Of Envelopes and Postcards: Letters and Postcards in More Detail

Of Envelopes and Postcards: Letters and Postcards in More Detail

It’s quite understandable if you’re still not quite sure which one will serve your purpose better, a letter or a postcard. It may even make you more confused to know that there’s no right or wrong answer to this one. You have to make that decision. You alone have the capability to assess what will work best for your work style, preference and, of course, budget, and make that decision accordingly.

If you opt for sending out letters, let’s first make sure you have the best possible advantage to begin with. That means doing your envelope right.

Advantages

• It can be personalized. And, as you know, a personalized mail has better chances of getting opened.

• It’s available in a wide array of sizes and colors. You can choose something that reflects your business personality well.

Disadvantages

• It can’t be stressed enough – it has to be read to even have a possibility of making an impact on your prospect seller.

• You (or someone else) need to address each envelope.

How do you go about it? Here are some things you should remember. In order to achieve a personalized effect, you can change the envelope size and color from one week to the other. It’s also very important to take note of the seasons. For example, Christmas stickers or Easter seals can come in handy. You can also make use of seasonal stamps. Stamps of animals or places can go a long way in showing that you actually made an effort to connect with someone – not simply transact a business.

Now that you have sensible tips on hand, it’s time to know what not to do. If you do nothing else, bear this in mind: do away with a teaser copy on the envelope. Nothing spells out junk mail more than things like Rush Delivery, Time Sensitive, and so on – you get the point. Also, do yourself a favor and do not use postage meter.

If you want to make use of postcards, here’s what you can do. First off, you can utilize brightly colored paper and big letters on the front side of the card. Why do this, you ask? Well, this is so you can stand out from all the junk mail your prospect seller has to go through. Remember: a lot of people go through their mail by the trash can. To have a good chance of not having your card thrown out even before it’s read, make sure your message can’t be missed.

It’s also a sensible idea to have more than one postcard. After all, if you keep sending just one postcard, your prospect sellers may recognize it and automatically categorize it as junk. And just as importantly, have slightly different messages for every card. You’ll send it to different people, so isn’t it just common sense to somehow tailor the message to your readers?

As for things you ought not to do, you can start by not overlooking the sensitivity of timing. What does that mean? Well, for example, do not stop mailing too soon, but don’t also wait too long between mailings. If you do the former, you miss out on possible good leads. And for the latter, it means you’re not being assertive enough in your program.

If you find yourself still musing on whether you’d go for a letter or a postcard, it may mean you need to give yourself a bit of time to arrive at a decision. So take the time you need – but don’t take too long! A considerable part of your business will depend on your advertising decision.