Make a Postcard from Your Web Site
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Direct Mail
by
June Campbell
You know
how difficult it is to drive traffic to your site. The sheer numbers of Web sites
make it all too easy to get lost in the crowd. Search engines are becoming less
effective at keyword searches, banner advertising has a lower click-through rate
than it once had .....
One solution to the traffic problem is
off-line advertising. Big names like Beyond.com are already promoting their site
through commercial ads on national television networks.
Those
of us without deep pockets might do well to look for more affordable methods of
off-line advertising -- such as postcards containing a picture of your web site
and a custom message. Let's call them "Netposts."
Here are just
some of the ways that you might use Netposts:
- Mail
them to clients in thanks for business.
-
-
Send them to business contacts in lieu of Christmas or
other seasonal cards.
-
Distribute
them at networking groups and trade shows.
-
Leave
them in selected locations instead of brochures. For example, if your site is
selling pet care products, publish some articles on pet care on your web site,
then ask animal hospitals and veterinarian clinics if they will display your Netposts.
-
Send them out to potential customers
before you make that cold call. Since the cards are colorful, attractive and easy
to handle, they are more likely to be kept on display than a letter or even a
brochure.
-
Mail them to your customers
to announce special deals, sales or other corporate news.
You
can make your own Netposts if you have the equipment, software and skill to use
both effectively. You will need a graphics software program (i.e. PaintShop Pro,
PhotoShop), a desktop publishing program (i.e. PageMaker, CorelDraw, MS Word),
and sheets of blank postcards such as those sold by Avery (
www.avery.com).
You will also need access to a good quality color printer.
Desktop bubble jets can work quite well when budgets are tight, but do not expect
the same quality printing as you would from an offset printer.
Here is what you do:
- Open your site in your browser
and take a screen capture of your Web site. PC users, press the Print Screen button
on your keyboard. Mac users, refer to your instruction manual or a keyboard command.
A screen capture will save an image of your screen on the clipboard if you are
using Windows, and on the desktop if you are using the Mac.
-
-
Open your graphics software application.
Then Mac users, open the image that appeared on your desktop when you did the
screen capture. PC users, first open a new file then paste your clipboard contents
onto the new file. (To paste, PC users use the keyboard command of Control V).
Voila! You now have a graphic image of your home page. Edit and resize as desired.
-
Using a sheet of Avery postcards
as your guide, lay out a postcard page in your desktop publishing program. Use
your creativity to add text or other images if wanted.
-
Design a back page for your postcards, including your return
address and any other message you require. You can also add recipients' addresses.
-
Print your front page onto your
Avery postcards, using any good quality printer. Then, turn the postcards over,
being careful to match upsides; and print the back page
There
you have it. Your own do-it-yourself Netposts! For more information, visit
Nightcats.com.
