Designing Direct Mail Postcards for Advertising

Many companies are now opting for direct mail advertising using postcards because they are cheaper and really effective. Let us face it, times are hard and companies are doing everything to control their expenditures. But they cannot just give up on advertising because without it, sales would fluctuate more than ever. They need to be creative in their advertising venues so that they will make the most of their budget and still bring in needed sales. So postcard printing is the smart alternative to really expensive TV commercials, print ads, and billboards.

Now you are wondering how you can make your message fit in such a small space when you have so much to say about your products. Postcards are so small and you can only use the front part, you may think so.

But this is not exactly the case. There are so many things that you can do to make your postcards just as effective as any other form of advertising.

1. Act like a mailman. How does a mailman read a postcard? He does not care how the postcard looks like, but he is concerned with the addressee on the postcard to make sure that he is delivering it to the right mailbox. While the mailman thinks like this, so are many people. When they receive a postcard, they first look at to whom is it addressed and where it came from. So make use of that portion. Make it interesting so that they will want to flip the page and read the glossy advertising side. Design it with the same visual elements that you would use on the cover. That would entail some more planning as well as extra expense, but well, you already saved with using postcards as your advertising medium, so why not stretch your budget a bit to make sure that your postcards work?

2. What can you offer? Remember, you do not have a lot of space on a postcard. Make its design interesting but you also have to make sure that it is loaded with the basic information without flooding your reader. The postcard has to contain pertinent information that answer the Who, What, When, Where and sometimes the Why questions. They need to know what they are getting. Be specific with your information. It has to contain the name of your store, your offer, and your contact details. If you have a sale going on for Christmas decors in summer, then say it.

3. Put yourselves in your consumer’s shoes. If you were the recipient of the postcard, would you read it? If you will, chances are your clients will do, too. That is the best gauge. It is like following the commandment, do unto others you would want others to do unto you. Although we have different tastes, it is still a good principle to follow because if you yourself would not want to read your own postcard, then why would you assume that your readers will? You be the judge.

Postcards can be the cheapest form of advertising that brings in good results. Some planning, printing, and stamps will get your message across to your readers all over the country. Depending on how well your postcard printing was planned and executed determines its success as well as that of your product and your company. So while you are willing to spend for it, make the most out of it.

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