Looking to grab attention and connect with your audience? In a world where digital messages get lost in the clutter, postcards offer a personal touch that’s hard to ignore, especially during the holiday season, when people appreciate something more tangible. In this guide, you’ll learn how to plan, design, target, send and track postcard marketing campaigns that stand out. We’ll cover the types and benefits of postcard marketing, whether for boosting brand awareness, promoting offers or building customer loyalty, and give ideas to kick-start your next campaign.
- Use postcard marketing to engage customers, promote offers and increase brand awareness.
- Postcard marketing is still relevant because it’s more tangible, creates a personal connection and stands out from digital ads.
- The 10 types of postcard campaigns are: promotions, grand openings, holiday greetings, loyalty, upselling, re-engagement, events, business milestones and service reminders.
- A postcard marketing strategy involves defining goals, building a segmented list, designing postcards and choosing a mailing method.
- Track the success of your postcard marketing with QR codes, personalized URLs, promo codes and dedicated contact methods.
What is postcard marketing?
Postcard marketing is a traditional marketing strategy where businesses send printed postcards to existing or potential customers. It boosts brand visibility, keeps people engaged and ensures your business stays top of mind with a clear, direct message.
According to the 2025 Small Business Marketing Guide by VistaPrint x Wix, postcard marketing is still effective in an increasingly digital world, with 45% of consumers discovering new businesses through direct mail. It’s an especially effective strategy with older generations, with Baby Boomers naming direct mail their top marketing channel. And with 16% of Gen Z already paying attention to postcards, this traditional marketing tactic isn’t going anywhere soon.
Postcard marketing vs other direct mail
The standard size for postcards is 4″ x 6″, making them ideal for promotions, reminders or updates. But they’re just one option for direct mail marketing. Businesses can also consider brochures, letters, flyers and booklets, each offering unique benefits depending on the campaign’s needs.
Is postcard marketing still effective?
Yes, absolutely. Despite concerns that direct mail is outdated or irrelevant in the digital age, it continues to be an incredibly effective tool, especially for building emotional connections.
In a world dominated by emails, social media ads and notifications, postcards stand out precisely because they are physical. They provide a personal, tangible experience that digital methods often can’t match. While digital marketing has its place, postcards offer a unique way to engage your audience on a deeper level, especially locally. For small businesses, postcards are essential for reaching out to your community in a way that feels more human.
If you’re interested in how to connect with your local audience, check out our guide to local marketing.
Benefits of postcard marketing
Postcard marketing offers a unique set of advantages that make it a powerful tool for small businesses. Here’s why it continues to be an effective, cost-efficient marketing strategy:
- High visibility: No envelope means your message is immediately visible.
- Grabs attention: Because postcards are tangible, they’re harder to ignore than digital messages.
- Strong open and read rate: With a direct mail open rate of up to 85%, postcards have a much higher chance of being read than emails, which are often ignored or filtered into spam.
- Local targeting: Perfect for reaching local customers, postcards help businesses build connections, whether you’re promoting a store opening or a local sale.
- Cost-effective: Compared to digital and print ads, postcards are more affordable, offering an excellent return on investment (ROI), ideal for small businesses with limited budgets.
- Pairs well with digital: Postcards integrate seamlessly with digital marketing. Use them to drive traffic to a landing page, QR code or website, creating a cohesive marketing strategy that combines both.
9 types of postcard marketing campaigns
Different postcard marketing campaigns achieve specific goals and meet unique business needs.
1. Promotions and discounts
Postcards are one of the most effective ways to grab attention when offering promotions or discounts. Whether you’re running flash sales, seasonal promotions or limited-time offers, postcards communicate the urgency and excitement of your deal.
Source: Promotional postcard by BryanMaxim via 99designs by Vista
The goal of this type of campaign is to drive immediate action. So, design these postcards using bold, attention-grabbing headlines like “Limited Time Offer” or “Exclusive Discount for New Customers.”
To make your promotional postcards more effective:
- Include a discount code or special offer to encourage new customers to make their first purchase.
- Offer a discount on existing customers’ next purchase to reignite interest.
2. Grand openings and announcements
Whether you’re launching a product line or opening a new store, a grand opening or announcement is a major milestone for your business. The goal of this postcard campaign is to create buzz, spread the word and announce your business’s next big move.
Source: Grand opening postcard by GrApHiCaL SOUL via 99designs by Vista
Source: Announcement postcard by Distinguish♐︎ via 99designs by Vista
Grand opening and announcement postcards should emphasize the exclusivity of the event. Make sure to clearly communicate the key details, like your new location or product, and add a QR code that directs recipients to your website for more information.
3. Holiday greetings and seasonal touchpoints
Major holidays offer the perfect opportunity to connect with your customers on a deeper level and tap into the festive spirit when buying interest is at its peak. Whether it’s Christmas, Thanksgiving or New Year’s, holiday postcards are a great way to engage your audience and show them you appreciate them.
Pair a personalized holiday thank-you message with an exclusive offer to create a memorable touchpoint that resonates long after the season ends.
To make your holiday postcard campaign effective, tie it into your broader marketing strategy by offering seasonal promotions during:
- Thanksgiving: Show gratitude with a simple thank-you message, paired with a small token of appreciation, like a discount on their next purchase.
- Black Friday and Cyber Monday: Announce exclusive offers or early-bird specials, driving traffic before the holiday rush.
- Christmas: Thank customers for their support throughout the year and offer them a special Christmas sale or New Year’s discount.
Explore holiday greetings for businesses to get inspired for your seasonal marketing campaign.
4. Loyalty incentives and retention campaigns
Loyalty postcards are an excellent way to strengthen customer relationships and extend the lifetime value of your audience. Show appreciation to loyal customers, encourage repeat custom and remind customers of the rewards they can get through your loyalty program.
To make your loyalty postcards even more effective, consider these postcard marketing ideas:
- Exclusive offers: Offer special discounts, early access to sales or exclusive products available only to loyalty program members or loyal customers who have spent over a certain amount.
- Reward reminders: Remind customers how close they are to earning a reward, such as “Spend $50 more to receive a free product.”
- Turning the postcard into a loyalty card: Design the postcard to serve as a physical loyalty card, where customers can collect stamps or points that can be redeemed for rewards.
5. Re-engagement campaigns
If loyalty postcards aren’t enough to keep your customers engaged, entice them back with re-engagement postcards. These campaigns are designed to reconnect with customers who haven’t interacted with your brand in a while or those who’ve shown interest in your products but haven’t made a purchase recently.
Remind customers what they’ve missed and provide a reason to return, like a discount code. Your postcard should grab attention quickly, focusing on your latest offers, new arrivals or exclusive promotions.
Here are a few ideas for re-engagement postcard campaigns:
- We Miss You Offers: Send postcards with a friendly “We miss you” message and an exclusive discount to encourage customers to return.
- Last-Chance Deals: Create urgency by highlighting limited-time offers with phrases like “Hurry, only a few weeks left!” to prompt action.
- Reactivation Instructions: For subscription-based services, include easy-to-follow steps to reactivate the subscription, along with a discount code to encourage customers to take action.
Source: Customer re-engagement postcard by bmp design via 99designs by Vista
6. Upselling and cross-selling
Postcards aren’t just for attracting new customers; they’re also effective for boosting sales. Whether upselling products or cross-selling services, use postcard marketing to offer personalized, relevant recommendations.
Source: Postcard design by Luz Viera Studio via 99designs by Vista
For upselling, include a postcard in packaging or send it a few days after delivery. If a customer buys a basic product, offer a discount on a premium product, like recommending a deluxe skincare set after they purchase a basic cleanser.
For cross-selling, send postcards offering complementary products. For example, if a customer buys golf clubs, send a postcard with a special offer on accessories such as golf balls, tees or bags.
Send postcards a few days to a week after purchase. Make the offer clear and personalized, such as “Upgrade to our deluxe version, with 15% off” or “Complete your set with 20% off accessories.”
7. Event invitations and RSVPs
Postcards are the perfect way to invite customers to an event. Use postcard marketing to create personal, exclusive invitations for your existing customers.
Source: Postcard design by Shejal via 99designs by Vista
Source: Event invitation postcard by Sebastian Roy via 99designs by Vista
Offer VIP access with phrases like, “Show this postcard at the entrance” or encourage RSVPs through return mail or a QR code. You can also add an incentive, like “RSVP and get a free gift.”
8. Business milestones and anniversaries
Celebrating business milestones—whether your company anniversary or a major achievement—is a great way to strengthen brand perception. Send postcards to your mailing list to highlight your business achievements, keeping you top of mind and showing your customers you’re growing with them.
Celebrate customers’ milestones too with personalized postcards, acknowledging their birthday, thanking them for their 10th purchase or celebrating 100 days since joining your membership program.
9. Service and appointment reminders
Service-based businesses benefit greatly from appointment reminder postcards. Whether you’re a dentist, mechanic or pet grooming salon, postcards are an effective way to remind customers it’s time to book their next appointment.
The goal here is to reduce no-shows and keep customers engaged with your services. Automated postcards sent at regular intervals are a quick, easy way to stay top of mind and strengthen client relationships.
How to build a successful postcard marketing strategy
Now that you’re familiar with the different types of campaigns, choosing the right one is just the beginning. Simply dropping postcards in the mail and hoping for the best won’t cut it. A successful postcard marketing strategy requires a strategic, well-planned approach.
Step 1: Define your goals
Before diving into design and distribution, define your goals. Clear objectives give your campaign focus, ensuring every decision—from messaging to timing—aligns with your goal. Without this, your efforts risk being scattered and ineffective.
Your goals will shape your strategy and success metrics. Want to raise awareness? Go for bold designs and a broad reach. Looking to convert visitors into loyal customers? Focus your messaging and timing. Identifying your goal upfront will streamline the process and ensure your postcards drive the right actions.
Step 2: Build a mailing list
The next step is to build your mailing list; gathering the contacts you’ll be sending postcards to. While people are becoming more cautious about sharing their contact information, especially their physical address, these are effective ways to gather a quality mailing list for your postcard marketing campaigns:
- CRM or customer database: Utilize your existing CRM or customer database to target contacts who have already engaged with your business. These are high-value, responsive leads.
- Opt-in forms on your website: Place opt-in forms on your website or landing pages, encouraging visitors to sign up to your mailing list. Offer a small incentive, such as a discount, to increase sign-ups.
- Loyalty programs: Loyalty program members are highly engaged and likely to respond positively to personalized postcard offers.
- Social media campaigns: Use social media to run targeted campaigns that invite followers to join your mailing list. Offer a discount, exclusive products or a sneak peek to encourage sign-ups.
- Event sign-ups: Collect physical addresses during event sign-ups. This allows you to follow up with personalized postcards, offers and reminders after the event.
If you need to launch your postcard campaign quickly, you can purchase a mailing list. However, we don’t recommend this due to risks like poor engagement and potential GDPR violations. These lists often contain contacts who haven’t opted in, making them less effective and potentially harmful to your brand’s reputation.
Segment mailing lists for postcard marketing
Segmentation lets you craft targeted messages, ensuring the right offer reaches the right people. For instance, a first-time customer might appreciate a welcome discount, while a loyal customer may respond better to a reward for their continued support. Segment your audience based on demographics, purchase history and engagement level.
Step 3: Decide which mailing strategies to use
Once you have your mailing list, decide on the strategy that will make your postcard campaign a success.
Distribute postcards by including them inside product packaging or mailing them separately.
Depending on your goals, target audience and budget, choose between:
- Targeted mailings: Send postcards to a carefully segmented list of existing or potential customers.
- Bulk mailings: Reach a wider audience to build awareness or for local marketing.
Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM)
If you’re looking to make a local impact, Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) is your best bet. This USPS program lets you target neighborhoods or zip codes directly, without the need for a mailing list.
EDDM is particularly effective for boosting awareness or running local promotions, helping you reach a wide audience and strengthening your presence within the community.
To maximize impact, time your mailings around key local events, holidays or sales periods. For example, sending postcards right before the holiday season ensures your promotion is top of mind when customers are most likely to take action.
Step 4: Design your postcard
The design of your postcard can make all the difference in getting noticed. Start with the basics: your logo, website URL, a QR code and contact info, making it easy for people to find and reach you.
Visually, the layout should guide the reader’s eye from top to bottom. A bold headline goes at the top—this is your hook, the attention-grabber that makes someone read the postcard’s contents. Below the headline, add short, persuasive copy that communicates the offer or benefit to the customer.
Make sure there’s enough white space so the design doesn’t feel cluttered. If you’re mailing the postcard through standard delivery, you’ll also need to leave room for the recipient’s address and postage.
Keep your message clear so the recipient understands the value in seconds. The call-to-action (CTA) should be unmistakable and repeated at least once in the design. “Scan to RSVP,” “Visit us today,” or “Shop now for exclusive deals” work well. Finally, make sure colors, images and fonts are brand-aligned and eye-catching.
Colorful postcards have a 42% higher response rate than black-and-white postcards. So, make your postcard pop with bold colors and graphics to get the best results!
Step 5: Print and mail
First, select the right postcard size. VistaPrint offers a variety of options, from the classic 4″ x 6″ format to more unique shapes, like circles and ovals. The size of your postcard will affect how much space you have for your message—larger sizes, like 5″ x 7″ or 6″ x 9″, allow more room for visuals, while smaller sizes like 4″ x 4″ are ideal for quick, focused messages like coupons or reminders.
With print marketing materials, the paper choice is important! The texture, finish and weight of your postcard can impact how it feels in the recipient’s hand and how your brand is perceived:
- Glossy: Shiny and vibrant—great for catching attention.
- Matt: A smooth, subtle finish that feels more elegant.
- Soft touch: A velvety texture for a premium feel.
- Eco-friendly options: Recycled, bamboo and hemp-blend paper show your brand cares about sustainability.
Matte postcards with gold and silver foil accents
Once you’ve finalized your paper and design choices, partner with a reliable printing service like VistaPrint. You can choose from options like EDDM for local outreach or upload your mailing list. VistaPrint will handle printing, address labeling and mailing, simplifying the process and saving you time.
How to track postcard marketing performance
To see if your campaign worked, you need to track your results. This helps you figure out if you reached the goals you set earlier, whether that’s driving sales, increasing website visits or building brand awareness.
Here are some easy ways to track the success of your postcard campaign:
- QR codes: Add a QR code that links to a page on your website, so you can track how many people visit the page.
- Personalized URLs (PURLs): Use unique web addresses for different customers to track who comes from postcard marketing.
- Discount codes: Offer a special promo code on your postcards and track how many people use it.
- Unique contact information: Put a dedicated phone number or email on your postcards and track how many people use it.
You can also try A/B testing to compare different designs or offers. Track how much you spend to get a lead or sale, and look at how different customer groups (like certain locations or buying history) respond. All of this will help you fine-tune your future campaigns.
Ready to make postcard marketing a part of your strategy?
Postcard marketing can help increase brand awareness, boost sales and build customer loyalty. Postcards are great for promoting offers and events, sending holiday greetings or simply saying thank you. Postcards offer a personal, tangible touch that digital methods can’t match.
Run small campaigns, track your results and repeat what works. Stay consistent by sending postcards regularly, keeping your business top of mind. And for the best results, combine postcards with digital marketing efforts. With the right approach, postcard marketing is a simple and affordable tool to help your business grow.
