How2Day: Marketing Postcard Ideas in Nebraska

Postcards can be effective marketing tools. Jupiterimages/BananaStock/Getty Images
A postcard campaign is a way to reach potential customers with a tangible, print piece. Because of the size and discount postage rates, a postcard is a relatively inexpensive marketing tool. As you plan a postcard marketing campaign in Nebraska, consider ways you can appeal to residents' passions, region's climate and their occupations for a compelling message. Use images and text that will let your Nebraska audience know you understand them.

In 2010, the University of Nebraska was accepted into the Big Ten sports conference, which was an important step for fans of the Huskers sports teams. During football season, capitalize on Nebraska's pride in the Huskers by sending out a team spirit-themed postcard campaign. You might offer a discount each time the team wins, for example, or announce a promotion for sports fans. Encourage recipients to take further action by providing a discount code or a printed coupon that they can input online or bring into your business. By placing a familiar name and image in front of customers, you can increase the chances that they will look twice at your postcard instead of tossing it.

Winters in Nebraska can be long and cold, with the wind whipping across the Plains. For a winter postcard campaign, use imagery that takes customers away from their homes, even for a moment. You might use photographs of warm, tropical places, or even famous Nebraska landmarks in the summer to remind residents that the sun will come again: the Platte River, Buffalo Bill Ranch, the Golden Spike Tower, or I-80, for example. Use a comical headline that makes light of the winter temperatures and biting wind and tie it into a special promotion your business is having, the warm atmosphere of your location, or a chance to win a trip to a tropical destination.

According to the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, the state has the third-largest corn production in the United States. Corn is produced on small family farms and large commercial farms, and many Nebraskans have vivid memories of detassling, irrigating or harvesting corn in their childhoods. In the late fall, create a postcard campaign that celebrates the corn harvest. For a low-yield year, you can offer discounts that will help keep families going; in a high-yield year, use positive, celebratory language that is designed to maintain the spirit of celebration. If you are sending out a campaign before harvest season, focus on the tools and products farmers will need; after the season, focus on services and products that will reward people for their months of hard work.

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