As with any marketing initiative, the most important achievement is gaining your customer's attention. Even something as simple as a postcard must overcome the natural tendency to "ignore the message". Experts estimate that the average American is blasted with 3000 new market messages every day.

This means even your postcard must be taken out of the envelope.

In order to create a genuinely effective direct mail marketing campaign using postcards you need to consider the following factors:

• Make sure each card only transmits one message. This message must connect directly to the customer's interests hopefully appealing to his emotional and instinctive needs. A postcard can't explain a doctoral thesis. Use a short poignant phrase that reaches out and grabs the reader by the throat.
• Keep it extremely simple. The objective of the postcard is to move the receiver to commit one specific measurable action. You're trying to shoot a poisonous dart straight to the heart. Remember a postcard isn't a machine gun!
• Don't scrimp on your list. You're trying to keep the highest number of cards out of the trash can. This means that the more adequate the mailing list the higher the probability of success.
• The power of three. The human brain is able to easily assimilate three elements at a time. For this reason, you should limit the presentation to this number. Keep them balanced on the card and don't forget to use plenty of whitespace.
• You have to give if you expect to receive. If you want to motivate your customer to take action, you need to make it worth his while. What are you going to give in return? Is it a fair offer?
• Measure your results. You can't achieve success if you don't use a scientific method. Start small, compare different cards to identify the most effective and scale up the one's that generate the maximum results.

In this age of high-technology a simple postcard has several advantages over other marketing techniques.

First, your customer can touch them, turn them over and if you're clever feel like he's received a note from an old friend.

Second, the message can leap directly off the card into their minds. Use a bold well-written headline that captivates their attention. You're halfway there.

Third, a postcard implicitly implies "I'm not going to occupy much of you're time." These days, that's a real show of respect.

Dennis H. Lewis has been living in Alicante, Spain with his wife and two children for almost twenty years.
He currently runs three successful companies entirely in the Spanish market.
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