"BizTips from Bob"
...The Free Newsletter from Bob Leduc

BizTips from Bob - Issue 353 - September 13, 2005
Proven Tips and Resources
to Help You Promote Your Business

----- In This Issue -----

1. Comments from Bob
    
2. Fresh New Marketing Article:
   ...12 Reasons to Market With Postcards
    
3. Answers to Your Marketing Questions:
   ...Question about marketing to businesses with postcards?
    
4. Resources to Help You Promote Your Business
    
5. Coming in 'BizTips from Bob'

1. Comments from Bob

This newsletter usually includes tips, suggestions and advice on several different areas of marketing. But once or twice a year I devote an entire issue to postcard marketing. This is one of them.

I've written many "how to" articles about marketing with postcards. But I've never written an article explaining why postcards work so well - and why they should be included in every business's marketing plan ...until now.

In the following new article I reveal 12 reasons why every business should be doing some marketing with postcards. Then, in the "Answers to your Marketing Questions" section, you'll discover a few special benefits you get when you use postcards to market to businesses.

Note: The last issue of this newsletter devoted entirely to marketing with postcards was Issue 337 on January 25th of this year. If you missed it, you can still read it at http://BizTipsLetter.com/i337.html

2. Fresh New Marketing Article

12 Reasons to Market With Postcards
Copyright 2005 Bob Leduc
http://BobLeduc.com

If your marketing activity doesn't include postcards, you're overlooking a highly effective and very low-cost sales tool. Here are 12 of the many reasons postcards should be part of your marketing program...

1. Postcards Work for Any Business

Postcards can produce all kinds of sales activity for all types of businesses. For example, they can produce web site traffic for online marketers, floor traffic for retail stores, sales leads for direct marketers ...and just about any other type of sales activity a business wants.

2. Designing Postcards is Simple and Uncomplicated

Designing an effective postcard is not complicated. It can be as simple as printing your best small ad on a 4 x 6 card and sending it to a list of potential prospects. Postcards usually work best when the message is brief and the postcard looks at first glance like a message from friend.

3. Printing Postcards is Easy and Inexpensive

You can print postcards with your own computer for about 1 or 2 cents each ...or have them printed professionally for about 4 to 8 cents each.

4. There's a Special Low Postage Rate for Postcards

You can send any quantity of postcards by First Class Mail in the US for only 23 cents each. The only requirement is that your postcards must be at least 3 1/2 x 5 inches but no larger than 4 1/4 x 6 inches.

5. Postcards Nearly Always Get Read

Because postcards are delivered "ready to read", almost everybody will read it - even people who usually throw out other types of direct mail without opening it.

6. Postcards Produce Fast Results

Because postcards are simple and easy to use - they produce results fast. You can mail postcards within a few days of deciding to use them ...and you'll start getting sales activity 2 or 3 days later.

7. Postcards are effective for Generating Web site Traffic

One of the most effective postcard formats simply lists a few benefits of a product or service on the card and tells the reader to where they can get more information. This makes them ideal for generating traffic to a web site.

8. Postcard Multiply Themselves

Postcards are like small billboards - and they are easy to handle. They often get saved by recipients or passed on to others ...providing additional exposure of your advertising message.

9. Markets Can Be Precisely Targeted With Postcards

You can accurately target your best markets by sending postcards only to mailing lists of prospects likely to be interested in what you're offering ...and who also have a history of acting on offers that interest them.

10. Postcard Marketing Results Are Easy To Measure

Postcards normally generate over 90 percent of their total response within 7 to 10 days. This enables you to quickly and accurately evaluate the results of a postcard campaign.

11. Postcards Put You in Control of Your Sales Activity

You can quickly boost (or reduce) your sales activity anytime you want by simply regulating the number of postcards you mail and how often you mail them.

12. Postcards Conceal Your Marketing from Competitors

Most advertising uses mass media where your competitors hear or see what you are doing - and copy it. Postcard marketing is personal. Only you and your prospects are aware of what you are doing.

Postcards may be one of the best kept secrets of modern marketing. They're highly effective, very low-cost, simple to use ...and they work for any business. You're overlooking a profitable marketing tool if don't use them.

(c) 2005 Bob Leduc
Publishers: You can get a copy of this article with permission to reprint it by sending a blank email to:

3. Answers to Your Marketing Questions

Reminder... I select one or more recent marketing questions from subscribers to answer in each issue of this newsletter. Email your marketing questions to me at:

Question:
"I sell to companies instead of to individuals. Will postcards will work for me?"

Answer:
Yes. Postcards are very effective for marketing to businesses. There are several reasons for this.

1. Most postcards mailed to business addresses actually get delivered to the intended recipients ...unlike other direct mail. Secretaries and mail clerks who often screen out other promotional mail to save the boss's time will put a postcard through because it won't take up much of the boss's time.
    
2. Postcards are usually put on top of the recipient's mail stack because they are the smallest piece of mail. That makes them likely to be read - and read before anything else.
    
3. Original recipients often pass postcards along to others in their company providing additional exposure for your message. This is especially important if the original recipient is not the final decision maker - or is not the only person involved in the company's buying process.
    
4. Because postcards are small, they often get passed along to potentially interested business associates outside of the original recipient's company ...unlike sales letters, brochures, etc. This provides even more exposure for your message.

Tip: If possible, include personal names with the addresses when you send postcards to businesses. More will get passed through to the right person when they are addressed by name than when they are addressed only by job title. Plus, the final recipient will pay more attention to your message when they see their name on it.

Note: The latest edition of my manual, "How to Build Your Small Business Fast With Simple Postcards", contains specific details for marketing with postcards ...including illustrated samples of postcards with sales messages you can duplicate and use. For information about it go to: http://BobLeduc.com/postcard.html

4. Resources - to Help You Promote Your Business

If you find what I write in this newsletter beneficial, you'll want to get some or all of the following. I wrote them, too.

Complimentary Four Day Postcard Marketing Course
http://BobLeduc.com/postcardmarketingcourse.html

 'How to Build Your Small Business Fast With Simple Postcards'
http://BobLeduc.com/postcard.html

'Low-Cost Marketing Secrets'
http://BobLeduc.com/secrets.html

'How to Build a High-Profit Business on a Low-Impact Budget'
http://BobLeduc.com/highprofit.html

5. Coming in the next 'BizTips from Bob'

Watch for the next issue of 'BizTips from Bob' on Tuesday, September 27th. It will include a special marketing article I wrote revealing some unique marketing tactics you can use to find highly profitable new customers.

I'll also include a few little-known marketing tips and some low-cost resources you can use to generate business fast.

Until then...

P.S. Do you know someone else who should be reading this newsletter? Send them to any page on this website to subscribe.

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