Who Should You Target?

The first step to a successful mailing is defining who exactly the mailing is supposed to reach. There are three main groups you should target with your marketing, and each needs a message specific to them. That is to say, at the very least, you will have three card designs.

In order to have a steady inflow of leads, the three groups you need to target are your customer list, your prospect list and your targeted list.

Group #1: Your Customer List

These are your customers who have already purchased from you, which is why they are so important. If they bought once, they are likely to do it again.

You should repeatedly ask your existing customers to contact you about a specific offer for your products and/or services. A clear, valuable offer with an easy way to contact you is best, and should sound something like this:

25% off your next mailing when you buy 5,000 full-color postcards for $329!

Call 800-628-1804 or visit postcardmania.com/25off.

However, it can be anything you believe they will be interested in based on your personal knowledge of them and, preferably, based on their actual previous buying behavior.

Group #2: Your Prospect List

These are prospects that have inquired about your products and/or services through your own marketing efforts. This group is interested in your service, but hasn’t made the decision to “go for it” yet. They will be the most likely to respond to a special when you offer it to them.

Group #3: Your Targeted List

The third group is composed of people who should be expected to express interest in your products and/or services, but they have never purchased anything from you or even inquired about your products and/or services.

The likely reason they haven’t contacted you is they don’t even know you exist — yet. You can remedy that by contacting them with a series of postcards offering a FREE product trial (Marketing Tip: always print “FREE” in ALL CAPS) or information on the benefits of your products and services. If this list is properly selected — and you make an offer that any reasonable person will find very, very difficult to refuse — then your response rate will be high.

By understanding the needs of these three basic groups, you can craft relevant, effective marketing messages on your postcards to each group. If you market repetitively to each group, you will grow a strong, healthy base of customers and prospects.