| Mass mailing postcards can be an effective means of | | | | saves you 10-15 cents per piece. |
| advertising for small, local businesses communicating a | | | | 4. If mailing, read the USPS design guidelines for |
| sale or some special event. Many small business | | | | postcards and incorporate that into your design |
| owners like direct mail, but find the cost to be | | | | (especially for the side of the postcard that will display |
| prohibitive after considering graphic artist design, | | | | the address, return address and postage). |
| printing, addressing and postage. | | | | 5. Search for a do it yourself graphics site. |
| There is a way to take one of the larger costs out of | | | | 6. Register, sign-on and practice and look at the help |
| the equation. Search the web for one of the "do it | | | | for a few minutes then complete a first draft of your |
| yourself graphic design" websites. There is a growing | | | | design (front and back if you are doing two sided) |
| number of these sites that provide you with all the | | | | 7. Use the preview function to get a good feel of how |
| tools necessary to easily design professional post | | | | the final product will look |
| cards at 30-50% savings. The sites are generally | | | | 8. Make any changes, preview again, then pay through |
| owned by printing companies that have a wide | | | | the shopping cart using a credit or debit card |
| selection of pre sized backgrounds that fit any | | | | 9. During the time the cards are being printed, |
| occasion, event or business type. You can add your | | | | assemble your mailing list, and make the mailing labels |
| logo, your images or use images available on the site. | | | | 10. Go to the USPS and purchase enough stamps or if |
| Using the sites is straight forward and intuitive for most | | | | you have batch posting capability, use that with the |
| people with any web experience. | | | | postcard rate. |
| You do the design you want, one sided or two, select | | | | 11. When you receive the postcards, apply the mailing |
| the finish you want and order on line. The finished | | | | labels, stamp them and send them. |
| order is shipped to you in 3-5 business days. | | | | It is an easy process that most anyone can |
| Following are the suggested steps to take to save | | | | accomplish. A receptionist can do the mailing list and |
| your business some real money on mass mailing | | | | labels in their down time. You or someone with a |
| postcards. | | | | creative bent that works for you can do the design. |
| | | | Here's an example of the savings. A graphics artist will |
| 1. Determine ahead of time the sale or event you are | | | | generally charge you an hourly rate for their time and |
| considering and how you will communicate the | | | | a markup on the printing cost of the postcards. 1,000 |
| message | | | | postcards could easily cost $200 to $300 before |
| 2. Decide on the logo's or images you want to include | | | | postage. With do it yourself design capability, you could |
| 3. Determine the size of postcard you want to mail, | | | | get 1,000 ready to mail postcards for as little as $65. It |
| smaller postcards have a special postcard rate that | | | | may be worth looking into. |