By Debbie Weil

Martha Retallick’s top 3 tips for successfully marketing with postcards are persistence, persistence… and persistence. Really. That’s the only secret.

Another secret, however, is that direct mail (DM) is back. Out of favor for a time after 9/11 and postal mail scares due to anthrax, DM is back with a vengeance.

No matter what your budget, you should be incorporating some form of DM into your marketing mix. Email is still the most cost-efficient way of staying in touch. But it's not enough.

Think offline and high-touch marketing whenever possible... hand-written notes, phone calls, etc.

Postcards are an ideal form of DM marketing.

Retallick is the author of Postcard Marketing Secrets, a step-by-step PDF guide to, you guessed it, marketing cost-effectively with postcards.

I ran across her informative, well-organized guide about a year ago. But didn’t get around to trying my own postcard mailing till a few months ago. I sent one card to a local area mailing list.

The call to action was to go to a special URL on my site and register for The Uncool Blogging Seminar. (Perhaps you received the card!) I didn’t get much response. The email promotions, press releases and other online marketing tactics I used were far more effective.

According to Martha, that’s not too surprising. Several reasons: you need to send a series of postcards in order for recipients to begin recognizing and responding to them.

And you need to be realistic about your offer. “Come to my Web site and pay big bucks for my next event” is not likely to be successful if it’s your first card,

Instead, she advises, plan a series of 12 cards and send them out religiously once a month. It should cost you less than $6 per name on your list, per year.

If you’ve got an A list of prospects, call them within a week of the mailing to follow up. It’s a great way to break the ice.

Or mail the postcard and then follow up with an email. You get the picture. Mix & match your marketing tactics from off to online, high to low-touch. Eventually, Martha says, you’ll get a response.

A Web designer, Martha has been “postcarding” since 1996 and swears by it. “You have to be relentlessly in touch in order to stay top of mind with clients,” she says. “It’s been the key to my survival in this field.”

Her 117-page guide includes case studies, tips on working with printers and a postcard campaign planner. It also includes her top 10 postcard marketing secrets.

Among them: simple cards work best (i.e. fancy design isn’t necessary), frequency is important, follow-up is crucial, good copy makes the sale, always provide complete contact information, etc.

Two other tips she offered when I spoke to her by phone recently: use a postcard to stay in touch with longtime prospects and clients. And (my favorite tip) use the extra cards from a print run as stationery to scribble thank you notes on.


Useful Links

U.S. Postal Service online postcard service. I ordered black & white cards (you upload your copy & art work via a simple interface). They were printed and mailed promptly at a very reasonable price.

InsideDirectMail.com is a great resource for DM tips.

Want a gratis sample chapter of Martha Retallick's Postcard Marketing Secrets? See the treasure hunt below...

Mid August in Washington D.C. is quiet and slow. One of my favorite times of year. Invariably, it's not as hot and steamy as you might expect.

My theory is that the weather cools down as soon as the "important" Washingtonians (senators & congressmen; lobbyists & the like) flee the city for vacation.

For those of us in town this month, every day feels like “Friday casual.” So let’s have some fun.

Instead of pointing you directly to the link where you can download your free sample chapter of Martha Retallick’s excellent Postcard Marketing Secrets, I’m sending you on a treasure hunt.

It’s easy, I promise. Everyone will find the rainbow, er, download link.

Start your treasure hunt here...

Here's the download link for your gratis sample chapter of Martha Retallick's Postcard Marketing Secrets.

Or if you're in the mood for a hunt... browse on over to the re-designed WordBiz Store. Then use the drop-down menu at the top of the page to click through the new “topic” pages.

You’ll be pleased to see we’ve got products categorized by price as well. Yes, there’s even a $15 and under page.

I’m sure you’ll find the link and instructions on how to get your free sample chapter from Martha’s postcard marketing guide.

Hint: think “treasure chest.” Bigger hint... see the bottom of this issue.

If you’re in a dreadful hurry and absolutely can’t stand to search …well you can go directly to Martha's order page. You’ll find a complete description of what you get in this reasonably priced 117-page guide ($49.95).

P.S. We're looking for better icons for the front page of the store. If you've got suggestions, send them our way! Email me at wordbiz @ yahoo.com and put "Store icons" in your subject line. Thanks for your support.