Small and medium sized business budgets love postcards because they are one of the most effective and affordable marketing strategies. What other strategy could you place a personal message in the hands of 500 clients eight times a year for only $2.08 per client? Postcards are inexpensive to produce. In fact, standard sized postcards are 40% cheaper than using regular sized letters.

Mailing postcards allows you to take advantage of first class delivery while enjoying the postage savings (only $.26) that is lower than standard bulk mail. That amazingly low first class rate even applies when mailing just one card.

Postcards achieve almost 100 percent readership and generate a high rate of response.

Postcards are associated with happy memories and if your postcard looks like a personal message instead of a sales promotion, prospects can’t resist reading it. It’s up to you and your imagination to make your postcards eye-catching and readable.

Postcards don’t waste people’s time-they don’t even have to open an envelope to read your message. Letters, on the other hand, are enclosed in an envelope so the recipient gets a chance to decide whether to open the envelope or just throw it away — many decide on just throwing it away. What a waste of a marketing budget. However, with postcards, they will see your message.

When you use postcard marketing, your competition doesn’t know about it. Unlike advertisements in newspapers or magazines, which shows your competition how you are marketing your business.

You control where they are sent. That way, your competitor doesn’t know your marketing strategy unless one of your recipient’s happens to tell them.

Webster’s defines reputation as “the general esteem, position, character or distinction in which a person or company is held by the public.” A reputation is a distinction (good or bad) earned in the marketplace. A good reputation is gained by meeting certain customer standards. You earn your good reputation, and it will have everything to do with a positive company image.

Your company will be judged on how the client perceives you. Encourage your employees to be polite and provide friendly customer service. Make sure your product or service is competitively priced. It is important to do things as scheduled so that your customers are not inconvenienced.

This is something they don’t easily forget. Realize they are busy and keep appointments with them. This will help you earn a good reputation and leave your customers with a positive opinion of your company.

Advertising has changed. Many consumers and businesses are using the Internet now to compare prices and buy items they need online.

For the small to medium size business the cost of advertising to get the attention of these buyers has gone through the roof. It is outrageous how expensive it has become to advertise in newspapers, magazines and the Yellow Pages.

The real problem with display ads is they are not targeted advertising and there is no guarantee that you will get any response at all. You could spend hundreds of dollars of your already tight marketing budget for a display ad and never get the first phone call.

On the other hand, the postcard is a powerhouse of a marketing tool. They work!

Even faced with the advertising competition of the Internet, the simple postcard stands light years ahead of other methods of advertising.

The key to their success is to concentrate on marketing a specific item or niche. Pick out a few hundred very targeted suspects and print up a series of eight postcards, each featuring different benefits of your product or service. Mail them, one every six weeks for the next year to those target suspects.

You can use the shotgun approach and run a series of ads that you hope your suspects will see, or pinpoint them and send a series of benefit driven postcards.

Which would be more effective? I think you know — with the postcard you have consistency and frequency on your side – plus your targeted suspect will have seen your message multiple times.

Image is the feeling, mental picture or the perception that customers develop toward your business. Image is what people believe to be true. You make your company image.

Most markets have many businesses competing for the same customer. Your company must develop an image that will distinguish it from other companies. Otherwise, you will be just another generic business.

This image is built through your reputation, your unique selling position, customer service, and company name, even the condition of your vehicles. Work at creating this image with your target market in mind.

You can enhance your image through motivated employees. If you receive a letter from a customer mentioning one of your employees specifically, be sure to praise them. It’s great for company morale. One restaurant had small patches in the form of a checkmark produced and each time an employee was mentioned in letters, surveys, etc., they received a patch. It is similar to football players wearing symbols on their helmets for each sack they get.

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Since the cost of finding new customers is increasing drastically, the best place to look for new business is from your existing customers. When approached properly, they can become a free sales force.
A good customer referral is the strongest advertising you can receive. This referral is actually a stamp of approval from a third party regarding your product or service. You create good referrals by being sure your customers have positive experiences when using your company.
A big mistake business owners make is assuming they know what customers want. Listen to the customers. After they are finished talking, repeat their requests to make sure you understand. Also, make sure your staff knows the importance of properly dealing with customers.
Don’t get caught in the misconception — if I do a good job, referrals are automatic. This can be true, but not always. Never take referrals for granted. Once your business has reached the level of constant business flow, do not stop marketing. Because of competition, technology, client mobility and market changes you must constantly work at keeping the referrals coming.