How to Choose the Best Postcard Size for Direct Mail
Direct Mail Marketing Tips | 21 Dec, 2020
by Jeffery Li
Reading Time: 3 Minutes
Direct mail is one great way a business can expand their reach and gain new leads. I've previously shared a few best practices about setting up a direct mail campaign. I already wrote posts about how often you should mail, what your mailing should look like, how to stagger campaigns to match your budget and the difference between first-class and standard mail.
But there's another topic I haven't touched on yet — and that's what size your postcards should be. The general choices you have are small, regular and large.
What Size is a Postcard?
What Size Works – and When?
Small (4" x 6")
- Niche industries
- Few to no competitors
- Small budgets
- Not a new business, perhaps part of a series of mailings
Regular (6"x 9")
- Cluttered market
- A decent number of competitors
- You need to add details
- Moderate budgets
- Your product or offer needs to be explained
Large (6"x 11")
- High-competition areas
- New businesses
- Large budgets
- Unusual businesses that need to be thoroughly explained
- Your introduction to the area (good first mailing)
What Size Postcard is Most Effective
Now that you have the right contacts, postcard design and schedule for your mailings, you need to make sure that your postcards are the right size for your needs. Overall, real estate is an industry where there's always going to be moderate to heavy competition in your area.
To make the most impact, you're going to either have to stick with regular or large postcards. Though the investment seems like a lot, you're not going to grab attention with small postcards. Get a higher ROI by ordering quality postcards that will grab your prospect's attention.
When Should I Use Small Postcards
If you're in a business with little to no competition in your area, you can probably get away with small postcards. However, if you're in the real estate business, this isn't likely to be the case.
Basically, if you want to make a strong impression, you don't want to commence any mailing campaign with a small postcard. The real estate business has plenty of competition, and so you need to stand out.
It may be acceptable if you integrate a small-sized postcard if it's perhaps the third or fourth in your series of mailings, but never let your first impression be underwhelming.
When Should I Use Regular Size Postcards
This is an excellent size for any salesperson who has a fair amount of competition in the area, but the marketing isn't quite cut-throat. It's also an acceptable introductory postcard in a lightly saturated area because you can include some details about what you do and the benefits of working with you.
If the businesses around you are sending small postcards and letters, a regular-sized postcard is going to grab your recipient's attention. This size is also great to be integrated into a series of mailings. However, if your competition is using larger postcards, you'll need to step up your game.
When Should I Use Large, Jumbo Postcards
Bigger is better when it comes to direct mail. If you're in a market saturated with competitors, you're going to want to go as big as possible.
If I placed a small pebble and a large stone on a table at the same time, which one would you look at first? The large stone, obviously, because larger objects are more noticeable! So, if you receive both regular and small sized postcards but then a large 6"x 11" one comes in on the same day, which one would grab your attention the quickest?
When you invest in a large postcard, you're making sure you introduce yourself boldly. Large mailings are great for special offers, the first mailing in a series of postcards and simply if you want to grab attention and stand out from your competitors.
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