesn’t rely on them opening it for it to catch their attention. Postcards are also often cheaper to mail than flyers or brochures. If you’re considering using postcards to market your business or upcoming specials, here are some design tips to get you started.
Strategic Use Of Color
A black and white postcard is often more noticeable because we are so bombarded by color in current marketing. Choose a really striking black and white image, and layer it with colored text that really pops, and you’re even more likely to attract the eye.
A Stand-Out Shape
The shape of the postcard should help it stand out from most traditional mail, but you can increase this likelihood by playing with size and cut. You can go big with a jumbo size postcard; while the standard size is 4.25”x5.5”, you can often find postcards as big as 6”x11” Alternatively, you can literally cut the corners to give it a unique shape – picture a postcard where the silhouette of your building, product, or logo is cut out from the background. These features may end up costing more, but they increase visual interest immensely.
Invoke the Season
Use the season that you’re planning to send the postcards out as inspiration for content. In the fall, your bakery could highlight your specialty pumpkin donuts or football inspired cupcakes on your cards. In the spring, your catering business could include images of graduation parties on the cards.
Include a Call-To-Action
Ultimately you want the card to do more than catch their eye, you want it to drive them into your business or to your website. Make sure that your design clearly includes an action that they should do, such as “Visit our website for more designs” or “Come in to taste the wedding cake flavors we offer!” Calls to Action that have a sense of urgency, such as “summer weekends book quickly, please call to schedule your event today!” often have a greater response, but they also are limited to that specific time of year. Consider including a special deal or promo related to the card, such as a discount code. The deal will make people more likely to contact you, and it will be a good way of judging the effectiveness of postcard marketing.
Let Time Printers Help With Your Design
Whether you know already how your marketing materials should look or you want further advice, Time Printers is here to help. We service all of Baltimore, Hunt Valley, and Towson. Our team of professionals can tackle all of your questions. Give us a call at 410-566-3005 and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn for tips and to see what we have been working on and what we can do for you.