Get Ultimate Postcard Marketing Results for Your Massage Therapy Business
Marketing can be a complicated process, and postcard marketing is no different. There are a lot of factors to consider when planning and coordinating a strategic direct-mail campaign. There isn’t a quick trick to getting a well-targeted mailing list or an effective postcard design. However, here are some tips for receiving great results from the start.
In my 15-plus years of marketing experience, I have tried and erred plenty of times. Luckily, because of this, I can guide you away from the pitfalls beginning marketers run into.
First you just need to focus on what I call “the big three.” When you learn to manipulate the big three, you can create a perfect postcard campaign for your massage therapy business. It’ll help you grow your clientele—and best of all, increase your revenue.
When you get the big three right, you get a winning marketing strategy that will grow your business. Once you’re comfortable with the process, you can fine-tune your campaigns to continually improve your results. The big three are size, design and list.
Size
- “What size postcard do I need?”
- “Can I get away with a smaller card?”
- “What is the benefit of a bigger card?”
The size of your postcard directly affects the success of your campaign. There are many variables that go into a marketing campaign, but none of them have such an obvious effect on engaging the interest of prospects as the size. After all, a bigger postcard is easier to see, isn’t it? We can all agree it is. For many industries, a bigger card will be needed to get your marketing noticed in the mailbox.
Most direct-mail companies out there will give you different size options for your marketing postcard. If they don’t, find yourself a company that will. The most common options look like this: small (4×6), medium (5×8) and large (6×11), though the terminology will likely vary. You can find out what size you need to use in order to turn those raw prospects into clients by answering these questions:
1. How much do other companies in your industry market?
a. Not at all/I’m the only one (you can lean toward a smaller card)
b. Light-to-moderate amount (lean toward a larger card)
c. Moderate-to-heavy amount (you need a large card)
2. Do your competitors also mail postcards?
a. No (you can lean toward a smaller card)
b. Yes (you need a large card)
3. How much explaining does your offer require?
a. Not that much/easy to grasp (smaller card is fine)
b. A little background info (medium card should do the trick)
c. A lot; details are important (go big or go home)
My instinct says many of you will answer these questions “B, B, A,” so you are probably fine with a small-to-medium-sized card. However, there is no use putting the effort into a card just to have it ignored because you wanted to save a little bit on printing. If you think there might a lot of competition for your prospect’s attention, lean toward the medium size.
Design
In order to cut through the distraction of other mail (sometimes other marketing postcards) inside your prospects’ mailboxes, your card needs to incorporate specific, effective marketing elements. Specifically, here are the 10 elements your postcard design needs to have:
1. Clear headline
2. Supporting graphic
3. Color that pops
4. Intriguing subheads on the back of the card that lead into benefits
5. Benefits
6. Enticing offer
7. Your name and logo
8. Call to action and/or expiration date for the offer
9. Contact information: website, map, phone number
10. Return address
Elements 1-3 are all about grabbing the prospect’s attention and engaging her interest to read what the rest of the card says. If these three elements are weak, your card doesn’t get a second glance.
Elements 4-6 are where you take the reader from interested to taking action. Your subheads lead them naturally into the body copy, which is just brimming with customer benefits. Then, you lead them all the way to the bottom, where you make them an offer they can’t refuse.
Elements 7-10 close out the card by giving prospects every piece of information they could need to respond to your card. Then, it tells them exactly how to respond with the call to action. This is a crucial element: Because people are busy, they need you to spell out exactly what they should do after they finish reading or they won’t take the initiative.
If you have nailed each of these elements on your postcard, it’s ready to be mailed. Now, you have to decide who to mail to.
List
The most important of the three is saved for last, and that is the mailing list. You could design a postcard of sheer perfection and still get a low response if your mailing list is not well targeted. The mailing list defines who will receive your card, and you simply have to get it right.
In order to create an effective mailing list, you need to define your ideal prospect. Does your massage therapy business serve mostly elderly clients? Maybe you make your living by serving middle-aged professionals who are also juggling the responsibilities of being a parent, or young, single professionals. Once you nail down who your ideal prospect is, you need to find a list that is comprised of those individuals. You have the ability to get incredibly specific, too. How about families with less than three kids, and a household income of more than $100,000? Done. What about single professionals aged 25 to 35, with an income of more than $75,000, an interest in active sports and live within 20 miles of your establishment? No problem. The more specific you can make your list, the more relevant you can make your ads appear to your prospective clients.
If you want your postcard campaign to pay big dividends, you have to master the big three. Postcards work. I have watched 55,000-plus businesses succeed using postcard marketing. They work, and these three factors are the key to making them work for your business. Get moving with them, and 2013 will be your most profitable year yet.
Joy Gendusa is the owner and CEO of direct mail marketing firm, PostcardMania (www.postcardmania.com). Gendusa began PostcardMania in 1998, and originally started it as a full-service postcard marketing company helping clients create turnkey marketing campaigns with graphic design, printing, mailing list acquisition and mailing services. Since then, PostcardMania has expanded to offer clients more services, including website and landing page design and development, e-mail marketing and full marketing evaluations—all while continuing to educate clients with free marketing advice.
Download The Ultimate Postcard Marketing Success Manual, , as well as a free 95-Point Total Marketing Checklist.