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Postcards can be one of the most effective tools in advertisement, if you use them right. When I first started my business, Small Business Promotions, I literally had no money. I was going to college and my funds went towards tuition and books. I had a dream and was determined to give it a try.

My first experience of the power of a postcard came when I decided to print up a couple postcards on my personal printer and hit the streets to start my marketing campaign. These cards were just black ink on yellow paper, nothing fancy. I distributed approximately 50 cards to different business owners at a busy business community. I chose businesses because I thought they were my greatest prospects, since I was in the graphic design and printing business.

I must confess that it was not easy, but I was motivated simply because there were no other alternatives for me at the time. It was more of a survival situation for me. Another motivating factor was that before I could make it back to my little home office, I got a couple of calls. People were already starting to show interest.

I could go on and tell numerous stories of how I used postcards to initiate business contact, make sales, and build business relationships. However, I would like to summarize by giving some important facts:

I've never stopped using postcards. Why? Because after experimenting with many marketing methods over the years, I've come to the conclusion that postcards, whether by direct mail, distribution, or however you choose to use them are very effective marketing tools.
I don't use simple black ink anymore, because the cost of color postcards has gotten so cheap. It makes better sense to use a professional postcard with color and graphics.

Here are the reasons why you cannot neglect the postcard as a part of your marketing resource plan.

- Time is money and people are very conscience of the value of their time. The postcard addresses this perfectly because you can deliver a short message in a minimal amount of time.

- If you have an idea this very moment, you can take that idea from concept to distribution before the day is done. Postcards can fit any budget and you can produce any quantity that companies of all sizes can benefit from ' small, medium, or large. You can save a lot of money on your marketing budget since these two sided cards do not cost as much as other methods.

- You can purchase 5000 four color, professionally designed postcards, for less than $200. In some cases, even less than $100.

In the U.S. the cost to mail a 4 X 6 postcard is only $0.24. You have companies who will design, print, and mail your postcards for you.

Think about this, have you ever gotten a postcard in the mail and not, at least, looked at it? Postcards are true attention grabbers. They initiate the contact with your potential customer.

Here's how you can use postcards successfully and in a way that is beneficial to you:

a) Generate New Leads

b) Make announcements to your existing database of customers

c) Thank customers for their support and loyalty

d) Follow-up with prospects as a part of a campaign

e) Send traffic to your website

f) Offer specials or discounts to generate more sales

g) Seasons greetings with your personal logo and information

In the crowded highway of mail that your customers receive every day, you have to make your card demand attention. Yes folks, that's the secret to having a successful mailing piece.

One side of the card should send a message so powerful that the prospect will want to turn it over and read the other side. On the other side of the card you will deliver the benefits of your company (just remember that the prospect is only concerned about what is in it for them). Provide a strong offer to create action. List your contact information clearly.

If I had to choose the most important part of the postcard apart from the contact information, I would have to say it's the headline. It must be Powerful. It must be Concise. It must be Bold.

Use graphics only if it is in relation to the message you are trying to get across. A nice clean graphic or image can be powerful, but overuse can be deadly to you marketing campaign. It all depends on you target market. When creating your text always think in terms of the benefit of your product to the prospects. Think about the product's unique advantages. One very important feature of the card should be the offer. Give your prospect a reason to Act Now!! Remember that "FREE" is the most powerful word in any offer.

If you are into selling real estate, you might not want to send your postcard to a group of teenagers. I am just saying, zero in on the right prospects and you will get greater results.

Many people make the costly mistake of producing their postcards, but lack the will to get it to the prospects. In this case, you may as well not produce the cards in the first place. They are no good sitting in the box in your office.

I encourage you to test the power of postcards today with a new approach. Just take that extra step and follow the right guidelines. You will separate yourself from the competition and soar ahead.