Gordon,

Thanks for the very helpful input. As I mentioned in a reply to James, I just got sidetracked on this and then got stuck in that rut. The newsletter postcard idea looks great, but I am also very intrigued by the "handwritten" card idea. Would definitely like to see anything you might have in mind for that.

Will shoot you an email shortly...

Best Wishes,
Jim Erskine

> in the TARGET.

> I've had some pretty good success with
> postcards. Some have been regular white
> standard sized postcards with black ink
> printing (like the one I created for Paul
> Hartunian's Postcard Challenge a few years
> ago that pitted 8 PROFESSIONAL copywriters
> against each other...I WON by the way)...

> and others have been full 4 color oversized
> with incredible photos, a very promotional
> look to it.

> It all depends on WHO is going to receive it
> and WHEN. I'm working on a couple of
> CHRISTMAS post cards right now.

> So Jim, who is inside the Pictogrigm? What
> is his/her title? What will they be doing
> when they receive your postcard? WHERE will
> they get it? Home or Office?

> What TIME will they get it? Are you going to
> be mailing soon? (I hope so)

> Is it going to a town officer?

> I see two possiblities. One is a full color
> oversized PROMOTIONAL tool that shows
> various tourist attractions in your small
> town, along with message on the back of how
> they could PROFIT from their
> hidden/secret/unknown tourist destinations.

> The other is a more FORMAL looking, with a
> nice Gov looking indicia...notice I said
> "looking"...
> something that looks official. And it should
> be very formal and properly addressed.

> You can test these.

> NOW, one that I might try would be totally
> different. A WHITE oversized card with
> HANDDRAWN and HANDWRITTEN little notes all
> over the front. Something that looks like a
> 10 year old kid did it...but has a couple of
> nice EYE catching little sayings at the top
> corners...and draw the eye down the page to
> various circles and stuff in quotes...a real
> messy looking thing.

> It WILL get read. IF you do it right. And on
> the addy side, I'd use copy too. One mistake
> I see many postcards make is they don't use
> all the space they can. The address doesn't
> need that much room, check with PO Master
> for rules and regs..but there is a lot of
> space on the address side to make your
> points too...use boxes or quotes or even a
> different color.

> I don't know what others do about POSTCARDS,
> I have used them successfully for 25
> years...and I've helpe design many for
> advertising agencies...my specialty is the
> self-mailer, I know many of you have seen
> the work I've done for the herbal supplement
> company that worked very well.

> My "secret" is to make it EYE
> appealing, make it INTERESTING to read...not
> PROMOTIONAL...that is not a SALE...

> BUT Jim, you can make yours a
> mini-newsletter for you. A while back I
> developed a postcard for a Resume Writing
> service that looked like a Resume...(a
> product my partner and I decided NOT to do,
> but the postcard was great {my opinion})

> so you could actually make it LOOK like a
> mini-newsletter, with two
> columns...articles, quotes, what have you.

> Jim, let me know if you want my help, I'd be
> glad to create a couple for you to look at,
> and if you like them, use them, if not, no
> big deal. I'll do this cause you are a
> REMOTE INFLUENCE student...and I love a
> challenge.

> The SECRET to postcards is to be OUTRAGEOUS
> or PROFESSIONAL but don't be mundane or
> mediocre or it goes into the trash can.

> The longer the recipient HOLDS it, the
> better chance you have of them taking
> ACTION...and make the action step easy.

> Your toll free number does that, but I'd
> give them a TIME sensitive reason to respond
> Jim.

> My RULE for Postcard Profits is this: no
> RULES--JUST RESULTS.

> You know that by testing. Paul Hartunian
> tested 8 very different postcards...from 8
> very different professional copywriters.

> I'd TEST, but make sure you make it
> RANDOM...

> Jim, send me an email if you want, and I'll
> talk some more with you about the postcard.
> It doesn't take long to get one together...

> and it doesn't even have to have a HEADLINE,
> contrary to some opinions. It does however,
> have to capture ATTENTION and PROMOTE
> ACTION...the phone call is what you
> want...make the card have ONLY that
> purpose...make it do the ONE thing you need
> it to do.

> And you do that by getting inside your
> TARGET'S Circle of Preoccupation. Use the RI
> formula and you'll be amazed at the results.

> Gordon Alexander