Mistake #1: Not Targeting Your Audience
The biggest direct mail marketing mistake companies make is incorrect targeting. While saturation mailing is right for some companies or promotions, many companies waste money mailing to the entire local area. They get a very small return on their investment because only a small percentage of recipients are interested in their product or service.
The best, easiest, cheapest way to target your audience is with an in-house mailing list. An in-house mailing list is a list of addresses you collect from your own customers for marketing purposes. If you don't already have an in-house mailing list, start one.
If you have a membership program at your business, you can add physical mailing address a required step for sign-up. Or let the customers know there are exclusive offers and coupons for mailing list subscribers.
Your other option for acquiring a targeted mailing list is to purchase one. This is especially helpful for new businesses that are trying to promote a unique product or service to a specific demographic such as pet owners, singles, college graduates or a specific gender, to name a few.
Mistake #2: Undesirable or Unfocused Content
When your recipients collect their mail, they will quickly glance through it to see what's important and what's junk mail. If they can't figure out the point of your postcard mailer in this quick glance, it will go right into the trash. So your promotional postcard better get to the point right away.
The content of your marketing postcards should consist of only 2 things: a hook and a call-to-action.
For the hook, the front of your postcard should have a big title at the top or an intriguing image taking up all or most of the area. Either way, the point is to pique the customer's curiosity. Make them wonder what the card is about so they'll want to read the rest. This is what gets your postcard into the "mail to go through" pile instead of the "junk mail" pile.
The call-to-action is the point of your postcard. There should be only one call-to-action, and you should get to that point quickly. Be as concise as possible to prevent overwhelming the recipient with clutter. Your call-to-action should take up the other side of the card and pop out at the customer. That way, if they only see one side of the card, there is something to grab their interest on both sides.
Mistake #3: Not Being Consistent
When marketing with postcards, it's necessary to keep at it. The key to success in postcard marketing is to keep sending mailers over and over again for several months. Most of the time, you won't see much of a result after your first round of promotional postcards. It usually takes several rounds of mailers before recipients start responding.
There's also another benefit to repeated mailings. Even if your customer throws every postcard away without responding, they'll see your company name every time. Name repetition equals brand awareness, so repeated mailings are effective whether they're read or not.
Mistake #4: Forgetting to Include Vital Information
Forgetting to include your address on your mailer is the most effective way to shoot your postcard marketing campaign in the foot. In addition to your address, make sure the recipient has all other information they need to heed your call-to-action.
This deadly marketing mistake is both the easiest to commit and the easiest to fix. Always have at least two people look over your marketing postcards to check for errors.
Mistake #5: Forgetting to Proofread
In the same way, it is essential that your postcard is free of errors. Typos make your mail look unprofessional and recipients won't take you seriously if they see them. When you check your postcards for vital information, proofread for grammatical errors as well.
Mistake #6: Sounding Like a Robot
It's easy to get so focused on business goals and calls-to-action that you forget to be personal on your postcards. When you proofread, also check the voice of your postcard to make sure it doesn't sound impersonal.
It helps to include a personal message in the postcard. You can say something like, "We miss you," or, "Here's a special offer to say thank you."