Both letters and postcards are top direct mail marketing tools. Each has its unique advantages that allow a business to grow. If you wish to generate more leads and diversify your marketing tactics, then direct mail marketing is a great option.

A few direct mail marketing strategies like social media marketing and pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns have already become quite popular, and letters or postcards may seem to have taken a back seat. However, these are still just as powerful and can provide great results. You can still send postcard mailers to boost sales.

Direct mail marketing tool include letters, PR packages, flyers, and letters. What you pick depends on your business strategy and marketing goals. Today, we will look at postcards and letters in great detail so you can pick the best option. Knowing which is best for your business will allow you to plan marketing strategies accordingly and boost your return on investment (ROI).

What Is a Letter?

A business letter is a typed or written document shared with consumers, future employees, companies, investors, clients, and even stakeholders. Letters talk about an agenda, project or plan and are often in a formal tone. They are an ideal way to collaborate, connect and communicate with people professionally. A good business letter gives importance to the recipient and is clear and persuasive. Some examples include:

• Recommendation letters
• Thank you letters
• Invites
• Client onboarding letters
• Sales letters
• New launch letters

Advantages of Using Letters for Direct Mail Marketing

Letters offer detailed insight into a business launch or sale. Unlike postcards, these have more space to describe the company, talk about the campaign and give consumers a reason to subscribe. Toward the end, you can include a call to action (CTA) to prompt readers to visit your website, check out your shop, or even request a free quote. You can also discuss why and when a sale is happening and how readers can participate.

1. Spacious

Letters are suitable for marketing campaigns that require a personal touch or when things need to be explained in greater detail. You can talk to your customers about a certain business process, why they should pick you, and how they can subscribe. Letters allow a business to:

• Deliver comprehensive messages
• Add personalization
• Tell stories
• Address consumers emotions
• Create time-sensitive offers to enable a sense of urgency in the reader

2. Trustworthy

A letter is far more trustworthy than other forms of direct mail marketing. This is because a letter is not only considered official but is also used by professionals to raise funds, sign a document, or share invites to a big event. Since it has been used for official meetings and invites for a long time, a letter holds a high degree of authenticity.

3. Personalized

A letter and envelope are not just a great way to deliver information, but they are also great for capturing the recipient's attention through personalization. Receiving a customized, hand-written, or pen-addressing machine-printed letter can make the reader feel important and acknowledged.

The ability to evoke human emotion means that you can get your important message across without much hassle. You can also design your envelopes to look like invites to increase the chances of them being opened and promote a CTA response.

4. High ROI

The ANA Response Rate Report 2022 deduced that letters have a 112% ROI among all direct mail strategies. This was the highest ROI of any media in 2021. Letters are not as cheap to produce as compared postcards due to design, style, professional touch, greater information, and added personalization.Due to this, the companies that use letters often have more complex and expensive processes, which leads to greater sales and revenue. This leads to the appreciable ROI mentioned above.

What Is a Postcard?

Business postcards are excellent for promoting a service or product. They are cheap, inexpensive to produce, and can be sent to a large consumer base in one go. Postcards remain an effective direct mail marketing tool because they enable physical interaction when almost everything has become digital. Not only are they unique, but they also enable a personal medium for businesses to interact with their consumers. A good postcard must have:

• A strong headline
• Colorful photos
• Eye-catching graphics
• Simple CTA
• Contact information
• Logo
• Social media handles

Advantages of Using Postcards for Direct Mail Marketing

Simple, personalized, and eye-catching postcards are excellent for grasping consumers. Including a strong CTA to get a direct response should be the ultimate goal of your postcard campaign. You can ask the consumers to subscribe for a discounted rate, check out your website, subscribe to your blog, or request a free quote.

1. Straightforward

Postcards are direct mail tools that can deliver a strong, straightforward message to the audience. Little room on the card means you can direct readers toward the CTA immediately. If a business wishes to announce a store reopening, a new product launch, or an annual sale, postcards are a great way to do all of this in a short, concise, and affordable manner. With the convenience of a Postcard API, you can streamline the process of designing, printing and mailing postcards seamlessly. Even if you have a limited budget, postcards can be printed using a personal printer at home. Adobe Spark, Canva, and other software tools can be used to create beautiful postcards.

2. Eye-Catching

Since postcards do not need to be opened, it is a good idea to make them colorful, aesthetically pleasing, and eye-catching. A postcard has a 100% open rate as compared to a letter. Not only do they have high readability, but they can also be made more super attractive with colorful graphics and photos.

3. Customizable

With postcards, you can customize text, graphics, and images and use various data printing styles. You can also lead the reader to your website, store, or restaurant. A personalized postcard is more likely to bear results. 53% of individuals agree that personalization is a major factor in convincing them to buy and learn more about a business.

4. Budget-Friendly

Postcards are cheaper than letters. You can send a few thousand postcards for a small fee. You can also use the EDDM (Every Door Direct Mail) service and the United States Postal Service’s USPS Marketing Mail to easily contact all individuals in a particular area without buying a list. It is also a good idea to integrate your direct mail campaign with a digital campaign so an email follow-up can generate a quicker response.

Endnote

When you opt for a direct mail marketing strategy, it is easy to get split between picking postcards or letters. Your pick should be based on the type of marketing campaign you wish to run, the level of personalization you need, your CTA, the marketing budget, and most importantly, who your recipient is. If you consider the benefits mentioned above, you will easily be able to make a suitable pick.