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Martha Retallick
Since so many small business people struggle with marketing, and
have few promotional options that are affordable, I published an e-book called
Postcard Marketing Secrets. This downloadable PDF manual offers a step-by-step
system for marketing a small business with postcards.
Postcard Marketing Secrets was released in September 2002, and has just gone
into its second edition. I'm going to be publishing more e-books on postcard
marketing in the coming months. The product line will also expand to include a
printed manual and a CD-ROM.
The Top 10 Advantages of Using Postcards
Postcard marketing is affordable, even for the smallest of businesses
When you're marketing with postcards, your competition doesn't know it. But they'll sure know it if you're advertising in the newspaper!
It's easy to track your results. Your card can tell recipients to bring the card into your store for a special discount. Or it can ask them to use a special ordering code when purchasing from your website.
Postcards are versatile. In a single mailing, you can seek business from prospective customers, and solicit repeat business from existing customers. Better yet, a postcard isn't just something to send through the mail. You can use postcards as oversized business cards, hang tags for your products and mini-information sheets.
Your postcards can "brand" you and your business in ways that most marketing materials cannot. If you start and stick to a regular postcard mailing program, you and your business will gain quite a reputation, perhaps even a little notoriety.
Testing an offer with postcards is easy. Just send your card to a small group of people and see how many of them respond. If you're satisfied with the results, then roll out a bigger mailing!
Postcards don't waste people's time -- they don't even have to open an envelope to read your message.
Postcards don't take up a lot of space. Your customers can carry them in their pockets, or carry them in their pocketbooks, for that matter. Hey, some of them might even create a postcard display on their refrigerator door!
Postcards are inexpensive to print. You could design what's called a "four-up" card -- four cards on one 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper, print the design onto card stock, then cut the sheet into four cards. Want to do something fancier? The Postcard Marketing Secrets manual is filled with leads to inexpensive color postcard printers.
Postcards are easy to redeem. If you're asking your customers to bring your postcard into your store for a special discount, all they have to do is show up with the card.
Or you could include a special tracking code with each card
mailing. Just ask recipients to enter that code into the order form on your
website, or give it to the operator when they place a telephone order.
The idea behind "Bring this card for a discount!" or "Use this code and get an
additional 10% off on your order!" is to give people an incentive to do business
with you.
The Passionate Postcarder Advantage
While there are many "how-to" information products available to business owners,
mine are unique in that they offer a step-by-step, paint-by-the-numbers approach
to doing things.
For example, Postcard Marketing Secrets doesn't just include admonitions to send
postcards on a regular basis. It offers a template for planning a year's worth
of postcard marketing campaigns. And it doesn't just implore people to proofread
their postcard copy. It shows them exactly how to do it.
And, unlike many of my competitors, I take a global perspective on postcard
marketing. That's why Postcard Marketing Secrets includes an international
listing of companies that print postcards.
Marketing a Postcard Marketing Manual
I market my information product line via:
My website.
My e-zine, which is also called Postcard Marketing Secrets
Word-of-mouth.
Participating in online discussion groups like this one.
If someone asks for my card at a networking meeting, I give them a postcard.
Seeking media reviews and customer testimonials.
Submitting articles to highly trafficked websites that cover marketing.
Postcard Marketing Secrets retails for US $49.95, and is
available for purchase at:
http://www.PostcardMarketingSecrets.com
