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Postcards are economic, reliable means for marketing any business

Question: The more I study Web, e-mail or other high-tech marketing methods, the less I think they'll work for me. What I need is a low-cost, easy-to-implement sales tool for someone who's not wrapped up in the latest tech fad. What works?

-- TECHLESS

Answer: That's easy: Postcards. Plain and simple. These princely little pieces pack a powerful marketing punch for many a small business. Consider the Midwest School of Music, in Indianapolis.

When owner Barbara Granneman returned to teaching piano in 1997, she used a postcard campaign to get her business started. In a month she had 40 students and hired another teacher.

Now she has 32 employees and has opened a Chicago branch. Aside from a Yellow Pages listing, postcards are her only means of marketing. She tried others, but stopped them all because postcards proved best.

Even technology companies love postcards. Intuit, which makes accounting software, recommends postcard marketing to its accounting firm clients for three reasons:

* It's easier to read a postcard at a glance than to open an envelope.

* Postcards are less intrusive than e-mail, and these days have less competition.

* Unlike e-mail, postcards can take on any size, color, gloss or graphic.

You can create, print and mail postcards without a big investment. Free design templates are available at the U.S. Postal Service Web site (see below), and the standard 4x6 size costs just 23 cents to mail.

Getting your postcards printed is also a snap. The field is highly competitive and you can choose from dozens of printers who will print, say, 5,000 color cards for less than 5 cents each and have them done in two days.

Direct mail experts at the USPS say the best cards share these traits:

1) They're eye-catching. Your postcard doesn't have to be art, but it helps if it's attractive. Adding a high quality photo or other image will help.

2) They're simple. It's a postcard, not a novel. Pretend every word is costing you $500. A jumble of information won't do it. Simple, bold headlines like "Fall Fashions Are In!" or "50% Off Cookware" work best. Then explain where, when and a few other details.

3) They're timely. Messages like "Your Service Contract Expires June 1"work great. If you have a timely message of some kind for your customers, use it.

4) They're two-sided. Be sure to use both sides of your postcard, but not every inch. Use one side like a poster and the other for a few details. Or put an ad on one side and a personal message on the other.

5) They're multifaceted. A postcard can double as a coupon, gift certificate or event ticket. Ask people to present the card to claim an offer. It's an easy way to measure effectiveness.

These resources can help you gather the ingredients for postcard success:

* The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has created a virtual shopping mall of great advice, tools and information to help small business owners use direct mail marketing -- including postcards -- to build sales. There's a handy (and free) postcard design template that you can adapt to your own needs in the "Templates" section, plus loads a helpful advice on how to make a postcard mailing program work for your business. Visit www.usps.com/directmail.

* Zairmail (www.zairmail.com) lets you send personalized direct mail to customers straight from your PC. With this turnkey service, you can quickly do online what previously took weeks using traditional printing and production. You compose the document and Zairmail guides you through the rest of the process. No special software or experience needed. Call 877-921-MAIL; e-mail info@zairmail.com

* Post a Request For Quote (RFQ) for your postcard print job and have companies bid for your business. Two places that provide this service are BuyerZone (click on "printing" at www.buyerzone.com/ marketing) and Direct Mail Quotes (www.directmailquotes.com).

* Design your own cards and have them printed, or use free design services. Some firms will also mail them for you as well. A few popular online print shops include: iPrint (www.iprint.com), VistaPrint (www.vistaprint.com), Custom Postcards Direct (www.custompostcardsdirect.com), Premium Postcards (www.premiumpostcards.com), Post Card Builder (www.postcardbuilder.com) and Astonishing Mail (www.astonishingmail.com).

Daniel Kehrer is editor and publisher of BizBest (www.bizbest.com), which provides independent ratings and analysis of nearly 2,000 small business resources in hundreds of subject categories. Kehrer, based in Pacific Palisades, also has worked as a business journalist for 25 years. His column runs each Friday. E- mail questions to: dan@bizbest.com or send to Daniel Kehrer c/o Daily Breeze, Business section, 5215 Torrance Blvd., Torrance, CA 90503- 4077.