How Plastic Postcards Are The Future
There has been a huge rumor that direct mail marketing is dying. Direct mail marketing is compared to emailing, commercials, internet etc. It is profoundly known that we are living in the digital and technology era. However, as expressed and supported by evidence and statistics, direct mail and plastic postcards are far, far from dead. In fact, direct mail is thriving. But, more specifically, plastic postcards are the ideal tool for any company’s marketing campaign.
Bizo and Epsilon data found that “direct mail achieves a 4.4% response rate, compared to 0.12% for email.” Forbes shares, “the DMA found that direct mail response rates are actually anywhere from 10 to 30 times higher than that of digital.” This statistic has a simple explanation, consumers are submerged in a huge swamp of unsolicited marketing emails flowing out of their inboxes. Direct mail marketing is thriving and thriving as years pass by. Ideas, tactics, and creativity are all key factors to the overall look, display, and message of your mailing piece. Direct mail household response rate is 5.1% (compared to .6% email, .6% paid search, .2% online display, .4% social media). This is the highest response rate the DMA has ever reported, since coming out with the Response Rate Report in 2003.
Direct mail plastic postcards stand out from your standard, everyday t.v. commercial or your unsolicited and unwanted emails. Unlike the millions of companies, you see on t.v. that try to grab viewers attention but just meet the mark. It may be that consumers are done seeing the same commercial over and over again. They want something new, fresh, and real, something that is not an annoyance or burden to their movie, show, or video. A plastic postcard is new, real, and fresh. You can touch it, read it, and act on it. It’s unbearable to resist because of its looks and texture. A plastic postcard consists of a 30 mil. thick laminate that is not flimsy or tearable. It grabs attention first by touch and then by sight. The bright colors, unique design, and the glossy finish are not even in the same category as your average dull, flimsy piece of paper that heads straight to the trash. But, with plastic postcards, your company makes its way to your consumer’s hands, then to their home where they may put your postcard of display share with a friend, or store away in a wallet or purse. In addition, the gift card pop-outs and key tags make it great to encourage use to put on a customers keychain or credit card sized savings to put in their wallet next time they head to your store doors.
Plastic postcards can really be such an effective tool to grow and expand your customer base tremendously. It is very unique because it does what many other marketing strategies wish to be and that is to get in your consumer’s hands. A plastic postcard that is mailed to a homeowner is impossible to overlook. It is a huge billboard in front of your potential client’s face, impossible to miss. You can be so personal to who and where you mail to. There are endless amounts of creative options when it comes to the overall design of your postcard. There are several die-cuts, colors, framings, pictures, clipart, text, texture, etc. that can be chosen to specifically identify your business and your call to action. Another benefit would be how targeted you can make your mailing piece. You can filter through your database to find your ideal customer’s age, income, family status, home value, gender, marital status, etc. With direct mail plastic postcards, you create an embedded incentive within the design and text of your postcard. Gift cards and words that urge customers to act fast are what makes an effective direct mail marketing strategy. Plastic postcards stand out because they don’t have an envelope, there aren’t steps involved to reach the message. Most likely, consumers throw away marketing pieces in envelopes, simply because they see it as pointless and another thing to add to the to-do list. However, if you catch their eyes first, no second step, you gain a new customer.