LeePemberton.com

As many of you probably already know, I have been a strong advocate of using postcards to stay in touch with your customers for more than 30 years.

However, I am really impressed with he response that I am seeing occur from the simple combination of using postcards and digital media! This particularly impressive when coupled with a good (not fancy) website and consistent email program.

Fro example, you can send an email before your postcard lands to pique interest and ensure that your customers look for your mailer and act on it once it arrives.

or

You can send an email after you mail your postcard to remind people about your offer or sale dates, event details and more. Creating urgency generates results!

Direct marketing experts have seen response increase 20 to 25 percent with this very simple integrated postcard plus email promotion.

A bit of research has revealed that he Postal Service has also recognized this. Here is an excerpt from a current release:

US Postal Service has recently released this information:

• Postcards have the highest read rate out of all direct marketing campaigns
• Digital Marketing with Direct Mail can boost your ROI by up to 500%
• Personalization boosts response rate up as much as 44%*
• Personalization married with color drive response rates up to 135%*

The important factor the Postal Service uncovered is that combining important ingredients from the postcard along with the content copy pushing for the person to visit the personalized URL or web-site that you have included in the campaign.

This is exciting stuff! I have more, and you can look for it next week.

Many of you complain that a post card isn’t long enough to sell your services, and I have to say that you are absolutely right – it isn’t.

It Was Never Intended To Be!

The ONLY job of the post card is to make the reader contact YOU by phone or your website and take an action .  .  .  but, YOU sell your services. However, to make that happen, you really need an outrageous offer, like something that is both FREE and Valuable!

You need some crucial information that the prospect or customer needs so badly that they would call and ask for it, or sign up for it online!

I recommend a FREE informational booklet, or E-Book download. They’ll call or go online for that,  .  .  . if you can just make it sound interesting enough.

Offer Information about how they can easily resolve an urgent want, satisfy a serious need. It’s must be something your knowledge, products and services can do for them.

How About A Really Catchy Title?

Maybe a title with the number of ways the readers can solve a most pressing problem?

“How To Solve Your 3 Biggest Carpet Appearance Headaches.” . . .or . . . How about “FREE BOOKLET Shows You 3 Ways to Permanently Eliminate Doggy Odors …!”

Yes, even better! Just fill in the blank part yourself—with exactly what your customers are looking for.

Solve a specific problem:
Just “Call or visit our website Now for Your FREE Booklet!” (Don’t forget to tell readers exactly what you want them to do. “Call now and get…”)

Booklets are cheap to produce, easy to change, inexpensive to mail, and even cheaper in a digital format. These can make excellent giveaways that your customers will hold onto for years if you provide valuable information. And they’ll call if you can hit the title on the money by offering information your readers really want. Spotting & Cleaning tips are universally powerful!

You see, it’s the TITLE of the E-Book or booklet that makes it valuable, irresistible for the reader, and triggers a contact. It’s not really the booklet itself—just the title.

People call just because of the title. They really don’t see the E-Book or booklet until later. By that time, the FREE Information title, and the post card have done their job.

Article Summary

1. Get your post card through the first round of disposal by having a super-compelling headline, tightly written sub-headlines, and outstanding graphics.
2. Get the objective right: The objective of the post card isn’t to sell your service, it’s to generate a phone call or a website visit. 
3. Make the phone ring or generate email responses by offering something irresistible & FREE!
4. FREE informational E-Books work really well.
5. The title generates the call. The title owns 100% of the responsibility of driving the reader to the phone or your website. The better the title = the more contacts.
6. Finally, when the phone rings or a website visit occurs, YOU sell your service.
7. Make an outrageous GUARANTEE!

The better your graphics, the better your headline, the more people read your post card. The more readers, the more opportunities you have to offer something for FREE. The better your free offer as determined by the title of your free E-Book or booklet, the more contacts you receive. The more contacts, the better the post card worked, the more business you’ll enjoy.

SPECIAL NOTE:
(incase you missed this special offer in our Cleantip #51)
An outstanding advertising specialist in our industry, John Braun, who really understands the power of this marketing concept, has just written an outstanding 12 page report exclusively for his customers, titled:
“How Any Cleaning Company Can Double Their Business with Postcards”, and has graciously allowed me to offer our readers a copy at no charge for a limited time.

Go get it now!
http://www.ecleanadvisor.com/public/580.cfm#form

Spring is just about here and your customers & prospects are becoming cleaning conscious!

The good news is that they really don’t want to do it themselves, even if they say they do. Anyone that has cleaned their own carpet really does not want to face that job again. So, it’s now your opportunity to let them know that you are available, trustworthy, etc. and will do the job for them.

Here is a simple formula to guide you when you prepare powerful postcards to contact them:

FIRST – THE HEADLINE:

Tell Them They Can Get What They Want From You!

• People today are extremely busy and their lives are hectic.
• They are looking and listening for only one thing — ‘What do you have for me?‘
• If you don’t tell them immediately and upfront what you have for them, you have lost them — in a split second.
• It’s vital to ensure that what you have for them, and what they want are both the same.

SECOND - THE SUB-HEADING:

Tell Them They Will Have to Act Quickly to Get It

• We all procrastinate. We put off taking action even for things we want for a variety of reasons.
• It’s up to you to help your prospects and customers overcome their tendency to procrastinate and take immediate action to get what you are offering.
• You do that with what is called a ‘Sense of Urgency’.
• Tell them the offer ends on a particular date, perhaps in a week or two. Or tell them that there is a limited offer, or that they will receive a special bonus if they act now, but they will miss the bonus if they put it off.

THIRD - THE BODY COPY:

Tell Them The Details of What They Will Get

• Tell them exactly what is included. Tell them the specific features of your offer and how they will benefit from them.
• If they have to call to get it, then tell them to call. If they have to write or drop a post card in the mail, or fax something to you, then tell them clearly.

FOURTH - THE CALL TO ACTION:

Tell Them What They Must Do to Get It

• Don’t assume that your prospects and customers will figure out how to get what you are offering.
• People don’t like to do anything that is going to take work on their part. Make it as easy for them to respond as possible, or they won’t.

FIFTH & VERY IMPORTANT – THE REPEAT CALL TO ACTION:

Tell Them Again What They Can Get,
How Quickly They Must Act,
What They Must Do to Get It

• If there is room in your postcard, (try the address side), it is always a good idea to re-cap your offer.
• Very often people will turn the card & skip down to the address side right after reading the headline. By repeating all of the specifics of your offer there, you stand a much better chance of ensuring that your prospects will understand your offer.

Remember that the worst thing you can do —– is nothing!

SPECIAL NOTE:
(incase you missed this special offer in our Cleantip #51)
An outstanding advertising specialist in our industry, John Braun, who really understands the power of this marketing concept, has just written an outstanding 12 page report exclusively for his customers, titled:
“How Any Cleaning Company Can Double Their Business with Postcards“, and has graciously allowed me to offer our readers a copy at no charge for a limited time. Go get it now! http://www.ecleanadvisor.com/public/580.cfm#form