Marketing Matters – Postcard Marketing

In previous editions of our monthly magazine, The GEM Movers’ Magazine, we have talked about new marketing ideas that can be easily implemented and can bring increased exposure to your removals business. In this blog post we are going to talk about a more traditional form or marketing which is actually making a comeback and is proving to be very effective indeed. This marketing tactic is mail marketing and more precisely – Postcard Marketing!
Postcards
Postcards have been around since the 1870’s when they were used to send government messages and evolved into a way for people on holiday to share their experience with friends and family back home. However since the technology rise with emails and instant messaging the use of postcards, as a way to send a message, declined. This is on the change as postcard sending is being adapted by many businesses and is proving to be a cost effective form of direct marketing. The reason why it is so effective is simple! Postcards stand out in your pile of mail and therefore the recipient is more likely to spend the time to read it and will probably place it on a side table or desk and comeback to it when your services are needed.
So what is postcard marketing?
Postcard marketing is a form of direct marketing. Studies have shown that postcard marketing makes recipients feel valued and boosts the authentic relationship feeling between a business and a customer. One of the biggest challenges in business is to get your customers to visit your website. It has been proven that postcard marketing campaigns stoke a high level of interest in your product and services and encourage a customer to visit your website to learn more.
You can use postcard marketing to showcase your services, announce a new service that you have started, to advertise a special discount that you are offering or for any other news you want your customers to know about. Like any form of marketing it is important to have a plan about who you want to target.
Where should I, as a mover, start?
A good starting place for a removals company is start local and target direct, potential customers in your city. A good start could be real estate agents in your city and surrounding suburbs. These real estate agents are selling properties and have direct contact with your potential customers for any domestic household move in your area. Many people when moving house ask their real estate agent if they know of a reputable mover. This isn’t exactly the real estate agents area of expertise but if they received a postcard a few weeks before you can bet its sitting on their desk, or in a draw in their office still and the likelihood of them passing that information on is high!
Another great target is international schools and multi-national companies that are based in your city. These are big customers for movers as they employ overseas workers who usually have excellent expat packages. These packages include international moves so it is important to get your name and services known to these schools and businesses so that you can get a piece of this action.
That is the potential customers taken care of, now for potential partners! Why not start a postcard marketing campaign targeting other removal companies in other countries. Pick locations where you now there is mutual business to be had or where you are looking for a solid partner in. This is an amazing way to generate leads and also gives a personal touch which is essential in forming any business partnership.
How to get my marketing campaign moving?
Like any marketing tool, it can be intimidating getting started as we are not all market pros by trade. Let’s break down the steps to get you started. First get you designer to put together the postcards front page design. Remember what we have discussed previously about: Branding, Brand recognition and Brand consistency. Also, be sure not to make your postcard design too busy. Simple is better and avoid too much wording on the front, save that for the message on the back.
Next, the back! On the back of the postcard include a title, this could be your business name. Then you need to include, in the body of the message, the description of the selling point you want to offer or an explanation of your services. On the back and also the front it is important to include your logo.
Choosing your audience!
It is important to choose your audience carefully as we talked about earlier. You can get these postcards printed yourself, and then do the posting or you could use one of many postcard marketing campaign companies out there. They will print and post the cards for you and also help you track who has received them. Whichever way you choose I think you will be surprised with the effectiveness of a postcard marketing campaign. Why not give it a try? We have!

Written by: Matthew O’Hagan