Savvy marketers don’t overlook the value of direct mail postcards in their marketing strategies. Postcards are a cost effective, high impact medium, but designing a postcard that will stay around and continue to keep your name in front of your prospects is one of the keys to this medium’s success.

Making a postcard worthy of displaying on a bulletin board or refrigerator, in other words, “a keeper,” isn’t difficult. There are several easy ways to increase your postcards’ longevity. First, use attractive, bright colors and pleasing designs. Don’t go for high art, choose a design that is easily understood, non-offensive and memorable. As your customers sort through their mail, you have only a few seconds to get your card into the “keeper” pile. A clear message and easy to understand images help make your card instantly meaningful.

Think of your postcard as a miniature, two sided billboard. Design your postcard like a billboard and adapt some of their ideas for your postcards. Simple messages, catch phrases, clean layouts and easy to read fonts are common to the best billboards, use these ideas in your postcards as well.

Make sure that your contact information is easy to use and varied. Offer your customer as many ways to get in touch with you as possible. Many customers keep postcards as oversized business cards, so make sure your card has the information they’ll need to contact you later.

Offer something of value for the return of your postcard. A free gift or discount will make your postcard more valuable than others, and you’ll have an easy way to track the effectiveness of your mailing.

Make your postcard a keeper! You’ll be surprised at how many surface months and even years after your mailings.