“You keep customers by delivering on your promises, fulfilling your commitments, and continually investing in the quality of your relationships.”
– Brian Tracy
Every successful business is measured by the strength of its relationship with each client. As the old saying goes, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and the same rule holds true in every business. Making promises to customers is the easy part of establishing relationships, but delivering on those promises maintains strong, lasting relationships that promote mutual good will and profitability.
Yet promising something to a client is only part of the equation; making good on your commitments to fulfill those promises seals the deal, creating a firm foundation of trust, which is the bedrock quality of all successful business relationships. This is achieved by investing your time and integrity in the quality of each business relationship, one client at a time, one day at a time.
There is a common misconception that print advertising is dead. Here at Front Door Advertising, we know that nothing could be farther from the truth. From online banner ads to television commercials and radio spots, advertising permeates daily life. Yet as many of those advertising messages are fleeting images or messages, we know that utilizing direct-mail postcards will not only drive potential customers to your door, they will be one of the most durable advertisements that you can use to promote your products and/or services. They never eat, sleep, or call in sick!
Yet as durable and reliable as direct-mail postcards are, their humble beginnings and the evolution of their value in the marketing and advertising schema of today’s fast-paced world make them one of the most efficient and cost-effective, methods of getting your advertising message into your potential customer’s hands.
In the late 1770s, a clever Frenchman, who happened to own an engraving business, proposed something quite radical: Why not produce engraved cards, slightly larger than a calling card, with a person’s name and space for a message on one side, which could then be addressed and sent through the mail? People were appalled. Not only would one’s servants be able to read the message, but so would anyone in the postal service. But the seeds were planted for the postcard.
It wasn’t until nearly a century later Austrian Dr. Emanuel Herrmann published an article discussing the concept of the postcard and extolling the many ways it could be employed. The Austrian Post Office liked the idea so much, it issued the first postcard for general use in late 1869. The card was plain, with an impressed stamp and printed lines for the address on one side and a blank second side for a short message. The idea caught on quickly in the rest of Europe and North America.
At first, postal authorities followed the Austrian example and imposed strict rules for the form and style of postcards, and only they could produce and sell the cards. However, it soon became evident to progressive businessmen the postcard would be an ideal advertising tool.It wasn’t until nearly a century later Austrian Dr. Emanuel Herrmann published an article discussing the concept of the postcard and extolling the many ways it could be employed. The Austrian Post Office liked the idea so much, it issued the first postcard for general use in late 1869. The card was plain, with an impressed stamp and printed lines for the address on one side and a blank second side for a short message. The idea caught on quickly in the rest of Europe and North America.
It was inexpensive to produce and mail, and enough of a novelty to catch a prospective customer’s eye — the first form of direct-mail advertising. As everyone knows, a picture is worth a thousand words, so, in a short time, business owners started lobbying the post office to be allowed to have cards printed with their own company names, slogans or an illustration of their wares.
The penny postcard of the 1950s has evolved into a cost-effective mini-billboard that can serve your business, and boost your bottom line. In today’s competitive marketplace consumers are becoming more frugal and selective with their buying decisions, and advertisers are forced to create effective campaigns with fewer advertising dollars. This is where we can help you and your business capitalize on the power and simplicity of this effective medium.
In Part 2 of this article we’ll look at our proven three-step formula for direct-mail postcards to show you how our marketing system produces the highest quality product, along with extremely accurate delivery systems that insure that your direct-mail postcard reaches your target market.
Front Door Advertising offers several examples of custom direct-mail postcards that can be viewed at fdadvertising.com in standard and jumbo sizes. Call us today at 1-888-754-4111 for a FREE quote to see how Front Door Advertising can help your business create a winning direct-mail campaign.