How to Become a Postcard Marketing Ninja

If you are reading this introduction, it's probably because the article's headline did its job. That's what you must do in your postcard marketing campaigns, and you must do it in five seconds or less. This is where direct mail headlines come into play.

What's a Postcard Marketing Ninja?

Postcard marketing ninjas are rare. At last count, there were only about a dozen of them worldwide. So while you may never actually join the ranks of the postcard marketing ninjas, you can certainly adopt some of their practices -- and by doing so, you will elevate your postcard marketing program to new levels of success.

Postcard marketing ninjas have truly mastered the art of direct mail marketing with postcards. As a result, they can achieve response rates that "mortals" like you and I can only dream about. But we can certainly emulate them to improve our own success.

Postcard Headlines - A Tool of the Ninja

Your postcard headlines are a great place to employ ninja wisdom. Direct mail postcards must grab the reader's attention with the promise of something gained. With only a glance, the reader must understand what he or she has to gain by reading the rest of the postcard. Otherwise, the postcard will be tossed aside. Postcard marketing ninjas never have their postcards tossed aside, so we must strive to be like them.

Here are some ways to sharpen your headline to a fine point, thus transforming it into a highly effective tool for postcard marketing success.

Make Your Headlines Simple and Clear

Complexity is the enemy of direct mail headlines, so keep your headline simple and straightforward. Your recipients should get your point and understand the benefit right away. They should not have to read the headline twice or scratch their heads over it. Rewrite your headline until it's as clear as possible at first glance.

Follow the Rule of Ten

The Rule of Ten suggests you should write your headline ten different ways, and then systematically eliminate the weaker ones. You can eliminate them in a number of ways. Try reading them out loud to see if any sound awkward. If so, remove them from the list. Then try showing the other to friends or colleagues (or to test subjects, if you really want to get fancy). Ask which one motivates or interests them the most, and why.

Repeat this until you narrow your list down to the top three headlines. Then put the list aside for at least a day. When you return to it, ask yourself the questions below:

• Does my headline offer a benefit?



• Is that benefit crystal-clear?



• Does the headline identify my primary audience in some way?



• Is it interesting enough to move the reader into the message?



• Does it suggest something of value to my reader?



• Does this headline identify my primary audience in some way?



• Is it honest and relevant to my product or service?

Conclusion

Headlines have the power to make or break a postcard marketing campaign. Postcard marketing ninjas know this and treat their headlines accordingly, honing them until they are razor-sharp and on-target. Write them. Revise them. Hone them. Track and test them. And then start the process over again. You can't afford to do anything less.

* You may republish this article online if you retain the author's byline and the active hyperlinks below. Copyright 2007, Brandon Cornett.

Tracking Direct Mail With PURL's

Direct mail is effective but notoriously difficult to measure. Once a project is dropped off at the post office, it seems to fall into a black hole. Until recently, the best you can do is to pay attention to how often your phone rings and evaluate the return on investment through gut feeling.

New options are available to help measure your direct mail project more objectively. Personalized URLs or PURLs represent a new way to track, test and tweak your campaigns.

What is a PURL? Think of it as a mini site devoted to your direct mail campaign. If your company has a website at acmewidgets.com, register a new domain at acmeoffers.com (or whatever else you like) and build your PURLs there. Using a company like MindFire Inc or BlueTreeDirect, you can set up a page for each member of your mail list. Then you can print postcards or flyers with your prospects' personalized URL right on it.

Once they arrive at their PURL, you prospect will be greeted by name. You can also show different content to different members of your list. This can be useful when you're introducing them to their territory representative or trying to cross sell relevant products to your past customers.

By sending them to a PURL, rather than your main site, you can view the results of your mail more closely. Using reporting features, you can see which prospect responded to your mail and when they responded. You can see what they clicked on and how much time they spent there. You can also set up triggers so that a sales representative gets an email the instant a prospect clicks on a certain link.

With so much trackability, you can test different offers and see which one gets the best results. Or you can add or remove pages based on how long users stay on the site. By fine tuning your project, you'll enjoy better results on your direct mail campaign.
PURLs usually cost $.04-$.08 each to set up so they are an affordable solution for most businesses. Take advantage of this new technology and get more control over your next direct mail campaign.

Promotional Products + Direct Mail = Responses

We receive so much advertising today, through the mail, e-mail, the Internet, television, radio, and billboards. We learn to tune certain messages out and choose carefully what we open out of our mailboxes. Many pieces of mail are sent straight to the garbage without a second look. As a marketing professional whose job is to grasp customer attention and generate responses from direct mail strategies, this can be a challenging task. However, there are some possibilities that should not be overlooked. Promotional products can make the difference. It's true. It has been proven- by leading experts in the field of market research. When a company includes promotional items along with direct mail sales letters, response rates increase dramatically. Consider the following:

1. Mailed promotional gifts solidify your business' name in the minds of prospective clients. They remember you. When children need back-to-school clothing, recipients are more likely to remember you based on the inflatable ball that you mailed. Similarly, when the heating and air conditioning needs repair, that customized refrigerator magnet you sent serves as a reminder of your company. The need to search the yellow pages or ask around the neighborhood for names is eliminated when the public already has some exposure to your name. Direct mail paired with promotional products enhances the memory of customers.

2. The combination of pieces creates feelings of gratitude in the customer. The studies indicate that when individuals receive an item of value, it fosters a sense of obligation. When customers open your packages to find gifts that they appreciate, they lean toward choosing you over the competitors based on the initial contact and favor.

3. Promotional products create curiosity. When recipients check their mailboxes and discover odd-shaped packaging or envelopes that obviously contain something of mystery, the wheels in their minds begin turning. In the beginning they may have few intentions of responding to your offer. Nevertheless, the mystery contained in the packaging can be too much for people to resist. Upon discovering your item, the chances that they will connect with your company increase magically.

4. Moreover, free gift items contribute to an element of suspense. One effective technique involves sending a series of packages at various intervals each containing a unique and thoughtful item corresponding to the time sensitive opportunity. After the first one has been opened and examined, it can be hard to resist subsequent arrivals. People want to know what is coming next. They begin to anticipate and look forward to the following direct mail pieces. Of course, this greatly affects their relationship to your business and its image.

While so many benefits exist, consider that there are ways to assist the ease of the intended outcome. Safeguard your efforts by checking in with some of the following ideas. You obviously want to see the fruits of your labor, and taking time to review the following suggestions can work to your advantage.

- Contact the local post office. Certain promotional gifts, though small, have the potential to puncture thin packaging. Ask about the appropriate methods of sending such items.

- Know the consequences of using oddly shaped containers. While tubes and oversized boxes are eye catching and can inspire curiosity, they can be an inconvenience if they force the recipient to travel to pick them up. If a package fails to fit into a mailbox and the mail carrier leaves the notice indicating failure of delivery, the customer could become dismayed. They may be disappointed after traveling to pick the mail and finding the direct mail piece. This could be detrimental to your wishes of facilitating customer goodwill.

- Create professional packaging. Use computerized labels, standard envelopes, and avoid handwritten addresses or sloppy appearances. If you want your mail to be taken seriously, it must be presented with care. In addition to looking respectable, it should not stir any feelings of uneasiness or discomfort among recipients.

- Doing some basic demographic research could be beneficial. If you are taking the time to customize an item and pay for the shipping, make it worth your while. Include something of quality to impress the prospective clients. It need not be expensive or large. However, a creative or thematic approach works well. Be sure that your graphic work appears professionally done.

Becoming aware of what does and doesn't work saves you trouble, time, and resources. These basic principles and gentle warnings should be of assistance to your direct mail campaign. Competitive businesses know that including promotional items seriously influences the response rates of sales letters.