postcards are arguably the most cost effective means of promoting a company and the products and services it offers to their prospective customers. The biggest advantages of postcards are cost and convenience. To have a successful promotional campaign is be able to reach the targeted sectors of the market. For example, the quality of printed postcards plays an important part in the success of the campaign.

If the design and information is not of a very high standard then it is more than likely that the output will reflect that too. Success relies on the output and so if the printing machine that is used does not print in high-resolution graphics then all of their efforts will seem to have been wasted. Postcards used to be printed only in offset presses but advancement of printing technology and introduction of digital presses have changed the scenario.

Digital presses offer more flexibility and options without sacrificing quality. One can choose from a wide range of design templates and merge a mailing list with the design to be printed in the final postcard. High-quality prints are always produced on machines from global leaders like Kodak, Hewlett Packard and Canon. Gloss, matte, and pearl finishes are used to print postcards and these come in a variety of thickness.

Traditionally, postcards have been used as an effective form of direct mail.  The most popular size in the UK is A5 or the smaller A6.

Traditional postcards have been most effective when they focus on one particular product of service sent to the relevant people.

The advent of digital printing has brought us new techniques to improve the effectiveness and response rate of postcards.  Digital printing gives us the ability to print one-off postcards that are completely personalised to the individual customer.

The amount of personalisation on each postcard is up to you and your design studio, but digital printing allows you to create different text, images and even layout for every person in your direct mail list.

Personalised direct mail has a much higher response rate than traditional mail, a fact that companies like Carphone Warehouse and Sainsbury’s have used to their advantage.

If you would like to talk to us about how we can help you create personalised postcard direct mail campaigns, call us on 0845 437 0551.

The beauty of a postcard for promotion is that it can be used in so many ways.  Don’t let it’s size deceive, you can fit quite a bit of information on to them.  But at the same time, don’t put too much on at once!

It is vital to have a snappy headline to grab the attention of your reader and use sub-headings to emphasise the point further.

Present to the reader a problem and what you could do to help.

As always, presentation is essential.  Take care to ensure your postcard is easily readable and of a good quality.

Things to look out for when buying postcards on the internet.

Are the postcards double sided?

You are paying for the material so maximise the usage. Double sided is double the marketing exposure, double the space to get your message across - double the area to sell you product or service. Don’t buy single sided postcards just because they are slightly cheaper.

Are the postcards full colour both sides?

A lot of postcards are black and white on the reverse, black and white has its purpose but lacks the impact full colour has when trying to get your message across. The few pounds you save with black and white on the reverse can cost you dearly in sales.

What weight is the paper?

Postcards are exactly what they say they are cards - a postcard should not be printed on anythin less than 250gsm in stock, anything less then it looks and feels like a leaflet.