Direct Mail Marketing: Another Take on the Postcard vs. Letter Debate

by Brandon Cornett

A recent article at DM News discussed the direct mail postcard vs. direct mail letter debate.

The results? Each format has its pluses and minuses.

I know ... big surprise right?

But what I found interesting was a comment made by Herschell Gordon Lewis, a direct marketing copywriter with decades of experience.

He said this:

"On a dollar-for-dollar basis, self-mailers can outperform a closed-face envelope in B-to-B mailings ... more and more, when the pitch is for a phone call or online response, a quick look gets read where a classic mailing seems ponderous."

I found this statement interesting because it's in line with something I've always recommended — use postcards to sell the next step. In fact, you can see my thoughts on the matter in this previous post.

In today's information economy, marketers are realizing the benefits of the multi-step, information-based sales approach. The direct mail postcard can support this approach superbly:

• Send a postcard to drive traffic to a website download (like a white paper or a digital brochure. Send postcards to promote a subscription-based newsletter or e-course.


• Send postcards to promote a seminar and point to a "learn more" page.


• Or just send postcards to drive phone call inquiries.

With their at-a-glance impact and cost-effectiveness, postcards are perfectly suited for this role.

Thanks, Mr. Lewis, for helping me make a point!

You can view the above-mentioned article here:
http://www.dmnews.com/cgi-bin/artprevbot.cgi?article_id=36330


Good luck and good marketing!

-Brandon from PostcardSmart.com