The Most Powerful Words to Use in Your Postcards
There are more than one million words in the English language, from complicated polysyllabic terms to simple connectives and pronouns. While all words have their own purpose, only a select few trigger powerful impulses when we read them.
From “free” to “limited time offer,” certain words and phrases have a serious impact on the way we perceive things. They can make us take action and respond to a new offer, see value where we otherwise wouldn’t and make completely new decisions.
In this blog post, we’ll be studying the most powerful words that you can use as part of your direct mail postcards. Read on to discover simple but effective words, terms and phrases that you can use to massively improve your direct mail response rate.
Free
When you sort through your mail, which words and phrases attract your attention the fastest? For most people, the word free jumps off the paper like nothing else to draw our attention to the postcard or brochure’s content.
Free giveaways are an excellent direct marketing strategy, and the use of the word free in your postcard copy can be a powerful psychological tool. Even if most people aren’t interested in your offer, using free in your heading will draw them in.
Don’t believe in the power of free giveaways? Science backs up the value of free in direct mail headlines. Researchers found that, given the choice between a free but low quality giveaway and an affordable, high quality giveaway, most people chose the free option.
Limited Time (or Quantity)
Doesn’t it feel great to buy the very last discounted item a store is offering? Scarcity is a powerful buying incentive, to the point that entire fields of economic study have been developed to learn exactly how people respond to shortages and scarcity.
If your product or service isn’t suitable for a free giveaway, offering a special deal on a small quantity (or, alternatively, for a limited time) is a great way to motivate your target market and inspire prospects to take action.
Do you want to improve your direct mail postcard response rate? Try using phrases like “For a limited time only” or “Limited quantities available” in your subheading and copy to motivate customers to take action and claim your offer.
Best, Outstanding, Finest and other adjectives
Not all products and services suit a value or scarcity-based marketing method. If you sell a product that’s unparalleled in quality and priced to suit, you’re better off using words that indicate its quality, not necessarily its value for money.
Use adjectives like best, finest and superior to set your product or service apart from the competition and stand out. If you compete on quality, setting your offer apart is a great way to motivate your audience and build interest in what you’re offering.
You
The more personal your postcard feels, the greater your response rate will be. Using personal pronouns and determiners like you and your may seem like a trivial change of wording, but it has a huge effect on how people perceive your offer.
Words like you and your personalize your offer and make the consumer visualize it as something they could benefit from. Of the two headings below, which would you respond to?
“Step Into a Brand New Car This Summer!”
“Step Into Your Brand New Car This Summer!”
Did you visualize yourself sitting in a new car when you read the second one? Could you feel the comfortable seat, smell the brand new leather and see yourself pressing down on the accelerator and going for a drive?
When you personalize your copy, every other word you use to describe your offer is more than just a benefit or feature in a long paragraph – it’s a specific feeling you’re projecting into your target market’s mind.
Start optimizing your direct mail postcard copy today
Each of the words and phrases listed above can have a huge effect on the way your audience responds to your next postcard marketing campaign. Better yet, all of the words and phrases above can be used alongside each other in a single postcard.
When you’re working with a postcard marketing company on your next direct mail campaign, keep the four words and phrases above in mind to create copy that’s far more persuasive, personal and profitable than your competitors.
