When I first heard the concept of Postal Marketing I have to admit, I thought it was one of the most cheesy method one could use for marketing his/her business.  I mean, we live in the age of internet and e-mail “auto responders”(the main reason for spam) and texting, etc, etc.

I was approached by a friend who was very excited about this new business tool he had been having quite a bit of success with marketing his business by sending out cards to leads or prospective clients.  He also mentioned how it had helped increase retention.  When I first heard about sending cards to people I thought about 3 things: (1. It just sounded “old fashion”, (2. It could get expensive, and (3. It could be time consuming!  I mean, really, how much time would it take, and money would it cost, to drive to the store, spend $2-$3 per card, write a personal message in the card, then put a stamp on it and walk it out to the mailbox?

Then he began to explain that he used a company called Send Out Cards which is a company that provides all sorts of cards, such as Holidays, Birthdays, greeting, and pretty much anything you can get from the store.  You log into your account, pick any card, upload a photo onto the card, even have your personal handwriting put on the card, then click send. The company then prints it out, puts it in an envelope, puts a stamp on it, and mails it out for you.  All for under a dollar per card!

You can import many addresses(maybe from leads) and send the same card to them within a couple seconds.  The system automatically puts the first name of each person at the beginning of each individual card.

I have been using this tool for 5 months now, and boy is it awesome!  Every single lead that comes to me is sent both an e-mail and a card, but most people that call me do not call me until after they have gotten my card.  It is a tool that I believe every business professional should use if they want to create a culture of retention by customer loyalty, and to pull in new customers with this effective marketing tool.

“Write customers personal, handwritten cards frequently. If you run into an old customer anywhere, follow up with a handwritten card. In this electronic communication age of email, the handwritten card with a postage stamp gets more immediate attention than ever.”

-Danielle Kennedy

“Thank you cards are one of the most powerful tools in building a huge network, both professionally and socially. People with the most impressive networks are typically avid card writers. It’s one of the best techniques for long-term winning without intimidation. I suggest getting into the habit of immediately sending out cards.”
- Bob Burg

I could go on and on about how sending these cards can impact ones business, but to save myself some typing, I’ll just send you to The Secret Business Weapon so that you can become informed on how effective sending cards will be in rapidly increasing the growth of your business.

Feel free to post comments or questions.  If any have had any stories to share using this tool, please share.

Spencer Iacono