At first, it seems only logical that postcards would be phased out by now due to the expanding digital world. With e-cards, Facebook and email, why on earth would anyone consider printing postcards? Yeah, I’m talking real postcards actually printed on paper: a physical, in-your-face rectangular…postcard. Why would marketing experts use dopey old-fashioned paper cards?

Because postcards are awesome! That’s why! To prove it, we’ve listed some ways that postcards can be beneficial in any marketing plan.

Full disclosure: I wrote this article during a week my company, PrintKEG, was having a postcard sale.

1. Mass Mailings

By targeting the right demographic or customer, postcards can be huge. You will achieve the same or better ROI (return on investment) as any online campaign. In fact, one might expect a better conversion rate if the design and call-to-action is well conceived.

Also, many companies embrace variable data for mail-outs. This means the graphics and text can be unique to each receiver based on some gathered or volunteered information. Many companies are highly successful with strong marketing plans centered around postcards and variable data.

I mentioned that ROI can actually be better for postcards than online advertising. For instance, ordering 1000 postcards would cost a mere $50-$60 (including shipping costs) plus $200 in postage while a Google ads campaign would cost more like $500 – $1000 for 1000 clicks. With Google, we can target people actually searching for a specific product in real-time, but if you know your customers well enough, you can gain similar performance with any postcard campaign.

2. Hand-outs

Sometimes a physical card to hand out is just more personal. Many companies and individuals use postcards, or club flyers, to personally hand out to people. By doing so, the hopeful prospect may engage more or is at least more likely to read the material. That sounds better than any social network to me. Customer’s don’t typically unsubscribe or “un-friend” a postcard…

3. As Thank You Cards

Some businesses send out thank you cards to first-time customers. How nice is that? Postcards can be a cheap way to send out cards to customers to simply thank them for the business. Sending a thank you note per Facebook or Twitter just doesn’t have the same elegant ring to it does it?

Also consider birthday cards, follow-up cards, holiday specials and much more.

4. Different Sizes & Shapes

Don’t feel compelled to choose the standard 4 x 6 postcard. More and more businesses are resorting to larger postcard sizes to gain more attention in the mailbox. Custom shapes could be fun too. There’s also a company that offers sound bytes on postcard mail outs. Neat.

With the many sizes available for postcards, try incorporating them as tickets, coupons, passes, appointment cards, membership cards and much more. The opportunities are endless. Get creative with those postcards and prepare to impress clients!

5. Slap a QR Code On It.

Although QR codes are not as successful as companies would like, they still offer an invaluable way to mix print with the digital universe. Adding QR codes to postcards offers a huge opportunity to engage with customers and offers a more meaningful experience.

There are tons of creative ways to implement QR codes. At first, you may want to send customers to a mobile website or social connection, but also try holding contests, linking to surveys or even start a treasure hunt or something much weirder.

I like QR codes since they can boost the ROI of a postcard. If the call-to-action is right, a person will instantly access your website and make a purchase.