One of the best things about getting into postcard marketing is the fact that you’re entering the multi-billion dollar direct mail and direct marketing industry. This course is a “primer” to get you off to a fast start, but there’s so much more to postcard marketing which you’ll learn about as you go along.
Because you’re entering this huge industry, there are countless resources available to you and much of it can be found on one website which is included at the end of the course called “Resource Guide”.
For example, there’s a ton of ongoing training available on sharpening your direct mail marketing skills. In fact, the site I’ll give you in the Resource Guide has a section which shows how that one site is a resource guide in and of itself for Business Schools of over 35 major universities around the country.
The students use this site to help them develop hypothetical direct marketing campaigns for thesis papers which is what they need to write in part to get their degree.The benchmark for success in direct mail and postcards in particular is the percent of response that turns into income as a result of a given direct mail campaign. Direct mail is not so much an art as it is a science.
If you follow the proper protocol as is given in this course and as you further develop your expertise as a postcard marketing specialist, you’ll open up to a whole new world you probably never thought existed.
I first started using postcards to generate leads for a business opportunity back in the late 90’s. And my first postcards were the ugliest of ugly. I’d take a 8 1/2 x 11 piece of canary card stock, evenly section it off in 4 boxes.
Then I’d take a black sharpy pen and write in each box leaving the prospects name off “________ I’ve been trying to reach you, I’ve got a money making project I know you’ll be interested in, give me a call at (818) 555-7890”.
Then I’d use that as my master, run copies on my copy machine, then cut each page in four. Then I’d stick on my address labels, turn the card over and write in with my sharpy pen their name… it looked as if I just wrote the entire card out to them.
Now before you start laughing, let me shock you… I would get 10 to 15 call backs for every 100 cards. That’s a 10 to 15% response. Try getting that high of response from a 4 color slick glossy card with all the fancy success graphics - You won’t come close! For the last 13 years I’ve only used ugly postcards, and always will. The postcards I use, you could make at home today, get them in the mail today, and have your phone ringing or prospects visiting your website in 48 hours… good solid prospects, and in most cases far better than what can be generated online. Why? Because you can control who you mail to (more on that later).
Here’s the key to understand the psychology of postcard success. With postcards, you only have a 10 second window of opportunity to get someone to respond. You see, postcards are a “direct response” marketing venue.
The goal is to generate direct, immediate response. The person looking at your postcard will give you the 10 seconds. Your goal is to give them all they need in that 10 second window to cause them to either go to your website or call you on the phone.
If you’re marketing a home business-type program, just give them your 800 Sizzle line Message or a Website. Personally I prefer to use a (800) Sizzle Message to pre-sell or get them excited to take the next step, such as visit my website or listen to a conference call. But if you’re a carpet cleaner or a dentist, for example, you want them to call you and make an appointment.
So in this 10 second window, you don’t want anything on the card which will take their attention away from the core offer or suggestion on your card. If the viewer is gazing at graphics, they’re eating up the seconds and are distracted from your core message.
If you’re marketing a home business, mlm or direct sales program, get right to the point. You’re selling the idea of making more money and if you tie it into making money mailing out postcards, that’s a very strong Unique Selling Proposition (USP).
They’re looking at your postcard. It’s simple. In the back of their minds, they say, “I can do this” and when they think that, you’re on your way to enrolling another member in your organization.
And the best part is they won’t be asking you how to market the opportunity because they already get the picture that they’ll be making money sending out postcards.Here’s an example of what I mean. This copy is included in the postcard design section further along in the course along with many others.