Many businesses make the mistake of sending direct mail postcards to a
randomly generated list of recipients. Sure, if the postcard is strong
enough, it will still generate results. But more than likely, the response
won't be nearly as great as campaign that's targeted to a specific audience.
Nowadays, it's easier than ever to narrow your mailing list to the people
who are mostly likely to respond. And your options go far beyond the
standard demographic options, like gender, zip code, and income.
These days, you can create a highly targeted postcard mailing list among
a specific list of factors, such as:
- Buying patterns
- Specific items they've bought or stores they've shopped at
- Types of information they've requested
- Websites they visit
- Magazines they're subscribed to
- How much they spend on specific items
- What kind of job they have
- And that's just the short list.
There are nearly limitless options for reaching your target market with
direct mail postcards. Granted, not all postcard marketing campaigns require
a highly targeted list. For example, if you've just opened a new restaurant,
you'll probably want to send a postcard announcement to everyone in town and
surrounding areas too.
But before you launch your next batch of promotional postcards, think
hard about who you want to reach. Ask yourself:
- Who is mostly likely to respond to this postcard?
- What buying habits or hobbies would they have?
- What makes them different from people who wouldn't respond?
The answers to these questions will help you narrow down your list. Just
remember to think long and hard about who your target market is. Don't stop
at the questions above. Keep thinking and identifying traits of your
audience until there aren't any left. After all, the more targeted your
list, the more response you'll get. In postcard marketing (and all direct
mail), every percentage point matters.
About the Author:
M. Marlin is a postcard marketing specialist for PostcardPower Postcard
Marketing, based in Elizabethtown, Pa. For more information on direct mail
postcards, Mr. Marlin can be contacted via
http://www.postcardpower.com
