Why Direct Mail and Postcards Still Work

Don’t assume that direct mail and postcard marketing is dead; in fact, it’s alive and well and should be a major part of your restaurant’s marketing efforts.  With direct mail and postcards, customers have a tangible, in-hand reminder of your menu, specials, location(s) and promotions.  The battle becomes one of how to separate your advertising from the piles of other junk mail they might receive on any given day.  So how do you make sure that the money you spend on direct mail and postcard marketing isn’t wasted and is seen by more people?   

Simple.  The answer lies in the design and excitement your direct mail and postcard marketing campaigns bring to the potential customer.  Things like eye-catching wording and graphics can play a major role in assuring your direct mail advertising is seen, as well as including coupons or important “by invitation only” events in which the customer needs to keep the mail in order to receive a particular discount or promotional offer.  Even if they are not sure if they can use the coupon or attend the event, the simple fact that they have an invitation or coupon in-hand will likely encourage them to keep it “just in case.”  

A recent article in Entrepreneur Magazine gives the following tips for increasing direct mail response:

• Give a free gift to increase response
• Highlight the free-gift offer prominently
• Use short copy to tease the reader to read further or respond
• Minimize the use of buzz words
• Use graphics and color to support the message and text
• Hire a professional copywriter for your content
• Hire a professional graphic designer
• Make your offer easy to understand at a glance
• Use all the formatting available with taste
• Have your direct mail reviewed by an objective third party
• Use colored paper to make impact and save on printing costs

To read more direct mail tips, read the full article here: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/193436

Marketing with Postcards isn’t Dead—In Fact, it’s Stronger Than Ever

With all the hype surrounding online marketing, many restaurants forget the power of simple postcard marketing.  In fact, it’s become one of the best ways to market because so few restaurants are doing it anymore!  Postcards are cheap to produce, cheap to mail, and are a great way to get the attention of potential customers.  Here are a few simple steps to take to make sure your postcard marketing campaign is successful and generates the results you want:

1)      Keep it simple

When you use postcards to generate website traffic or announce specials, be sure to keep it simple.  A quick message or easy-to-read coupon is all that is needed to generate the interest of the person looking at it.  Even though people tend to throw envelopes away before reading it if they believe it is “junk mail,” they will almost always look at a postcard before tossing it in the garbage or recycling.  If it has a coupon on it, the odds of the person keeping it will increase dramatically.  

2)      Alternate it with an email campaign

If someone constantly receives emails from you, they will put your email address into their spam filter quickly.  However, if you alternate postcard and email campaigns, your email messages will be less likely to end up in junk email boxes and you’ll also reach those people who, believe it or not, might not be email savvy. 

3)      Make it personal

Using a font that looks like handwriting makes the postcard seem like it is coming from a friend or relative, creating a more personal feel.  Get creative and make your postcard marketing campaign as personal and unique as possible and it is guaranteed to get results!