Wow! April 29th, this is ridiculous. Time is going by so fast. I still haven’t gotten over christmas shopping, and we are already a third of the way there again. Anyway, enough of my rambling.

2010 is going to be a really exciting year for MultiCOLOR Media. We’ve got lots of things in the works and we’re always coming up with new stuff to do/offer. Here are just a few things to look forward to:

MultiCOLOR Hosting

I know I’ve said it before, but really, we are so close to making this a reality. Our customers always come first, so it’s been tough to dedicate the time this project deserves. It’s been a lot of blood, sweat, tears and long nights (and weekends) trying to get this project off the ground, but it will be so worth it. We are currently putting all of the finishing touches on the site, adding all the juicy goodness for our customers (Freebies, Downloads, Trials, Offers, Specials, etc… you get the point) and then we will be in the testing phase. Early predictions show us launching mid summer 2010. Stay tuned for details.

MultiCOLOR Print

This has been another one of our “put it on the back burner” projects that we will finally be dedicating some time to also. Progress so far has been slow, however we have moved forward slightly. Currently in the research & development stage, we’ve decided to go with the leader  in Open Source E-commerce software today, Magento. Magento is relatively new compared to other solutions  on the market, but it is undoubtedly the most robust and feature rich open source solution out there (Open Source is the only way to go). With over 1.5 Million downloads to date, over 2000 apps and a vast developer community of thousands around the world, it is definitely here to stay! With Magento as the backbone for MultiCOLOR Print, customers will be able to take advantage of secure online ordering, faster turnaround times, tons of product options, downloadable (do it yourself) templates, FTP file uploads and so much more from anywhere in the U.S. 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Stay tuned for details.

New Print Products (coming summer 2010)

• Metallic Colors (Business Cards, Postcards, Sell Sheets & Folders)
• Plastic Business Cards
• Waterproof Business Cards
• 16pt Silk Laminated Cards with/without Spot UV
• Full Color Foil Business Cards & Postcards
• Rip Cards (Rack Card, Postcard or Door Hanger with tear off business card)
• Coroplast Signs (4mm)
• Full Color Window Clings

For more details, to ask us any questions regarding the above mentioned, or to give us some feedback, please feel free to leave us a comment below.

1. Define the Purpose of Your Postcards.

What do you want your postcards to accomplish? Do you want to generate website traffic, new customers, sales leads, repeat sales, or something else?

2. Describe Your Audience.

Who wants or needs what you will be offering? Make a list of all the characteristics of the perfect prospect you can think of. Make sure your postcard text/offer will be speaking to this audience.

3. Find the Best Mailing List.

If you’re going to mail the postcards to your own customers, you already have the list. Otherwise contact MultiCOLOR Media and we have a very good company that we work closely with, have the description of that perfect prospect you developed in Step 2. Almost any mailing list you can think of is available through most mailing list brokers.

4. Settle on One Idea to Promote.

You only have enough space on a postcard to promote one product, one service, or one idea. If you want to promote more than 1 thing, develop a separate postcard for each.

5. Determine the Best Format to Use.

The standard sizes are 4 x 6 and 5 x 7, but keep in mind that you can send your postcards by First Class Mail for only 26 cents in the USA if you keep them between 3 1/2 x 5 inches and 4 x 6 inches in size.

6. Compose a Captivating Headline.

Postcards get delivered open and ready to read. A captivating 3-to-5-word headline that can be read with just a quick glance at the postcard guarantees almost 100 percent readership, especially if it promises a major benefit to the reader.

7. Create a Powerful but Easy to Grasp Offer.

Try to state your offer in just one sentence. If you use more than one sentence, leave blank lines between them. If you have more than 3 sentences, consolidate several into short bulleted lists to save space and reading time. You can boost the number of responses to your postcard by giving readers a compelling reason to take action right NOW. It’s called “Call to Action”. For example, reward them with a discounted price, a special bonus, or something else if they respond by a deadline.  Remember that if you order large quantities of this postcard, and you are not mailing them out immediately that you give it some time for designing, printing, shipping time to you and mailing out when ready. You don’t want leftovers that have expired offers on them, what a waste!

8. Provide a Simple and Easy Way to Respond.

Briefly tell the reader exactly what you want them to do in response to your postcard. Make it simple and easy. For example, visit your web site, call you on the phone, or come to your store.

9. Bring it to a Graphic Design Studio like MultiCOLOR Media.

Make an appointment to come in and sit down with us and give us your ideas and details for a postcard marketing campaign(s). We can design it for you and email you a proof.

10. Print your Postcards.

Print your postcards professionally with MultiCOLOR Media.  Let us know what size you want, what paper you would like, the quantity and if you would like it printed GREEN. If you did your own artwork, email the file over to us with the subject line “Order from (Your company name here)” to info@multicolormedia.com with the details of your order. We will check your file to make sure it is print ready.

This 10-point checklist does not cover everything about postcard marketing. We wanted to give some basics for you to run with. We are always available to discuss your postcard marketing campaigns, please call to make an appointment for assistance.