Postcard: From Bad To GOOD!

It’s Thursday so you know what that means… another great blog post for you!

Remember last week I shared with you a landscaper’s Every Door Direct Mail postcard and how it was missing a lot of Direct-Response Marketing pieces, and I explained what to do to fix it?

Well, earlier this week I got a postcard from a dentist.  This wasn’t the same ‘ole boring postcards most business owners send out… like last week’s.  NO!  This was a postcard asking for response with an offer (Actually, two offers).

They actually did a lot of things right, but there were still a few little details left out… which I’ll explain in a minute.

Here’s a picture of the front and back of the Dentist’s Postcard:

Good Postcard Example FrontGood Postcard Example Back
Can you see the difference from the Landscaper’s postcard from last week?  Click Here to see the postcard from last week.

This was not an Every Door Direct Mail postcard, but they did you Presort Standard postage.  Still great pricing.

Notice the front of the postcard is targeting adults/families and the back is targeting the children.


Here’s What Stands Out From A
Direct-Response Marketer’s Prospective

FREE OFFER

Look at both the front and back of the postcard.  They have a FREE offer.  On the front it’s for “FREE WHITENING For Life.” —FOR LIFE!!!  On the back is an offer for a “FREE KIDS SPINBRUSH.”

Who doesn’t love free?!

This is the first rule of Dan Kennedy’s 10 No B.S. Direct Marketing RulesThere will always be an offer or offers.

Be sure you’re always making an offer or offers!!  The more irresistible the offer the more clients you’ll get.

CLEAR CALL-TO-ACTION (CTA)

Yes, there’s a clear Call-to-Action… only on the front.  Even though it’s clear, I would have integrated it with the FREE WHITENING rather than have it a stand alone saying, “Consolidate your family’s dental needs and call our offices today for a tour or appointment.”  I also would have given another form of contact like an email address (You’ll notice there website, but there’s no direct reference to it… they just say to “call”).

On the back there’s no CTA what-so-ever.  They do have the offer, which is great, but no CTA.

So, when you create your marketing, be sure to always have a clear CTA on every page/side of your marketing materials.

TESTIMONIALS

Ah, what do you know… Testimonials. 

On the back of the postcard there are two testimonials from what looks to be two happy mothers.

Testimonials are always good.  The more specific they are the better.

Notice, at the end of the one testimonial the mother said, “…if only she saw adults too!”  That’s when the dentist should have mentioned she works with another dentist (the one on the front) in the same office!

Also, I would have asked to use their first AND last name, not just an initial for the last name.  If they could have included a picture would have been even better.  But hey, it’s there!  More than most businesses do.

WHERE’S THE DEADLINE/LIMIT

One thing missing is a deadline and/or limit.

I have received this postcard before.  Seems they mail them out every month.  If they make the same offer(s) but have no deadline or limit, then I can keep putting it off because I know they’ll have the same offer next month.  This is BAD.

For the free whitening they could give a deadline for when to respond.  Once the deadline hits they could create a new offer.

For the free kids spinbrush, they should have a limit.  Here’s what I’d say, “First 50 patients to schedule their new patient exam will receive a FREE Kids Spinbrush.  Call XXX or Email XXX to schedule your kids’s exam today.  But hurry!  We only have 50 to give away, and the number may be lower by the time you read this.”


As you noticed in the headline, I said, “From Bad to Good.”  This was a good postcard, but wasn’t GREAT.  It had more Direct-Response Marketing principles than last week’s, but still could use some work.

So, what would you do differently with this postcard?

Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Also, yesterday, I sent you a link to a FREE, No-Cost, Step-by-Step Live Training Webinar  showing you How To Create A 12-Month Marketing Calendar for Your Business that’s taking place today at 12:00pm EST.  CLICK HERE to reserve your seat now!!  I’ll see you there!

Now go TAKE ACTION!

Comments

  1. Thanks for the information. I’m in the process of putting together a postcard mailout.

    Doing it from scratch… will use your “from bad to good” pointers.

    Thanks.

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