Getting a brand-new business off the ground is tough. Startups are working on limited budgets, face competition from established businesses in the same industry, and have no Yelp reviews or word-of-mouth to lean on. Websites take time to “seed” in Google search results, social media is so flooded with ads that many users don’t pay attention to them anymore, and paid search engine marketing can quickly turn into a money pit.
Postcard mailers can be a boon for a new business that is struggling to get started. Following are four reasons why new businesses should consider using postcard mailers to jumpstart their marketing and get customers in the door quickly.
1. Postcard Mailers Will Get Your Business in Front of Lots of Buyers Immediately
In a digital world, your company website is important, but if you’re depending on your SEO to get the word out about your brick-and-mortar business, you could be waiting a long time. On average, it can take three to six months for a website to rank in Google, and in an industry with stiff competition, it could take as long as a year! A postcard mailer campaign, conversely, can be designed and delivered within a week or two. No matter how hard you work on your SEO, postcard mailers will get your business in front of far more buyers far more quickly.
2. Postcard Mailers Will Get Your Business in Front of the Right Buyers
One of the downsides of internet marketing for local, brick-and-mortar businesses is that the internet has a worldwide audience. A great SEO campaign may (eventually) get your site lots of hits, but a dentist’s office or a lawn care service in Phoenix does not benefit from website visits or social media “likes” from people in Los Angeles or London. They don’t even benefit from being seen by people located 50 miles away. With postcard mailers, local businesses have the advantage of being able to keep things local – really local. Your postcard mailers will be delivered only to buyers located in ZIP codes that your business actually serves. Additionally, you can hone your list further to target customers by criteria such as home ownership status, marital status, age, even whether a household includes children or pets.
3. Postcard Mailers Prompt Quick Responses
Unlike websites, which tend to be static, postcard mailer campaigns are dynamic and time-sensitive. A good campaign will include a tangible offer, such as a coupon or an offer for a free gift, with an expiration date. This prompts a sense of urgency among your readers to respond within a certain period of time, allowing you to get those critical first sales faster.
4. Postcard Mailers Are Cost-Effective
New businesses are usually cash-strapped, having spent a lot of money just getting to the point where they can hang their shingles. Because postcard mailer campaigns are highly targeted and take relatively little time to put together, they are one of the most cost-effective forms of marketing. Instead of waiting for weeks or months, local businesses see immediate results. Additionally, a postcard mailer campaign can be integrated with your business’ other marketing channels, such as your website and social media pages, which helps establish your brand and saves you money.
It can be particularly difficult for new local businesses to cut through the noise and stand out from the crowd, especially on the internet. Postcard mailers provide an inexpensive yet effective way for startups to get their phones ringing and customers coming through the door.