Postcards vs Letters
Two of the most popular forms of direct mail marketing are postcards and letters. As the owner of a direct mail marketing business, I often get asked, “With of the two gets better responses and will help me grow my company faster?”
Unfortunately, there is no straightforward answer. The reality is that the type of mail you should choose depends on the type of business you own and the ultimate goal of your marketing campaign. We're here to break down the differences between postcard and letter mailing, hopefully simplifying your decision and helping you maximize the returns on whichever direct mail marketing campaign you choose.
Benefits of Postcards
Postcards are eye-catching, personalized, and straightforward with an emphatic call to action. A call to action is a direct prompt for the response you want from your audience in a mailing campaign. Examples of CTA include subscription at a discounted rate, visit to your website, or call a number for a free quote
A study demonstrated that 57% of customers go on to read postcards, making postcards the most-read form of direct mail marketing.
Postcards are also incredibly customizable with techniques such as variable data printing, which will adjust the print software for each postcard. This includes customizable text, graphics, images, and more. Through variable data printing, it is quite easy to provide a straightforward lead into your website, restaurant, or brick-and-mortar store.
Postcards are also notably cheaper than letters. Sending out 5,000 postcards costs about 42 cents per piece, including postage. Sending out 5,000 letters, on the other hand, costs about 53 cents per piece.
If your business doesn't require as much information or details as, say, a retail store or restaurant, and you just want to drum up interest or have a simple message to convey (like a store reopening, a new product or an important annual sale), postcard marketing is a cheap and effective way to market your business.
Benefits of Letters
If your mailing requires a more official or personal touch, or needs to explain a lot of information, a letter might be the way to go. One advantage of letter marketing is the space it gives you. If your services require more explanation and details (such as for a financial planning firm, a nonprofit seeking donations or an insurance company), a letter gives you room to explain yourself to potential or current customers.
More space also gives you a more official advertising platform. Looking to run a fundraising campaign for a local nonprofit, or asking customers to sign a document or RSVP to a big event? Then a letter is the way to go, since it provides the bandwidth to explain why your fundraising campaign is so important, or give all the details of the big event your company is throwing next month.
Furthermore, you can implement many different direct mail strategies with a letter and envelope to better convey a sense of importance and capture the recipient's attention. These methods include hand-addressing a letter or using a pen-addressing machine. In addition, snap pack mailers are often used to convey important messages because of their unique design.
As we briefly discussed above, letters are slightly more expensive than postcards because of factors like envelope style and design, but that slightly higher price point can be worth it for advertisements that are more informative, personalized and professional.
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Conclusion: Postcards or Letters?
As you can see, both letters and postcards can be an incredibly valuable tool for your direct mail marketing campaign and an easy, versatile way to expand your business. However, it's important to correctly choose which of the two to spearhead your campaign with in order to maximize the gains to your company.
Also remember that these are just two forms of direct mail marketing that you can utilize. If you have a campaign in mind that requires a more specialized design, there is almost certainly a direct mail marketing method that will fit. That is one of the beauties of mail advertising: Though popular staples like postcards and letters are practically guaranteed to get results, it remains one of the most versatile marketing methods out there, with many alternative options.