Direct Mail Postcards Made Easy

Direct mail postcards have always been a tried-and-true way to increase awareness and bring in new clients to any business.  However, the effectiveness of those postcards will vary based on many things such as: what words you use; how many you send out; the list you send them to; how frequently you send the postcards; the visual design; and the promotional offer you include.  For most spa and salon owners, the prospect of creating a custom postcard can be intimidating and stressful.

While it isn't an impossible task, creating your own postcard campaign can be complicated.  I've compiled the basic steps for doing it yourself:

1. Write the postcard and offer.  It should be have a catchy message on the front and a promotional offer that still allows you to be profitable when you perform the service.
2. Design the postcard.  Unless you are talented with a graphics design software, a professional graphic designer is highly recommended.  Many printers have graphic artists on staff to help.  The size of the card is important, too.  A standard 4 x 6 cards is the most inexpensive to send, but a larger card or unusual sized card (which requires more postage) will be more likely to be looked at by the recipient.
3. Buy a mailing list.  You can purchase a list for your target zip codes from many services (just search for "buy direct mail lists").  Postcard promotions should be sent to prospective new clients that are local to your business.  Email newsletters and personal cards are better for clients you have seen before.  However, you may want to send a postcard for event invitations to existing clients. 
4. Mail it out. While there are services that will print and mail your postcards for you, typically the most inexpensive way is to label and mail them yourself.  This is not recommended, however, because of the chance of it never getting done.  (It is very time consuming!)
5. About a month later, do it all again. Yes, repetition is key!  However, you should change it up a bit with a different message and image.  A series of four to six postcards have been proven to be the most effective at creating awareness.

So what type of response do you expect to get from this marketing activity?  The industry average according to the Direct Marketing Association is 3 - 5%.  So for every 100 contacts in a mailing, expect about 3 to 5 to call you or come in.  I know this sounds really low, but this is better than the traditional response rate to print or radio ads. And direct mail postcards have the added bonus that several folks will keep the cards for "someday" visits to the spa.

Just because 3-5% is the average, don't resign yourself to those rates.  With an optimized postcard campaign and smart promotional offer, you might see those rates double or triple.  But it is a lot of work to test and optimize the right headline, picture, list, size, offer, etc.

And having the time to do all these steps is often the biggest barrier to overcome!

Experienced marketers and business owners know there is a better way. They use postcard services that print, compile the list, label and mail your postcards for you.

You just need to provide your logo, personal message and select your postcard campaign. So for a 15 minute call, you can have your direct marketing set done for six months!

I don't know about you, but I like "set it and forget it" programs that bring in clients. 

Just like you, I've seen the spa marketing companies at tradeshows that have pre-printed postcards, newsletters and posters.  When looking at them from a salon client perspective, I just never got excited about the messages or the images.  And because of my own philosophy about branding and marketing strategy, I didn't think it was a good idea for a spa or salon to use images that didn't have their specific brand images and colors. 

Admittedly, I have been a brand purist.  Ok, call me a brand snob even. The harsh reality I have faced recently is that is just takes TOO MUCH TIME for most spa and salon professionals to create their own branded postcard campaigns.

And too often the project is avoided altogether because it is too overwhelming. Or too expensive.

So, I figured it was better for my clients to reach out to their prospective clients with an optimized, semi-customized. easy-to-manage postcard campaign than to not do one at all.  That's when I started searching for a postcard service that is easy to use, is optimized and affordable.  Clients asked me about this all the time, but I didn't feel comfortable recommending one until now.

I came across Book'd Catalog online and requested a free catalog.  You can request one here, too.

I liked Book'd from the start because they had interesting and action oriented postcards.  From a spa client perspective, the cards were memorable and motivated action. Using expert sales writers and graphic artists, Book'd created a series of postcard campaigns that are tailored to specific services.   So you can get an idea how easy this process is, I've detailed the steps to creating an automated direct mail campaign.

1. Pick the service you want to promote:  Massage, Facial, Hair or Nails.
2. Select the campaign.  This is the six card series that will be sent out over six months.  I posted some examples of their campaigns online so you can see the type of postcards I'm talking about before you receive a catalog.  You  can select the campaign based on your target client profile (e.g., male or female? age).  Your list will be targeted to this profile as well.
3. Select your promotional offer.  The coupon you provide with the postcard.  Here is where I do have some concerns about the generic nature of the service.  The easiest promotion to communicate in a service like this is a generic "dollar off" or "percentage off" coupon.  While what you select will vary based on the service you are promoting,  I would caution you to make sure you are profitable when performing that service for a new client.   I made a few suggestions for generic, profitable promotions to the company that they are taking under consideration.  But for now, I would recommend a low dollar offer such as $10 off and then insert a sentence about a free add-on service with full priced service.   
4. Select the size of your mailing.  Starting at $0.84 for each contact per mailing, the cost is actually CHEAPER than doing it yourself.  This cost includes graphics, printing, contact list, mailing and postage...and takes just a few minutes to plan for the next six months.   You can choose to send out to as little as 300 contacts or as many as 3000.  It will mainly depend on your target client and your budget.

It is my hope that the comparison of the "do-it-yourself"  vs. "outsourcing" options for your direct mail postcards is helpful. I provided guides to both options so you can choose what works for you, the brand of your spa or salon and your budget.   Although I only listed one service here, there are several spa industry services and postcard  printing/mailing services that provide similar services.  I encourage you to find the right service for you.   Book'd Catalog impressed me the most with the attention getting headlines on their cards.  They aren't passive and un-emotional headlines like "a perfect gift" or "unwind at the spa."   Request a catalog to see examples of emotional and attention getting headlines.

Please use the comments area to provide feedback and ask questions!