December 18, 2009 ( PowerHomeBiz.com )
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In postcard marketing, the old saying goes, "consistency is key." To reap
the biggest rewards from a direct-mail campaign, you should follow-up your
initial mailing with several others, on a carefully planned timeline. But
then the question becomes: how much is too much?
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To that, the simple answer is: whatever is within your budget and makes
sense for the message you're sending.
Postcard marketing is a uniquely powerful means of advertising because
it's targeted. You can literally get in front of the exact people who matter
most to your business. This creates an exceptionally high profit potential
-- but before you start sending mailing promotional postcards every day of
the week, you need to weigh the costs against the estimated profits to
ensure you're maximizing your ad dollars.
In email marketing, studies show you should be hitting your list (that
is, emailing your opt-in subscribers) about 3 times a week. Many businesses
often don't think of doing the same with their postcard marketing. But what
would happen if you did? When planning your next direct-mail campaign, here
are some questions you should ask yourself to help you determine "how much
is too much."
-- What are the profit margins for each person who responds? An extreme
example: If you're mailing 1,000 postcards, but can only make 5 cents profit
on each sale you make ... then it will surely not be a profitable campaign.
Before you mail too much, make sure you've planned out your revenue
projections carefully.
-- Is your promotion worthy of repeated mailings? When people get the
same pizza coupon all week long, they save one and throw the rest away. In a
case like this, maybe you should mail once every couple weeks. But let's
you're a car dealer and you're holding a week-long event with a special deal
each day of the week. In this scenario, you could actually create excitement
around your daily mailings, showcasing a different car each day. And since
you're dealing with big-ticket items, the profit potential is much bigger.
-- Who is your audience? How loyal are the people on your list? Will they
be annoyed by receiving multiple promotional postcards a month, or will they
look forward to it? How have they responded to your mailings in the past?
Keep in mind that every postcard marketing campaign is different.
Determining how often to send your mailings depends on the unique details
surrounding your goals. As with all marketing, do your homework beforehand
to determine a plan for maximum profitability.
About the Author:
M. Marlin is a postcard marketing specialist for PostcardPower, based in Elizabethtown, Pa. For more information on direct mail postcards, Mr. Marlin can be contacted via
http://www.postcardpower.com
