3. Printing A Postcard ­ Choose a printer that can show you postcard samples. These can both serve to show quality of their work and give you ideas for your card. o Is you printer familiar with postcard printing?

o Is it mailable weight? Is thickness correct? o Are dimension right? Does it meet postal codes?

o Can printer meet your deadline?

o Should you print extra for future use? What¹s cost?

4. Bulk Mailing - I suggest you use a lettershop to do your mailing preparation. A lettershop can save you enough money on bulk mailing postage to pay for their services ‹ and save you hours of labeling and stamping.

o Will you use your permit or your lettershop¹s?

o Are you using labels or imprinting cards?

o What is bulk rate for this postcard? What¹s first class? What will you do?

o When will postal drop be? When will it arrive in your customer¹s hands?

o Does piece meet postal code? Is permit number correct?

This is not an exhaustive list, but a fairly thorough one. It should guide you along general route and help you avoid major potholes you could hit.

Remember old adage: Failing to plan is like planning to fail. There¹s a lot of planning in a direct mail campaign. The better prepared you are, better your results will be.

When planning a mailing work backwards from date you want card to arrive. Add in time for design, printing, labeling and mailing. Be sure to have a buffer in case any complications arise. You can always as a lettershop to hold a mailing a few days. That¹s a lot less stressful than rushing job and paying for resulting mistakes.

I suggest you choose suppliers that have experience doing postcard mailings. They can help you with all details. Or better yet, choose one source to manage entire mailing.

Track results of your mailing. You¹ll probably find hits will jump suddenly, and then trail off over a few days. Try to space your mailing out so that peaks and trail-offs overlap slightly for maximum results.

Letterheads - You should have your url and logo on all printed materials that leave your home/office. Have your url stamped on all envelopes and letters and anything else you mail out.

Coupons - Print out coupons that offer discounts or freebies for anyone who visits your site from that coupon. Post these on bulletin boards, put them in all your outgoing mail, etc.

Freebies - Offer freebies from your site that have your url printed on them, such as ink pens, coffee mugs, matchbooks, calendars, etc. Lots of these items get seen by many people.

Find out more about offline promotion:

http://www.web-sitepromotion.com/offline.htm http://www.digital-women.com/unique.htm http://www.bjweb.com/mktg_guide6.htm

There are tons of ways to promote your online business offline. Expand on ideas I have listed and really use your creative imagination. Bring more traffic to your site by going offline!