Secret sales and pre-sales for preferred customers. Treat your existing and favorite clients to a sale that no one else knows about - or give them an advanced peak at your new product line.

Introduce products or services. Postcards are an economical way to inform people about your product or services, or announce new ones.

Announce a new web site. Create an announcement of your new web presence and invite everyone you know to come check it out.

Remember special days. Send your contacts a holiday greeting or thank you note for Thanksgiving. If you keep track of special dates in your customer's lives like birthdays or anniversaries, you can send them a colorful postcard letting them know you are thinking of them.

Reminders. Businesses that rely on repeat business can take advantage of postcards to send reminders and its not just for dentists any more! Why not remind your past customers of upcoming birthdays or anniversaries, or special holidays like secretaries' day or thanksgiving, at just right time? Or perhaps your database tells you when they have likely run out of whatever they bought so you can send them a reminder that its time to visit you again.

Just staying in touch. People like to be remembered and postcards are an economical and easy way to say "thinking of you."

Recognition. Send out a postcard to let people know your good news about accomplishments and awards or reviews you have received.

Invitations to an event. Postcards can be used to announce seminars you are speaking at, open houses, book signings, and any variety of special events.

Think about all ways you can use postcards, and then explore many ways that you can automate process of sending them out quickly and cheaply. This is one of those marketing strategies which looks much more costly than it really is, and will return more than you put into it. The best part is, practically any small business can benefit.

© 2003 Eileen P. Parzek, SOHO It Goes!

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