Length of time mailing postcards
Mike Reichow has been mailing postcards since he began with PostcardMania in 2002.
Problem trying to solve
Mike was looking to get better results from his marketing. He had been mailing letters, but was not getting the response that he had hoped. He admits he was a bit nervous at first about trying postcards for fear that people would see his postcard as advertising junk and just throw it away. But he also knew that postcards would get a better result than something in an envelope. He was right!
Design idea
Mike comes up with the design ideas himself, keeping in mind whenever he creates his design that he wants others to get the idea that he is a contemporary jeweler and not just a cookie-cutter-mall retail store. On his postcards he advertises what is popular at the time - something a little cutting edge to catch their eye, but not too edgy to scare them away. Mike says he markets his message exactly how he wants to be branded.
What worked and what didn't
For Mike, the larger postcard does significantly better than the smaller postcard. He found that advertising a percentage off of his jewelry between two dates (e.g., between Jan. 1st - 15th) works the best, rather than advertising a discount off of one particular item. Mike does not do extensive tracking. He doesn't even ask how his customers find out about his store. But he does know that business picks up when his postcards go out. He has learned by observation that when postcards are sent out, more people come in the door and he makes more money.
Special concerns
Mike does very little other advertising. He found the newspaper to be worthless and since they are in a suburb, advertising in the larger metropolitan area was way more expensive and was goingto people that would never drive the distance to visit his store. Radio and TV were also relatively worthless advertising for him.
Statement: "Postcards are what work the best for us."
As an aside
You will see in these case studies that not all business owners track extensively. Some go by the awareness of increased foot traffic; others will go by increased money in the door. These are both good tracking methods, but remember: the better you track, the more in control you will be over your marketing.
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