Critique my Postcard

Looks nice . I will be honest though I have a troublesome drain and there isn't really alot on that design that entices me to call and talk to them about it. Maybe some of the gurus can help you but being Ina service industry myself I would make a bigger "call to action"

For best results, follow this proven ad on the right hand side of the image.

To do that, you and your client will have to come up with one or two
biggest frustrations customers have dealing with drain unblockers
and guarantee it will never happen with your client.

As seen in the ad.

Have a photo of the owner.

Just use what you see in the ad as much as possible.

Again, it works in different locations and different trade services.

Best,
Ewen

P.S. Just leave out a web address and toll free number, use local ph numbers.

Having a picture of the owner or a stock image of a 'trustworthy looking' serviceman can really help a ton, like in the example of Mr Subtle's that Ewen shared above.

Keep in mind that the back of the postcard (the addressed side) is the most crucial side becuase that's what the recipient sees first. That's what will determine whether they turn the card over (interested) or throw it out (not interested).

Here's an example I made of what works well for the back of postcards:



You want some strong bullet points, headlines, and copy that will "speak" to the recipient like it's the solution to a problem they know is there. A good postcard should almost feel like it was destiny that it arrived in the persons mail that day. That's actually how direct mail works most effectively.

Regarding the front of your card...

1.) I don't believe anyone will scan your QR code, especially for a plumbing service. Don't get me wrong, I like QR codes but I'm realistic too. I think if you were going to incorporate a QR code, do one where it downloads the contact info to their phone and instruct them to scan it so that the number is in there in case of a plumbing emergency.

2.) 10% off is so weak it's not even worth mentioning here. If someone is in need of a plumber at that moment for a clogged drain, they're going to call regardless so the 10% is pretty much worthless. In the cutthroat world we live in now, 10% off just doesn't spark enough interest to get people who are sitting on their ass to ACT NOW.

I would suggest putting a fixed price up for a clogged drain. A price that's really low so that people call on the whim to take care of that slow running drain in the tub. The plumber can easily upsell them in the house and typically once a plumber takes good care of a new customer, they have a customer for life.

3.) For images, I'd definitely incorporate some stock illustrations of clogs in the drain, and then a projection of a drain that's clean as a whistle, all for only $39 or whatever.

You want to:

1.) strike a chord and make it feel like destiny that you sent them something in the mail which offers to solve a problem they currently have, even if it's just a nuisance.

2.) agitate the problem using visuals and copy that reinforces how frustrating the problem really is.

3.) offer a clear solution that projects them to the future where you took care of their problem easily, and all for a price that couldn't be passed up.


There's a fine line between a postcard causing a roller coaster of emotion and intrigue, and being thrown in the trash without thought. This is why direct mail can make some people millions and bankrupt others.

Thanks for the thoughts Kilterman

Ewan, that is amazing. I've never seen this so it was extremely helpful.

I'm a little confused about the website address. I could see if we don't want to distract them from the action of calling. But if they want to browse or check us out online, it should be there then? Also any thoughts on the back of my postcard? Having testimonials there?

Now about to go through Bob Ross' thoughts. Posted this and immediately I saw Bobs post.

Nothing more to add here...Bob, Ewen and Subtle got you covered with some solid advice there!

Ewan and Bob, you guys have offered information that is just priceless. I appreciate the help so much. This will be my clients (and my) first postcard campaign, and I would hate to screw it up. I'll be posting a new postcard tomorrow, and hopefully you guys will get a chance to see it.

Thanks again, I'm going to incorporate all of the tips.

Awesome thread, I hope to see your revision in the future!

Sorry it took a few days guys. I got caught with the lazies... I was waiting for my printer to get back to me, and in that time I hadn't done work...I know this isn't how I should be working, but here they are. I've tried to add everything suggested to me.

Comments:

Let me explain why I kept the URL. We have a list we're sending to of people who have entered their information on the internet to become leads. We are now using those leads. It makes sense to use a url with a web-friendly crowd.

Please ignore the sink on the back side of the postcard, I forgot to take that out before i uploaded this image.

My client could not give me a set price for drain cleaning. He said this is the best offer he can give.

If your client really wants/needs leads he has to get real, in this day $35 off just won't cut it. Has he ever heard of a "Loss Leader"? That's where you promote something at a loss or at break even. Once the customer is in the door he then "Upsells" the customer .... "Would you like fries with that?" (lol)

Anyone else have thoughts on my over design?

Also what do I do about my client not really budging on the offer?

Copy the ads people have given more rather than trying to have your own style. Being creative (original) often gets in the way of making money.

What should I do about him not wanting to budge on his offer?

Bob Ross covered a lot of great ideas. When creating a post card that will be received by others, always think like a consumer not a graphic artist, not a tech, not a company. After all it will end up in the consumer hands. The more you think like them the more you can get more of them to buy from your end clients.

Ok guys this is as similar as I can make it. It's darn near exact except for color (at least in concept). Please let me know what you think now. I guess all that is left to add is an offer or value. What if I added something like, we'll pay you 35 dollars if it's not fixed the first time.

All my client would have to do is ask the customer if it's fixed before he left, so they don't call him up later saying it's not fixed. Right?

Well...my client just dropped me because the price of the postcards threw him off...Lesson learned to not put prices on things before you know them. I told him they were gonna be like 700ish, but he saw it listed as like 380 over like 360, which comes to 740. So he must've thought it was only going to be 300's, and then I throw the 1000 at him, and he flipped a little. Oh well. Lesson learned.

I'd still like feedback on the postcards though. Thanks

Since you already put a lot of work into the postcard it seems, and you have much more information now, why don't you take that knowledge and go to his competition?

That's a great idea saulric! Thanks

You seem to be in love with those horrible dark colors.

Why?

must be Seahawks fan

Ouch, I thought you guys didn't like the gradients. Wasn't aware the blue was also bad. Well everything seemed to have been done completely backwards. But that offers the best learning experience, which this was a huge one.

Grey, it's true that dark blue will look REALLY dark when printed. Our monitors are illuminated and use the colors Red, Green, and Blue (RGB) to make every color. This means that Reds, Greens, and Blues are going to look really nice on a monitor screen.

With print, there's no light illuminating your colors so they look a lot more flat. Coatings like UV can help make the colors look more vivid. In print, all the colors are made up of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black so the reds/greens/blues don't really show up as nice as they look on screen.

This doesn't mean you can't use certain colors, you just have to be aware that what's on your monitor will look 'muddier' in print for the most part.

Another thing is that dark blues will often come out purple in print. You can avoid this by having your designer make sure that Cyan and Magenta are always more than 30% apart.

Also,

On a contractor forum I regularly follow there was a plumber doing really really well generating leads from some kind of toilet leak-finding capsules that he offered free.

Just a suggestion, REVERSE TYPE is the hardest to read...even with the bolder font you chose. As Bob mentioned, depending on how it prints, it could end up with almost no contrast, muddy and drab. I cannot think of a reason to do dark backgrounds on postcards.

...my most successful postcard mailings were using a person's face, and FREE offer, plus often I have printed on Super Bright stock like shocking pink or lime green. Text was always black. Readability has to come before style, imo.
_____
Bruce