Monday Morning Quick Tip – The Humble Postcard…As Marketing Tool?

Greetings, and Happy Holidays wherever you are in the world!

Today let’s consider the humble postcard and its use as a marketing tool. We’ve all sent postcards home to loved ones from our vacation spots, pictures of sun-kissed beaches or landmark sites or funny images of who-knows-what. They’re meant to connect you with the recipient, whether in a ‘wish you were here’ moment, or a ‘look where I am and you’re not’ kind of way. But today, postcards aren’t JUST for vacations any more. They can be used in your day-to-day equine business marketing.

One-sided postcards, with an attention-getting image and your business logo on the printed side, can have all kinds of uses: Thank-you cards, event announcements, coupons, gift certificates, bookmarkers, tradeshow booth wallpaper – the list of possibilities might not be endless, but it’s only limited by your imagination when just one side of a postcard is printed:

• Thank-you cards: Write your thank-you or message on 1/2 of the unprinted side, address and stamp it, and stick it into the outgoing mail.

• Event announcements, coupons, gift certificates: Using labels from the office supply store, you can print just about anything and stick it onto the blank side of the postcard. Or, have stampers made up and stamp your message on the blank side.

• Bookmarkers: Depending on the front image, you can cut cards in half, punch a hole in one end for some ribbon, and put a sticker with your business information on the blank side. Laminate first if you like. Business cards often get ‘filed’ or forgotten, but a nice bookmark can be used over and over again, keeping your business in front of the user.

• Tradeshow booth wallpaper: We’ve all seen the backgrounds for post-game sports interviews and red carpet walks, with logos splashed all over to get added exposure. If you’ve got a blank tradeshow booth wall, why not sprinkle some of your postcards across it? For the really bold, you can even go with a full-on wallpaper effect.

The biggest cost in traditional paper printing is the set-up; once that’s done, the paper cost for a few hundred, or few thousand, extra is minimal. Well-designed postcards printed on thick paper stock can provide a boost to your brand without breaking the bank.

If your business strives to be ‘green’ you can find a printer that’ll use recycled paper and soy-based inks for your cards – be sure to include that message on the printed side design!

The point is, whether you’re on a budget or not, postcards can have a place in your marketing strategy as a way to connect you with your potential customer in a ‘wish you were here with us’ marketing moment.

What are some ways YOU can think of to use one-sided postcards in your equine business marketing? Post ’em here in the Comments section!

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This article and the site contents are copyright Lisa Kemp and Kemp Equine, all rights reserved. Brands and trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. Content may be linked to from your site or social media, but not copied, in whole or in part, without prior permission. It’s also good karma, and good ethics, to give source credit when you share. Thanks.

 

 

 

Monday Morning Quickie (in the early afternoon) – A Horse Expo Of A Different Color

If you’re going to be in the general northern Illinois vicinity this weekend, you might want to head over to the 2010 Equestrian Lifestyle Expo & Holiday Market. It’s going to be at the Lake County Fairgrounds on Saturday and Sunday, November 20 & 21, in Grayslake, Illinois.

This will be the 3rd year for the event; it’ll also be my 3rd year of being an Expo speaker. My presentation is on Sunday morning at 11:30 AM, and is part of the ProTrack for equine facility managers. Titled ‘Fifty Ways (Yes, 50!) To Stretch Your Marketing Budget,’ I’ll have a whole bunch of tips, ideas, and resources for the equestrian professional and equine business.

Image courtesy 2010 Equestrian Lifestyle Expo & Holiday Market

No Horses Here, But Yes To Learning & Shopping

What’s interesting about this horse expo is that there are ZERO horses present. That’s right, nada, zip, zilch.

What the Horsemen’s Council of Illinois (HCI) has done instead is collect a total of 50 great speakers (OK, I’m biased) to address a variety of topics for both the horse owner and the equine professional. Keynote speakers this year are the fantastic Jane Savoie (I attended a clinic of Jane’s several years ago in Tucson which was top-notch), Richard Shrake, and Jeannine Berger, DVM.

The shopping has been great the last two years, so I imagine it’s going to be great this year, too. Saturday evening has some additional activities, including live music, snacks & cash bar, a silent auction, and a treasure hunt with prizes.

I do hope you’ll join me, and share a link to either this post, or to the Expo Web site, with your friends who are in the area. One-day tickets are $8, and a weekend pass is $14, so it’s definitely worth the price of admission.

And here’s the marketing tip (thanks for sticking around!): The Expo has a link on their Web site to a full-color printable PDF flyer that can be posted at the barn, leveraging word of mouth opportunities. They’ve also used social media for the first time this year, via HCI’s Facebook page, and their brand-new Twitter account (@horsecouncil). These are all tools that can be used economically by equine businesses, to help spread the word about products, services, and events.

Make it a great week!