By Bob Leduc

Postcards are one of the most effective marketing tools you can use to generate website traffic or sales leads. Postcards are not new - and they may not be very exciting. But they really work ...especially if you follow these 6 proven postcard marketing tactics.

1. Know What You Want

Decide what you want your postcards to accomplish. Most marketers use postcards to attract new customers. But you can also use them for other purposes such as generating repeat sales or cultivating customer loyalty.

Also, decide what you want the recipients of your postcards to do. For example, do you want them to visit your website, pick up the phone to call you, come into your store ...or something else?

2. Use the Best Mailing List

If you want postcards to generate repeat sales, you already have the mailing list - your customers. But if you want postcards to attract new customers, you need to get a mailing list. Fortunately, there are high-quality mailing lists available that can deliver your sales message directly to your best prospects.

For example, get a list of prospects who previously requested information about (or bought) products similar to those you sell ...or a list of subscribers to publications read by prospects in your targeted market. You can get these and other high-quality lists from most mailing list brokers.

3. Design Your Postcard to Look Like a Friendly Message

People like friendly messages. They don't like advertising. Take advantage of this by designing your postcard to look at first glance like a message from a friend instead of like an ad in a magazine. It produces a pleasant emotional reaction from readers and increases the number of replies you get.

For example, use the same typestyle and layout you would use for a personal note to a friend. Include a date at the top and a sender's name at the bottom. Avoid borders, graphics and other design features often used in advertising.

4. Include an Incentive to Respond Quickly

Provide a reason for those who read your postcard to take action - now. Don't let them put your postcard aside for later action. They'll get involved in other activities and forget all about it.

For example, offer the reader a discounted price, a special bonus or some other benefit if they reply by a deadline.

5. Use Real Stamps

Use real postage stamps on your postcards. It produces more replies than imprinting the postage. You can send postcards by First Class Mail in the US for only 24 cents if you make them at least 3 1/2 by 5 inches but no larger than 4 1/4 by 6 inches.

6. Time the Delivery of Your Postcards

Mail your postcards so they are likely to arrive on Tuesday or Wednesday. The volume of mail delivered on those days is usually light and your postcards will not have to compete with a lot of other mail delivered at the same time.

Controlling the delivery day of your postcards is easy if you use First Class Mail. Just allow 2 to 3 days for delivery - depending on how far they have to go. That's the normal delivery time for First Class Mail in the US.

Postcards have been around for a long time ...but they have become a highly-effective modern-day marketing tool. Follow these 6 proven postcard marketing tactics and you will generate a flood of traffic to your website, a steady flow of sales leads or any other sales activity you want.

Bob Leduc spent 20 years helping businesses like yours find new customers and increase sales. He just released a New Edition of his manual, How To Build Your Small Business Fast With Simple Postcards ...and launched *BizTips from Bob*, a newsletter to help small businesses grow and prosper. You'll find his low-cost marketing methods at: https://BobLeduc.com or call: 702-658-1707 After 10 AM Pacific Time/Las Vegas, NV

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