Direct Mail Copywriting: 5 Must-have Elements in a Postcard
Direct mail postcards are the most popular mail pieces sent without an envelope. The main advantage of sending a postcard is the postage rate – it is much lower than sending a letter.
Postcards are affordable, especially for small businesses. It’s easier to track results because postcards are always seen by the recipients, so you won’t need to worry about the open rate. And most importantly, postcards don’t waste people’s time. You’ll save both your prospects time, to read and your time, to produce. They are easy to print en masse. It’s simple to schedule mailings. And you can test fast with postcards a new market!
Here are 5 must-have elements that you should put on your postcard in order to drive sales, launch new products, introduce new products and services and generate new leads.
1. A Strong Headline
It is important to write a clear headline because 100% of your recipients will “read” the featured image, 80% will read the headline and only 5% will read the rest of your copy, depending on the value they perceived in the headline.
The title must set clear expectations for the receiver- what is he/she is going to get out of reading it. Use simple words. Simplicity is the key to success!
Some Options:
Use Numbers to attract eyes (examples: Save 25%, 7-day meal plan, Get Fit in 30 Days)
Place the word New / News in the beginning “News flash! Limited offer on your favorite cleaning home services!”
Tell and delight: people love stories. Especially short ones! Leave them wondering what happened next. “Maria fell in love, but she needed to boost her body confidence quickly. She came to us and 3 months later…”
Questions: “Do you wish to have more time for your family?” Ask a question and draw a response.
Urgency – Last Chance, limited offer, limited seats, the offer expires in 2 days! Want to jump right now? That’s the whole point.
Exclusivity – make them feel special with an exclusive offer and reward their loyalty.
Verbs – build desire for action and drive them to a benefit “Get healthier, stronger and slimmer”
2. List of Benefits
Briefly list the benefits of your products. Make sure you don’t list features instead. A feature is something that your product or service has or is: a functionality that enables clients to do something. Features address a common problem experienced by the customers. They are built and executed.
On the other hand, a benefit is an outcome or a result that a user will hopefully experience by using your product, and the reason why he or she will buy.
Example:
Features: complex full-body workouts, personalized strength training.
Benefits: a quick boost of energy level, fat loss, free of pain.
Highlight benefits to elicit desire. Tell them how your product will help them to have better lives, more time, higher energy, or even … find love, although people say that we cannot buy all of these things. We can buy solutions that save time or help us to find love. A win-win situation.
3. A Special Offer
Your offer is your incentive, that’s motivation to customers to take action right now. It could include a discount, a freebie, or something of high value. So, come up with something that would be considered of high value in your industry / your niche. The winning formula is high value + low cost (free).
Don’t be afraid to offer free products and services. The revenue you’ll gain from a lifelong customer will compensate you for your free promotions.
Many things are free nowadays, so come up with something that is not only free but also has a high value for your customers.
Examples
- Buy One and Get One for FREE
- Free Teeth Whitening
- 1 Free Window cleaning
- Free Consultation
- Free 7-day Meal Plan
The offer has to expire in order to create a sense of urgency, so set a reasonable deadline for your customers to process the information and take action. Also, you want to reward your first customers with special treatment, like better prices for your ”early birds”.
Read also 10 Ways to Make Your Direct Mail Offer Attractive
4. A Great Picture
Endorse your Offer with compelling visuals of what you are selling. Never underestimate the power of visual marketing. We, humans, are visual creatures, although we use words for communication. 100% of your prospects will “read” the image you chose for illustration. So, tell your story in one great picture.
5. A Powerful Call to Action
Close the deal with a powerful call to action. A call to action is a simple statement that lets your customers know what you want them to do next: make an appointment, call or order today. If it is difficult to figure out how to take the next step, people often won’t.
To sum up, your ultimate goal is to capture attention, drive action and get a response. The postcard can be your greatest marketing tool. Use all it’ aspects to your advantage. Plan your campaign carefully and write your copy with your goal in mind. Address your offer to your ideal customers and test your mailing list in small chunks. When you are happy with results, schedule a direct mail sequence. Many successful businesses are built on the power of postcards.
