How would you design these postcards?

[Kurt]

A little while ago I was browsing eBay and saw a good deal on jumbo postcards. Each is 8.5 x 5.5.

Here's the situation. Let's say I have a domain for sale like MikesBikes.com and I want to snail mail every bike shop in the USA named Mike's Bikes.

Research shows there's 10 of them across the country.

How would you design the postcards to get the best chance to sell this domain name?

In another thread we talked about a book called "The Power to Get In". It uses what's known as "internal and external leverage". I believe external leverage would be really effective on the postcard since a domain name has built-in scarcity since there's only one.

Something like:

I'm also sending this opportunity to:

Mike's Bikes in Denver
Mike's Bikes in Wooster
Mike's Bikes in Boston
Mike's Bikes in Sacramento
Mike's Bikes in Omaha

...and only one can get it.

Do you agree? What else would you put on a big postcard? I have decent graphic skills and a printer. Any design or copy suggestions?

[Jeffery]

My lame attempt..

[Kurt]

[Jeffery]

^ Nice one Kurt! ^

Here is my logic, the colors are safety orange and yellow, the fonts are "in your face" and..

[Kurt]

Thanks Jeffery..

I agree red and yellow are the most eye-catching colors. The issue is I'm using an inkjet and those solid colors over that large an area won't print well and will probably double my printing costs. In reality, my image wouldn't actually be light blue, I just did that show the outline would show up on this forum better.

My body font is serif which I "think" (I've read but can't confirm) reads better in print while sans serif is better for viewing on a monitor.

Also, instead of a phone number I'm sending them to the domain itself where there will be a little more copy as well as a "buy now" button. If someone wants it now, I want to make sure they can buy it now.

Another question is....what about the other side? Just repeat the same stuff to make sure it's seen?

It's a fun discussion...

[Jeffery]

Thanks Jeffery..

I agree red and yellow are the most eye-catching colors. The issue is I'm using an inkjet and those solid colors over that large an area won't print well and will probably double my printing costs. In reality, my image wouldn't actually be light blue, I just did that show the outline would show up on this forum better.

My body font is serif which I "think" (I've read but can't confirm) reads better in print while sans serif is better for viewing on a monitor.

Also, instead of a phone number I'm sending them to the domain itself where there will be a little more copy as well as a "buy now" button. If someone wants it now, I want to make sure they can buy it now.

Another question is....what about the other side? Just repeat the same stuff to make sure it's seen?

It's a fun discussion...

---

You could use a simple W A R N I N G header like this one to save ink costs.



Yes sir, I would use both sides.

Added later..
Once, I slipped a dollar bill inside a mailer with the phone number written on it with a black magic marker. You could write the domain name on it. It was the second mailer to that business and when he called he good naturedly said he would be sure to open all my mailers in the future.

[Claude Whitacre]

I don't think the colors or font are important. Black and white is what I'd use. It's the offer.

I'd say "Mikesbikes.com just became available! Call 1-46-567=-3456 to see if it's still available. This letter is going out to 5 Mike's Bikes shops across the country. First call wins!"

Maybe on the other side say "When customers go to Mikesbikes.com.....will they find you or a competitor?" 

Everyone wants what they can't have. Everyone wants what they think someone else wants. You'll probably get at least one call. If not, I'd call them, assuming the price of the URL is enough to justify the hassle.

[Kurt]

I don't think the colors or font are important. Black and white is what I'd use. It's the offer.

I'd say "Mikesbikes.com just became available! Call 1-46-567=-3456 to see if it's still available. This letter is going out to 5 Mike's Bikes shops across the country. First call wins!"

Maybe on the other side say "When customers go to Mikesbikes.com.....will they find you or a competitor?" 

Everyone wants what they can't have. Everyone wants what they think someone else wants. You'll probably get at least one call. If not, I'd call them, assuming the price of the URL is enough to justify the hassle.

Somewhere else there was a conversation where a person was offering his marketing services to a business owner
where he was familiar with and said he wanted to tell them if they didn't accept his services he would have to offer his services to the businesses competitors.

You replied that this would just make you angry if the marketer threatened you like this. To me mentioning other competition is using external leverage. Is it because of the personal connection or face to face that this would upset you and how to not P.O. people using leverage?

[Jeffery]

From my own experience, leverage is a double edged sword that may help or harm you when speaking to:

• Educated Business Owner. The large majority of educated business owners understand 'leverage' and how it is used and as a consequence they do not get POed when it is introduced.
  
• Average Joe Blow Business Owner. This sect of people seldom understand 'leverage' and that it is being used to make the sale.
  

For me, it is how 'leverage' is conveyed to a person(s) that determines the end result.

At the end of the day, it really is how badly does the prospect want what you have to offer and if you have all of the leverage such as 1 and only 1 of a product that other business owners want then 'leverage' is on  your side regardless if the buyer is an Educated Business Owner or a Average Joe Blow Business Owner.

In the case of a domain sale both sects of business owners may ask "why" is this person contacting me instead of making the domain available on an auction?

[Claire Koch]

Over the years i've had the scarcity thing pulled on me almost every single day. I guarantee you it works. I cannot believe
what I have wasted money on because of that.

As time went on I got better at detecting it and today it still gets me. I've been online 22 years.

If you tell people others are gonna get this thing and they are not then chances are they WILL react IMHO and based on my own experience.
Unless you contact someone who has been contacted thousands of times over a period of years you probably are not going to get
a mad rager.

Its possible but I highly doubt it when we are talking about brick and morter businesses at least. They get contacted a lot but not near
as much as a online marketer would.