Is Mail the new Email? All of us seek a competitive advantage, a way to stand out from our competitors. Sometimes the way to achieve this goal is to go in the opposite direction of the crowd. It is the opposite from what the crowd is doing. Think about the last time that you sent a physical letter or postcard through the postal system. It has been awhile for most of us. When you go to your business mailbox, the number of mail pieces is typically less than in the past. Postful might just be a solution for you.
Postful provides a way for you to stand out from the crowd, to get your message noticed. Postful leverages the power of the internet, while providing a unique, efficient service for delivering information to your desired contacts through the postal service. That’s right, hard copy mail is the new Email. By utilizing Postful’s service you are able to send full-color postcards and letters from your screen directly to snail mail. You can include photos, PDF’s, and Microsoft Office documents and be able to save records of all your mailings.
As you would expect, sending a standard business letter is a core feature of Postful. What I have found valuable and different is the ability to send a postcard, with full-color images and a custom message using images, logos and information that I have on my computer. You can use digital photos, html documents, or anything else appropriate to include on the postcard. Using either a simple web form or sending the information to a special email address, the postcard will be printed and entered into the US Mail system within 2 to 3 days. Think about the applications where a color postcard might leave just the impact you are missing in the cluttered world of your customers and prospects. A new product announcement, a special presentation or event, and my favorite, a thank-you note or referral request might be just what you need to gain the attention required. The odds are that your competition is not using the mail for these types of communications today.
Additional features are available to make your work easier and more productive. You can upload your own custom letterhead on which every letter you send will be printed. You can setup mailing lists and send out via a single email. You can create and save your own custom postcard designs and re-use them over and over.
You are probably thinking as I did, that I would like to try Postful out, but it must be expensive. I was pleasantly surprised by their pricing model. 59 cents for an individual postcard or 99 cents for an individual one page letter (25 cents/page for 2nd page) is less than my cost for the paper, design time and postage if I did this on my own. My last bill for letterhead and envelopes from my printer is still fresh on my mind. Then add the cost of postage plus the time to address or label the envelope or postcard, lick ’em, stick ’em and get them into the mail and Postful fees are clearly less than what I am able to do on my own. Discounts for more than one piece at a time start to add up pretty quickly if you have the volume. Here is their pricing schedule:
Any business should be able to take advantage of Postful’s efficiency and cost savings. A dentist office and their cleaning reminders, an auto dealer and their service reminders. How about a real estate agent or agency. Insurance agents and my dry-cleaner could all take advantage of a thank you postcard that offers a discount on the next visit or purchase. There is value here whether you are an independent agent or a large business.
Postful could be an answer to help you stand out from your competitors in a crowded, crazy, hectic business climate. Give them a try, send me a postcard and let me know what you think.