Advertising and Marketing With A Postcard
Unless your attention is immediately drawn to a glossy beach hotel photo or a note from your best friend Ted or Aunt Helen, do you look at every post card you get in the mail? What about those 3-1/2" x 5 " post cards with benign graphics and wording that make it all to easy to overlook?
Post cards are a staple of direct marketing because they're economical, flexible and efficient. Thousands of businesses and service companies - selling everything from apples to zambonis - use post cards to advertise, invite, remind and offer discounts or coupons. If you're among them, are your post cards getting the job done? Chances are they could be working a lot harder with a little more effort. BlueGrass Mailing processes more than 10,000,000 post cards annually and we've learned a lot about how you can improve the success of your post card mailings.
The Facts about Size
Cost
When you print a larger size post card, it won't hide between the number ten envelopes and circulars. And the good news is, postage doesn't increase when you're mailing Pre-Sort Standard (formerly known as Bulk Mailing). Printing costs may be higher but thanks to current printing technology, the cost will be incremental. Instead of the usual 3-1/2" x 5" or 4-1/4" x 6", try an 8-1/2" x 5-1/2" (half-sheet) all the way up to 6-1/8" x 11-1/2".
Creativity
Additional space? Who doesn't need more room? Without cramming it full, you can use the white space in a multitude of ways: to convey more information, enlarge or use photos, make headlines bolder, add a coupon. So many creative ways to attract attention. If full-color isn't in the budget try black ink on colored paper or use color creatively on white for affordable fun and to drive results.
The Not So Fine Print -- Paper Weight
Printing oversize post cards offers many benefits but there are guidelines that must be followed in order to reap the benefits without blowing the budget. The paper has to be at least .009 inches thick, which in most cases means cover stock. Your printing company should have a chart issued by the U.S. Post Office that spells out the details. When planning your project keep that in mind; if your vendor isn't up to speed, contact us and we'll help.
Save The Best Part
Don't print anything of importance within the bottom 5/8" of the card. The postal service in some instances may place a label with a bar code there.
The address panel requires a minimum of 4" wide and 1-1/2" deep for addressing with a bar code that will ensure that you're getting the best possible postage rate.
It may be tempting, in that wild rush of creativity, to use fancy die cuts or shapes that will really make them look good, but if your post card is not rectangular it won't pass automation guidelines. There go the savings. If in doubt, give us a call and we'll send you a template.