When you plan for your postcard printing for the holidays this year, you may want to look into the the trends. They are there to set the tone of the season and send cheer despite the downturns in the economy.

1. Colors and Sparkle

The holiday colors of reds, greens, silver and gold can uplift the spirit of the receiver. You can add glitter to the images and choose bright colors for the font or the paper. Remember that envelopes can be customized so dress them up as well.

2. Heartwarming Winter Scenery

Holiday card printing services are turning to photos with idyllic winter landscapes that will spark some kind of recall in the mind of the receiver of happier times. The mood will be significant in this economy when everyone would need to look forward to change and a promising year ahead.

3. Special Promotions

One inclusion in holiday direct mail that never runs out of style regardless of the state of the economy are the special offers and discounts. Business owners use this to thank their customers for a year that had been and keep their patronage in the coming year.

Source: Stationersguild.org

Once you have completed your flyer printing task, you may want to send a few copies through the mail. Jump right into the envelope-stuffing part with the following guidelines:

1.  Will a window make a difference?

No. While a window can cut a step in addressing your direct mail, its presence has no bearing whatsoever on whether your envelope will be opened or whether it will move the reader into action. Thus, feel free to go either way on this.

2.  Is a white envelope better?

When you speak of printing services costs, there is always the impression that a plain envelope in white will cost less. If you are on a tight budget, then you may have no other choice. Know, however, that opting for a colored envelope or one that has  an eye-catching graphic or art on it will generate more response. Even a witty catchphrase can lure a reader to read its contents. While you are at it, do something creative with the back part. Readers tend to pay attention to that as well.

3.  Will a thick envelope be a disadvantage?

If you have quite a bulk to pack, never fear. Many recipients are curious about the thicker-than-most envelopes they get in the mail. Thus, your advertisement will likely be opened in this case.

Source: Presentation-pointers.com

Before you extol the merits of email marketing over postcard printing, acknowledge first that every strategy has its own downsides. True, if you write and design your own copy, you will not be spending more than a chunk of your time. You will not also be paying for stamps. The trade-off for these, however, would have you thinking twice about going for this strategy to promote your products.

1. Spam Risk

The web equivalent of the trash bin for flyer printing is the spam folder. These are created by email hosts precisely to prevent newsletters like yours from cluttering the inbox folder. Since this is almost always automatic, the chance is high for your target customer to not even see a word of your advertisement.

2. Customer Behavior

Even if your ad will make it to the inbox, there is also that little factor you have to consider. Not all people would bother to check their email everyday so these would pile up over time. When your customer gets around to reading your email, your special, internet-only limited offer would have long expired.

3. Unreliable Addresses

Some people switch emails faster than they change clothes. Since they are not likely to change residences as quickly, it would be better for you to send the ad to a physical address.

Source: Businessmarketingplan.net

How often one avails of printing services intended for direct mailing may be vague for many business owners. If you send them often enough, the discount offer may not be that valuable to the customer anymore. Finding the right interval that works for you can depend on several factors:

1. Direct mail companies you contracted with Handing over your company’s flyer printing job to a third party would mean that you are bound to the time intervals that you have agreed on the contract. Because the decision is taken out of your hands, you can focus on studying the response that the direct mail has generated and request for an adjustment, if necessary, upon the renewal of your contract.

2. Competitor’s campaign intervals If you are sending out the promotional materials yourself, you can copy how your competitors time their campaigns. Whether they send at the start of every season or on the third week of the month, your goal is to not be left in the behind when it comes to fighting for your customer’s attention.

3. Response of previous campaign When there are no direct competitors to pattern your marketing intervals from, you can take a cue from your own marketing history. If you notice your target demographic to be more responsive after the holidays than before them, then time your campaigns accordingly.

Source: Levison.com

Composing out-of-this-world lines for your postcard printing will often stump any business owner. If your budget allows for it, a good copywriter can help you in this area. Otherwise, there are a few tips you can look into before starting on the task:

Product Highlights

Making the most of your printing services cost means your postcards have done their job by inviting the reader to make an actual purchase. To do this, they have to communicate what your product is about, its features, how it can solve a need, or to a certain extent, how it can make life a little better for them. Even if your products have been around for so long and customers are aware of their benefits and function, put in the newer improvements you have made on them.

Customer Behavior

One other matter to focus in the writing is, it should also be customer-centric. If the demographic you are serving is young, choose fun, light words that will speak to them. Conversely, if you are announcing the opening of your new funeral home, your postcard should also lean towards using thoughtful words since the people you will be serving are going through a difficult time.

Source: http://www.intelesure.com/articles/WinningTipsandStrategiesforTopPerformanceAdvertising.html

For every new postcard printing job you embark on, there should be a corresponding update on your mailing list. By spending time to edit your postcard, freshening up its graphics and making your logo more prominent, you show that you are expecting the campaign to bring in the numbers. The way to do that is to review the mailing list that you have. Otherwise, the postcard you designed will only end up in the wrong or disinterested hands.

In-house Lists

Postcard printing services need you invest a good sum so you might as well spend it on your actual customers. Those who walked into your diner in the past or who recently bought t-shirts from your store are the ones who will be most interested in any sales offer you may have. They are familiar with your store and know the quality of your products. Strive to get your customers’ addresses to augment your mailing list.

Purchased Lists

Buying lists from a third party can be iffy. If you only get mere addresses without any indication of their buying habits and preferences, you are stacking some odds against you. However, this is a good list to start if you have nothing else to use. Just learn to prune this list as your business grows.

Source: http://www.mailmktg.com/mailing-lists-kids/

Before business owners embrace the merits of catalog or postcard printing, they first must know how they plan to present their products. The many advertising methods utilized today can be lumped into a few general types.

Teasing a potential customer with a witty one-liner or an eyebrow-raising photo is ideal for billboards because motorists could not spare anything more than a fleeting glance at them. Any new product can be introduced this way to get the reader curious about it enough to look forward to its launch.

Printing services nowadays run the gamut from flyers to thick catalogs. These materials are often mailed to the customers’ home or handed out directly to them when they avail of your services. In these, you can include lengthy product descriptions, graphics and contact information that you cannot do in other modes of advertising.

Companies with deeper pockets have the option of purchasing a spot in newspapers, radio or TV. Again, in using this mode, you have the challenge of cramming your message into a few tight seconds or a small space. Also often used to tease its audience, you can hardly include anything more about your product here than a few punchy descriptions to facilitate recall.

Source: http://www.kerjaparuhwaktu.com/helpful-suggestions-and-types-of-promoting-2/

A lot of effort goes into postcard printing so any company who designs one would dream of their customers keeping these materials in their hands and home for as long as possible. To convert a simple piece of brightly colored paper into something of value, make sure that there is actual cash to be earned or saved if they hold on to it.

• Coupons – In planning for your brochure printing design, take into account that in a tight economy, any discount, rebate or sale will be welcomed. If you want to make it more valuable, send only your promos to those who signed up on your mailing list. By offering these sales exclusively to your mailing list and not elsewhere, you will create a scarcity situation that is, in itself, a bait as well.

• Lower interest rates – Banks and other lending companies often send credit sales letters to their customers. Since they know their name and other data, these letters will appear to have a personalized touch. The lower interest will allow you to save money so these sales letters become your passport to that.

• Business opportunities – Any flyer that presents a chance for someone to be an affiliate or a representative of an income-generating business should catch their eye. State your policies on the flyer so a potential recruit will know what they are getting into.

Source: http://blog.vistage.com/marketing/direct-mail-grows-in-defiance-of-print-is-dead/

With its single paper requirement, postcard printing is one of the easiest advertising options out there. If you wish to avoid your mail from being returned, follow these simple steps:

Comply with post office sizing regulations

Unlike a sales letter that you need to stuff into an envelope, postcards are appointed exact measurement limits in order to qualify as such. It has to be rectangular in shape with the area of 3.5 in. x 5 in. and has to be at least as thick as an index card. Failing to meet these requirements can spell the difference between paying for the postcard mailing price or some other mail matter classification that could cost more. If you are unsure, inquire from your local post office if your postcard size is acceptable. Otherwise, you would be better off using some other printing services than botch up your postcard.

Set aside spaces

Being a 2-page single sheet, a postcard must have enough blank spaces to accommodate the name of the receiver and their address, as well as your company’s mailing information.  Allocate also a box where a stamp is supposed to go or where a note as to who will pay for the stamp will be placed.

Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Postcard-Printing–Can-Hold-More-Advantage-Than-Other-Marketing-Tools/1528106

Many people can offer tips on how make postcard printing less of a headache than it actually is. On the other hand, there are those business owners who, for one reason or another, would always end up complicating an otherwise simple marketing task. If you are one of these people, you may have to re-think your strategy because you are bound to lose precious time and resources in the process.

Your postcard must have the best design out there.

With all the advancements made in printing services, business owners would often be overwhelmed on what to choose. When your goal in advertising materials has gone from besting your competition to having the best postcard your printer has ever made, then it may be an indication that you are going a little overboard with the task.

You want to do everything yourself.

If you are good with talking your way into selling your products but have difficulty telling Bole and Chamoisee apart, then you might benefit from hiring a graphic artist to do the job. The same goes for distributing your postcards yourself when a mailing services company can do it better.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Postcard-Printing-Doesnt-Have-to-Be-Difficult&id=5885815