Direct mail postcards that have the most impact generate the most responses and the most revenue. That kind of outstanding impact comes from design that uses postcard “power tools” – the elements that are sure to grab your recipient’s attention right off the bat and inspire them to follow up with you, right away.
Colors and images are both critical power tools. But the words you use also have the power to make your postcards stand out from the crowd. Not just any words, though. There are some terms that are proven to be more powerful than others when used for marketing, primarily because they elicit strong psychological and emotional feelings in your prospects.
The most successful marketers know that buyers do not make decisions based solely on the facts. When you can connect with your audience on a deeper, more visceral level, you can truly capture their attention and their hearts. That’s the kind of power that propels you above the crowd.
Using the right words – and combinations of words – not only makes you stand out to attract initial attention, it can help you convince more people to respond, increasing both leads and conversions. Here are some examples of words you can use to boost the power of your direct mail postcards:
Words that personalize.
- You, and your – make it all about them, as if your postcard message is a personal note, not a generic advertisement.
- Exclusive, or elite – you want to stand out from the crowd, and so do your prospects.
Words that tell people why they should respond.
- Because – you’re explaining benefits of choosing your company or products.
- Value, save or bargain – they will be spending their money wisely with you.
- Proven, guaranteed, 100% guarantee or no obligation – tell them you and your products are reliable.
- Discover, how to, secret, or new – you’re helping them learn something beneficial.
- Safe and effective – especially useful for health- or financial-related products and services, again to convey reliability.
- Powerful, premium, amazing, finest, superior or results – you’re offering the best.
- Wealth – valuable choice for financial services or other money-related products and services because everyone wants to achieve this goal.
Words that motivate.
- Easy.
- Free.
- Act now, don’t wait, limited time, quantities limited, or only the first 10 – imply sense of urgency.
- Instant, or immediate – who wants to wait to benefit?
- More – who doesn’t want to get more “stuff” or more benefits for their money?
Motivators that create urgency multiply the effectiveness of your other power words. Not only have you told your postcard recipients you have something they really want or need, you’ve implied it’s in high demand. If they don’t act quickly, they will miss out, and few people want to ignore a good deal.
Which words will work best for your direct mail postcards depends on your type of business and what is most likely to concern and motivate your clients or customers or patients. Words that may be tremendously successful for someone else may be inappropriate or ineffective for you. But you know yourself and your audience.
What differentiates your business or your specific services or products from your competition? As you answer that question, make a note of the words you just used to describe how and why you’re different. Those words are power tools for your postcard marketing.
Refining all the key elements can maximize the impact of your direct mail postcards. The more powerful the wording, the more powerful your postcard will be. And when your postcard has superior visual impact and delivers a message with verbal and emotional intensity, you’ll definitely stand out from the crowd, and you’ll get outstanding results. Guaranteed.