Postcard advertising, unlike tourism postcards or other forms of postcards are an alternative or a complementary mode of advertising with endless options as opposed to catalogs, letters and flyers. Postcard advertising can be either direct-mail or non-mail advertising with each having its own merits and demerits. Direct mail advertising postcards are sent via mail and received directly by the recipient. This form of advertising is commonly used by an organization targeting current and prospective customers and has the advantage of having the recipient seeing the message without the need to opening anything. Their small size however limits the amount of information that can be included, thus they do not carry much content. Since they are openly exposed, they are also not viable where privacy and security are a concern.
Many businesses however have been successful in using direct mail postcard advertising, such as realtors in advertising new listings, doctors and dentists in appointment reminders, political campaigns and businesses like movie rentals. Some authorities even permit these cards to take on a shape that matches the theme of the campaign they carry, adding to their effectiveness.
Non-mailed postcard advertising is where the cards are designed to raise awareness of a company, a service or a cause. This form of advertising is commonly seen in nightclubs, cinemas and restaurants and usually contains discreet advertising slogans to lure the young social and trendy 18-35 year olds who frequent these establishments to pick, save and show off these flash cards. In order to appeal to the target audience they therefore need to be really attractive and attention grabbing in addition to having an endless supply with changing adverts on them.
Because of content limitation, postcard advertising revolves around having the postcard display a headline, an offer, a claim of fame and a call to action. The headline tells the prospect what it is all about, the offer is a discount or a unique product or service, the claim of fame is your business credibility and the call to action is how the client should respond either by visiting a website, mail or making a call.
Remember that keeping it simple stupid, when it comes to postcard advertising is the best way. Effective advertising postcards have reasonable sized fonts and clear language. Even when there is plenty of white space, leaving blank spaces gives readers some breathing space. With some creativity, a little foresight and some design enhancements, postcard advertising can prove highly effective.
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