With that in mind, here are ten tips for using cost-effective postcards as part of your direct-marketing and relationship-marketing programs. Use postcards to cost effectively:

 n    Keep in touch with longer-term prospects.

 n    Upsell, cross-sell or resell existing customers.

 n    Reactivate inactive customers.

 n    Give customers your new addresses (mail, e-mail and website) and numbers (direct dial, cell phone and fax).

 n    Invite prospects and customers to your seminars and events.

 n    Drive prospects and customers to your website.

 n    Thank customers.

 n    Announce new products, services, people or locations.

 n    Remind customers of appointments.

 n    Announce a sale or special offer.

    And here are two bonus ideas:

   tTo clean up your mailing list, mail your postcards using First Class postage and the endorsement “Address Service Requested” printed on the mailing panel. That way if the recipient’s address has changed, you will receive the new address and the postcards will be either forwarded or returned.

   tThink in terms of a campaign rather than a single mailing. For example, create a list of the top ten benefits of your product or service. Then create a series of ten postcards, each designed to highlight one benefit.