Category: Postcards

Postcard Printing: Why Offset is the Best!

Postcard printing is one of the best ways to market your brand. You can include it in your print advertising campaign along with business cards, brochures, flyers, banners, and more. What’s good about postcard printing is that it contains more information than business cards, but less than what you can print on a brochure. This means that it can have just the right amount of information when you’re launching a new product or service, or introducing your brand to a new set of customers.

When printing postcards and other advertising materials, you can take your pick from two types of printing: digital and offset. Digital desktop printers are cheap and easy to find, while offset printing delivers more professional-looking results. Here, we will look at why it pays to choose offset printing when ordering postcards for your business’ advertising campaign.

 Why Use Offset Printing for Postcard Marketing

 Fortunately, there are many color postcard printing service providers that use offset printing. Here are the top three reasons why you should choose this method over digital:

  • Quality

Digital printing companies are cheap and common because there are no complicated equipment needed – a desktop printer will do. The problem with this type of printing is that it cannot necessarily deliver professional-looking results. Compare the appearance of a postcard made with digital and offset printers and you will see the subtle differences. Also, there are more laminating effects that can be done using state-of-the-art printing presses so offset really is the way to go.

  • Speed

Once the digital steps like layouting, film stripping, and color separation is done, offset printers can print hundreds or even thousands of postcards in a matter of minutes. This is something that a digital printer just cannot do.

  • Volume

The same thing holds true when it comes to volume. Offset printers are huge so if you need to print dozens of banners or a thousand business cards, for example, the machines can easily handle the bulk and volume.

As such, it pays to look for offset printing companies if you plan to print postcards online. In terms of quality, speed, and volume, offset is your best bet.

 

 

 

 

 

Must-Remember Postcard Printing & Marketing Ideas

Decades ago, postcards were used to send short personal messages when traveling but now, postcard printing can also be used for advertising purposes. If you’re a business owner, you will definitely benefit from reading through our list of postcard printing and marketing ideas.

Printing Postcards

First, how and why are postcards use for advertising? Let’s say that you just opened a bakery selling specialty cupcakes. Your immediate neighborhood might have seen your physical store, but how about those who haven’t? How can you reach out to them? By sending out postcards, you can let them know that your store actually exists and that you have a line of delicious products that they might want to try. Postcards are cheap to make and mail but are effective in getting the word out about your business.

When printing postcards, look for a color postcard printing service provider that offers offset printing. As compared to desktop digital printers, offset printers deliver professional-looking prints. Choose a thick paper stock and take your pick from high gloss or a matte finish. Size-wise, the most popular is 4” x 6”. However, if you want to stand out, you can go for larger postcards such as 5’ x 7’, 6’ x 9’, or even 8.5” x 5.5” cards. Jumbo postcards may cost a bit more to print and mail, but they are attention-grabbers.

 Marketing Postcards

 Second, after looking for a company that can print postcards online, you need to think about how you can use the postcards for your marketing campaign. Here are a few ideas:

  • Use the postcards as discount cards. Incorporate a discount code or turn the card itself into a physical coupon that customers can bring to your store and use to get discounts. Print advertising is all about offering the best benefits that you can provide to customers, and this is one way to do exactly that.
  • Use the postcard as a way to remind customers of their appointments. If you’re offering salon services, for instance, mail a postcard to remind a client of her hair coloring appointment.
  • Use the postcard as a holiday greeting card. Consistency is key if you want to develop customer loyalty so make sure to send out postcards during the holiday season to your existing and potential customers.
  • You can also use the postcard to let customers know about a sale that you’re having, a referral program that you might be running, or any other event that they can participate in.

As you can see, there are a multitude of ways for you to incorporate postcards into your marketing campaign, so get started right now!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Postcard Printing: What Do I Actually Write on the Card?

If you’re considering using postcard printing as a way to advertise your business, you need to think about what you’ll actually write on the card. When “snail mail” was still popular, people used postcards as a way to send a quick greeting to loved ones. Business owners also used them as holiday greeting cards for customers.

Now that everything has gone digital, how can you write postcards in such a way that you can quickly deliver your marketing message to your target audience? Here are a few quick tips on how you can write the copy when you print postcards:

  • Base the content on your marketing objective.

If you’re a beauty products manufacturer, for example, and you are introducing a new product line, you cannot list down all the information on the postcard. Crowding the card with too much text will confuse the reader, and make the printed material look cheap. Since your marketing objective is to introduce the new product line, come up with a two or three-liner content that will make the reader interested to learn more about it. You can also incorporate a QR code which they can scan – and it will lead the browser or their smartphone to your website. Or, you can simply include the URL of your website or the address of your store. A short, dynamic introduction will do for the postcard content if you have a lot of information to sift through.

  • Balance the white space with the text and images.

Again, when you print postcards online, be careful about overcrowding the space with too much information. There should be just the right balance of white space, text, and images. If the page is too bare, you will not maximize the marketing potential of the card. On the other hand, a card that looks too busy is not really aesthetically pleasing, and will not impress your customers at all because it will look too cheap.

  • Make sure that there’s a call to action.

Do you want the recipient of the card to visit your website? Go to your store because you’re holding a sale? Give you a call for more information about your offer? Based on what you want the customers to do after receiving the postcard, there must be a call to action.

  • Offer incentives to the recipient of the postcard.

Finally, to make your postcard stand out, offer a little extra incentive to your customers. Why not use the postcard as an appointment reminder? You can also include a QR code which they can use when checking out items from your online store. Or, you can turn the postcard into a discount coupon that they can use when visiting your physical store.

By knowing how to write the content for your postcard, you can turn your print marketing campaign into a successful one.

 

 

Take Your Pick from these Postcard Printing Design Ideas

Postcard printing is one of the many ways that your brand can stand out. When combined with business cards, envelopes, folders, letterheads, and similar products, you can launch a print ad campaign that will leave a lasting mark to your customers.

Postcard Design Ideas You Can Apply

Before looking for a print postcards online company, you must first come up with a design idea. When doing so, think about your goal for printing the cards in the first place. Do you need to relaunch your brand to your existing market and a new age group of potential customers? Are you planning to introduce a new line of products or services? Is your business moving to a new location? Base your content on your marketing goal, then apply these ideas when creating the design for the postcards:

  • Use hand-drawn illustrations or professionally-shot photos.

Postcards have more space than business cards but less space than flyers or brochures. With the available space that you have, you need to include one element that is striking enough to capture the attention and imagination of your readers. For this, you can go for hand-drawn illustrations to create that old-fashioned look. If it’s a photograph that you want to include, make sure that it’s professionally-shot and suits your marketing objective.

  • Focus on your marketing copy.

Since postcards are a cross between a business card and a flyer or brochure in terms of size, you need to maximize the available space that you have. Make sure that there’s a good balance of text and images. For the copy, keep it short and the language simple. You don’t even have to hire a copywriter – just make sure that the copy is free from grammar and spelling and errors. Still, you have to include a call to action so that the material will fulfil your marketing objectives in the end.

  • Go for giant postcards.

Another way to print postcards that stand out is to supersize it. You might have to spend a bit more on mailing the oversized postcards but it will surely make an impact on the recipient.

Take your cue from these postcard printing design ideas to make a standout marketing statement.

 

 

 

 

 

Ways to Print Postcards Based on Your Specific Industry

If you are looking for new marketing techniques, why don’t you print postcards? Almost everything is digital nowadays but surprisingly, a bigger percentage of consumers still respond to old school marketing techniques  like print advertising. For this, you can use business cards, postcards, rack cards, and similar materials. In the next section, we will take a look at how you should print postcards online based on the specific business that you’re running.

How Specific Businesses can Use Postcard Marketing to their Advantage

Almost all businesses can benefit from postcard marketing, and here are a few tips to remember based on your industry or profession:

  • Dentists

In the middle of the year 2000, email marketing became huge. Dentists and other medical professionals benefited from it because no-shows at doctor’s appointments drastically decreased. There was also greater name recall and better patient retention. But now that people are having a hard time trimming the junk mail they’re receiving in their Inboxes, email marketing has become less effective. Postcard marketing is a better option now. Receiving physical mailers produced the same results: better name recall, higher appointment completion rate, and smoother operations overall.

  • Veterinarians

Vets who have a list of pet owners within the vicinity of their clinics can greatly benefit from postcard marketing. They can personalize it and use it as a way to remind clients of pet vaccination appointments. Postcards can also double as discount coupons and holiday greeting cards, something that will boost customer loyalty.

  • Beauticians

Those in the beauty industry can send clients postcards that offer women discounts when having their nails or hair done.

  • Store Owners

No matter which product or service you’re offering, you can use postcard marketing to your advantage. Turn a portion of a large postcard into a detachable business card, which is beneficial if you are just starting to introduce your brand to your target market. Turn the postcard itself into a discount card so that when a customer brings it along, he or she can be qualified for a certain percentage off.

One last thing – it is important to look for an experienced color postcard printing service provider if you want to use print advertising to market your wares. Just like everything else about your business, you will leave a lasting impression to your clients if you will mail out postcards with high-quality print. More importantly, you will achieve the desired marketing results out of your print promotional campaign.

Apply these Top Marketing Tips when You Print Postcards this 2019

As an entrepreneur, you may already know that to print postcards is one way to boost your brand name through print advertising. While you’re at it, you should be aware of what the latest marketing trends are. The result is that you can apply these trends to make your ad campaign more effective.

Let’s say that you are launching a new product line and you want to use print advertising. The first thing to do is look for a company that provides color postcard printing service. Make sure that they offer offset printing using state-of-the-art printing presses. This way, you will get the highest-quality print possible.

Next, here are a few marketing trends that you can apply when creating the design and writing the copy of your postcards:

  1. It’s still about excellent customer experience.

If you’re just starting out in launching a print advertising campaign, remember that customer is king. Instead of just printing out a plain postcard, turn 1/3 or a portion of the card into a discount coupon. Offering customers such a benefit will increase the results of your marketing efforts.

  1. 65% retail, 35% online.

This coming 2019, majority of consumers do online shopping – but there’s still a huge chunk that go inside physical retail stores. Surveys show that 65% of buyers opt to still physically see the items before purchasing, while the remaining 35% are satisfied with a completely online buying experience. This means that you can print postcards online and use them as mailers so that customers can have a tangible promotional material from you.

  1. Millennials do respond to print advertising.

If you think that the only customers who belong to the older age bracket will respond to print advertising, think again. Despite the fact that millennials are pretty much born with a tablet computer or mobile phone in their hands, they do respond well to mailers. More than 60% pore over their mail as compared to scanning their Inbox so if they are your target market, you will get great results with a dynamic postcard marketing campaign.

Again, a postcard marketing campaign will be even more successful if you can integrate useful features like a detachable business card, coupon codes, or scannable QR codes. Combine this with awareness of the latest marketing trends to give your print ad campaign a boost.

 

 

Tips for Getting Started When You Print Postcards

If you want to print postcards but have no idea where to start, here are a few option to choose from:

  1. Customize it.

Color postcard printing service providers may offer you the most popular sizes: 4” x 6” and 5” x 7”. But if you’re just getting started and you don’t want your postcards to be drowned among similarly printed promotional materials, it is better to go for customized ones. If you’re a real estate agent, for example, you can order a 6” x 9” postcard. It can be a personalized postcard which shows the recipient the value of his or her property. This is an excellent way to target new clients and get you the leads you need.

  1. Go for what’s tried and tested.

On the other hand, you can also go for the most popular sizes. These are tried and tested printed advertising materials that will let potential and existing customers know about the product or services you’re offering.

  1. Think of something that will make you stand out.

If you’ve long been in the real estate industry but haven’t tried postcard marketing yet, think of something that will make you stand out. If you have a listing to share, you can incorporate that on the postcard design.  Featuring such an achievement will impress your clients and increase your listings.

When you print postcards online, look for an experienced and specialized printing company. It is best to go with one that has a wide range of products like brochures, business cards, door hangers, envelopes, folders, letterheads, rack cards, and the like.

The printing method is another thing that you must consider. Does the printing company use a digital or an offset printing technique? State-of-the-art printing presses apply the Heidelberg technology to make the colors pop.

As you can see, even if you are a newbie when it comes to postcards printing, there are many techniques that you can apply to make your brand stand out. Combine this with high-quality printing and you are bound to get the results that you want from your print advertising campaign.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Capture the Imagination of Your Audience with the Right Color Postcard Printing Service

If you think that getting a color postcard printing service provider is something that should not be done by modern entrepreneurs, think again. The old school way of sending out postcards for direct mail marketing is very much “in” these days – simply because it is still effective. Here are the reasons why you should consider adding postcards to your print marketing campaign:

  • Unlike digital coupons or discounts sent through email, people appreciate having something tangible in hand. Your postcard can double up as a discount coupon, so people will be very happy receiving one in the mail.
  • Sending postcards regularly is a great way to establish customer loyalty. Let’s say that you own a beauty salon. You can send out postcards to your existing and prospective customers whenever a new service or product is offered. These postcards can double as discount coupons for services. During the holiday season, you can turn the postcards into holiday greeting cards. Such consistency will mark the name of your business in the minds of your customers, so it builds trust and brand loyalty.
  • You can actually make a high-tech postcard by including scannable QR codes in the design. Once a customer scans the code on his or her mobile phone, it can lead the browser to your website – or it can serve as a digital discount coupon.

Choosing the Right Custom Postcard Printing Company 

Should you decide to print postcards online, how can you look for the right printing company? There are two kinds to choose from: digital and offset. With digital printing, desktop printers are usually used. With offset printing, huge Heidelberg printing presses are used and the results have better quality than digital printing. Another thing to look for in a printing company is their expertise in the field, the turnaround time, the price for the service, and the quality of results delivered. If they have a complete line of printed products offered, they are most likely experienced when it comes to printing postcards as well.

With an appropriate design, layout, message, and print quality, you can use postcards to up the ante in your print marketing strategy.

 

 

 

Get a Color Postcard Printing Service Provider to Make Your Direct Mail Marketing Campaign Zoom

Thinking of getting a color postcard printing service provider? If yes, you are already on the right path. Unlike what most people think, print advertising is still alive. In fact, the popularity of email and digital marketing campaigns can be complemented with print marketing. This means that it makes perfect sense for a business owner to spend time, effort, and some money looking for the right print postcards online company that will create the right set of postcards for them.

How to Make Your Postcards Noticeable

When a customer receives a bunch of letters in the mail, what is it that will make your postcard stand out? The good thing about postcards is that they are not stuffed inside envelopes so the message can be easily read. It is entirely up to the design and content of your postcard if the reader will keep it for filing, or throw it directly in the trash. To avoid the latter, here are a few tips on how to make your postcards noticeable:

  • Go big or go home?

The standard size of a postcard used for direct mail marketing is 6’”x 11”. There are smaller sizes, while the bigger ones have a maximum measurement of 9” x 11” – bigger than a letter printing paper! If you want to get noticed, why not go for postcards which are bigger in size than the standard? Printing and mailing it may cost a bit more, but if it will give you the results that you want, then the extra money you’ll spend is well worth it.

  • Pay attention to design and print quality.

Look for a custom postcard printing company that specializes in offset instead of digital printing. Desktop printers do not really provide the same level of quality that huge printing presses do, so it’s better to invest in this type of printing. Design-wise, make sure to create the right balance between text and image. If you must use photos, make sure that they are professionally-shot and not just stock images that you’ve seen on the Internet. Illustrations are also good to use, while the copy should be short and effective – so that you can get your marketing message across.

  • Send those postcards to the right people.

Finally, the purpose of sending postcards will be defeated if you will not send it to your target market. Real estate postcards should not be sent to students who cannot pay for a house; while a veterinarian’s postcard with a discount coupon should not be sent to non-pet owners. Sending the postcards to the right mailbox is the key to a successful direct mail marketing campaign.

 

Select a Color Postcard Printing Service Provider and Use it for Direct Mail Marketing!

Choosing a color postcard printing service provider is something that you have to do if you want to take advantage of the benefits of direct mail marketing. Despite the emergence of digital marketing techniques, the old school way of sending postcards by mail is actually still effective. As long as you know how to do it effectively, you can save a lot of money on advertising costs by going for custom postcard printing.

Mistakes to Avoid when Launching a Direct Mail Marketing Campaign

Of course, just as it is when doing any business-related task, you must know exactly what you’re doing when it comes to direct mail marketing. A good way to get started in this type of marketing campaign is to know which mistakes to avoid in the first place.

  • Don’t make your postcards look like junk mail.

Millenials most probably do not check their physical mail and if they do, they know how to recognize junk mail from those that would give them something that’s of value. No matter which age bracket your target market is, you must know how to not make your postcards look like junk mail. What’s good about postcards is that they are not encased in envelopes so the message can be read right away. For the design of the postcard, make sure to get the right mix between images and text to get your marketing message right across.

  • Don’t use cheesy marketing lines.

If you’re in the real estate business, for example, avoid using cheesy and overused marketing lines. Multiple exclamation points, stock images, unreliable graphics, clip-art style images, or a postcard that’s filled with too much text – so much so that it’s hard to read – these are the other things to avoid.

  • Don’t be inconsistent.

The key to an effective direct mail marketing campaign is consistency. You cannot send a postcard to a customer once – and not ever do it again. After your initial contact, make sure to send postcards during promotional events, as a holiday greeting card, or when you have something of value to offer the customer.

  • Don’t use a non-targeted list.

Using the real estate example mentioned earlier, you will not send these marketing postcards to students who do not have money to pay for a house just yet. If you want to get a list of the families or individuals in a specific area who are interested in buying or selling property, look for a stock broker to get a valid list from. This way, you would know that the print postcards online that you will order will be delivered to the right mailbox.

  • Don’t forget to include a call to action.

Lastly, make sure to include a call to action. To set your postcards apart from the rest, you can use it as a discount coupon or as a business card – so always indicate your contact information. An effective call to action must make a reader want to get in touch with your company for more information.

Avoid these mistakes so that you can have a truly effective print marketing campaign with the help of simple postcards delivered through direct mail.