Without unmarked envelopes to hinder your messages, postcards are considered as an inexpensive and effective marketing tool. These prints let you advertise your business the way billboards do but without the skyrocketing costs. Designed with eye-catching graphics and persuasive text, these prints can gain immediate reaction. For your small auto repair shop, you can take advantage of these benefits. Even if you have very little budget for promotion, you need not worry because they are cheap to print. Also, you can use these as your tools for direct mail promotion and ensures that your advertisements only go to the right person.
Ways to Use Postcards to Market Your Business
o Gain loyalty by rewards - You can use your postcards to give back to your clients. One way of doing this is by including a tear-off coupon in your prints. Your clients can use the coupon to redeem any promotional discounts or free items from your auto repair shop. You can offer a certain percentage discount from any services that you offer; i.e. 10% discount on body repairs or 20% discount on engine overhaul. You can also offer freebies such as free brake fluid, engine oils or air filter replacements. These will give your clients reasons for repeat business as well as be loyal to you and your business.
o Open new possibilities for your business - For example, you are planning to offer small replacement parts aside from repair services. You can test your prospective market by sending out postcards. Create client lists consisting of your primary and secondary targets. Send out variety of messages and postcard designs then evaluate which among these are effective according to the responses. Based on the results of your testing, you can decide how you will go on with a bigger marketing strategy.
o Increase client traffics - If you are joining an exhibit or holding a seminar for auto repairs, you can invite prospective clients by mailing them your postcards. Let them know when the event is happening and what benefits they can get by going there. You can use one part of the brochure as an RSVP space that they can send back for confirmation. In case you are holding your anniversary, you can send these prints as an invitation for your clients. Tell them that cool freebies and promotional offers like free engine tune-up, wheel alignment, etc. await them.
o Creative means of establishing client contact - List down the names of your clients and know their special days like birthdays and anniversary. You can send them greeting postcards on these days. Design your prints with a special message together with your company logo and tagline. It would be better to hand-written a message to make it more personal. You can also establish rapport with your customers by sending them postcards saying "thank you" for entrusting their vehicles to your care as well as greeting postcards on holidays.
These are just among the ways on how you can possibly use postcard marketing to the advantage of your business. Remember that the key to success of any printed advertising are attention-grabbing design, persuasive message and correct distribution among the target market.
