Before you spend money on that direct mail campaign read this…
According to the USPS, the price to mail postcards is:
Standard-sized, rectangular postcard stamps start at $0.40.
Oversized postcards need letter stamps, which start at $0.58.
Mind you that cost does not include the actual printing of the postcard.
With online advertising costs increasing (like Facebook and Google Adwords) some are looking into direct mail as an alternative.
But one of the problems with sending postcards is that it may not give you enough space to tell the story. If you offer a URL for more information the prospect has to remember to take your postcard and log in.
Unfortunately, the A/B-pile theory says every piece of mail a prospect receives gets sorted over the trash bin. As he or she goes through the mail, items that appear interesting or important go on his desk in the “A-pile” while everything else is tossed in the trash (the “B-pile”). Most postcards end up in the B or circular file.
But there are a couple of other reasons that sending your offer via USPS is tricky. We’ve all heard the stories of mail carriers disposing of bulk mail in trash bends to lighten their load. After all they know that in most cases this bulk mail gets thrown away. And standing on your feet making the rounds is not fun. Disposing of ‘junk mail’ certainly lightens their loads.
Worst yet, if you depend on a third party to package and send your mail do you ever know if it goes to the post office for delivery.
Online Options
Some services claim to place your ad in newspapers across the country for one low fee. The only problem is that you don’t have a way to verify that your ad was placed in the newspapers. (Despite their offer to issue you an affidavit).
Even though Facebook and Google provide metrics for how many times your ad has been ‘clicked on’ (click-through rate) you never see where your ad appears. You have to trust that the ad will appear as they claim.
Facebook has Ad Inventory Challenges
With more advertisers entering the Facebook channel daily, and billions in mobile ad revenue, Facebook is looking for other locations to place new ad formats, outside of News Feed, without cannibalizing user experience in the process.
An Option You Can Verify
Call me old-fashioned but I like the idea of being able to locate my ad after it’s been placed. I also like the idea of being able to place my ad online without the cost creeping up or it exceeding my budget. What if there was a new service that could do that?
Here would be the advantages:
- You could place an ad online and be able to go there and see it anytime.
- Your ad wouldn’t get lost in a sea of junky spammy ads (or ghosted) like a popular site we know.
- Individuals market the site and drive traffic (paying customers) to your ad around the clock!
To see how it works click here.