For any small business owner, coming up with new, inventive ways to market your business can be challenging. One tried-and-tested tactic to raise awareness, drum up sales or increase foot traffic to your business is postcard marketing.
Postcards are a great way to include information about your business, like your logo, hours of operation and contact details. But they’re also a great marketing tool—and if you’re open to being creative, the way you use branded postcards can really make a difference. Here, discover 9 uses for postcards that can help drive business and awareness.
Include a coupon or promotion.
Whether a discount on their next purchase or a coupon for a freebie, including something promotional on your postcards is a great way to encourage people to return. And beyond standard discounts, get creative with timely promotional postcards for holidays and customer birthdays—a personalized card is a great way to encourage customer loyalty.
Send a promotional postcard to new customers to welcome them to your business—add a handwritten note for an extra-personal touch.
Add a reminder.
Leave space on one side of your branded postcards to remind customers of their next appointment or recommended service date. Whether you’re a hairdresser, pet groomer or landscaper, a reminder postcard is a great way to keep your brand top-of-mind and remind clients of their upcoming appointments in style.
Share some news.
Opening a new location? Switching up your store hours? Offering a new product or service? If you have something new to share, do it with a postcard. Go with bold graphics and eye-catching text to attract maximum attention.
Promote a product.
Create a personal connection to the items you sell with an informational postcard. On one side of the postcard, tell shoppers what’s interesting or unique about a specific product or collection, and encourage them to take one on their way out—even if they don’t make a purchase. Packing an online order? Include one of these postcards in the package. Customers will love receiving a little something extra with their purchase.
Introduce your employees.
If you have multiple employees at your small business, postcards are a great way to introduce them to your customers. Include their photo on one side and some fun personal info on the other. Whether you run a retail shop, restaurant or service-based business, customers will love walking in and seeing a familiar face—and learning more about the employees who regularly help them.
Say ‘thanks.’
It doesn’t get more personal than a handwritten note—so why not use one side of your branded postcards to say ‘thank you’ to customers for their business? Send one in the mail after they’ve made a purchase or recently booked a service with you, or tuck one into their shipped order for a personal touch customers are sure to appreciate.
A handwritten note can go a long way when reaching out to lapsed customers, too. If someone hasn’t interacted with your business in a while, send them a postcard saying you miss them and encourage them to come back with a special offer.
Turn it into a keepsake.
Get creative and give your customers a reason to hang on to your postcard. Maybe you’re a restaurant and share a cocktail recipe on the back of your card, or maybe you’re a clothing brand and share some styling how-tos on one side of your postcard—you could even use this informational postcard as an oversized hangtag. Turning a piece of marketing collateral into something useful is a great way to earn a spot for your postcard on their fridge. Need to include some practical information about your product? Include instructions on using or caring for the product on a postcard—customers will hang on to it as a reference point.
Tell your story.
Postcards are a perfect size for communicating key information about your business—like your small business story. Share your brand values, origin story or mission with customers to create a personal connection…and remind them there’s a person behind your brand.
Not enough space on your postcard to tell your whole story? Add a QR code that links to your website, so customers can get all the details.
Create a referral program.
Referral programs are a great way to drum up word-of-mouth marketing for your business. And one way to encourage customers to spread the word about your business is with a postcard referral program. Consider something like this: When someone makes a purchase, hand them a promotional postcard to give to a friend. If that friend comes in and makes their own purchase, reward your original customer with a reward or special discount.
