* stay in touch with prospects

* put your web site URL in print

* update clients about changes to company contact info

* upsell to clients in database

* reactivate dormant clients

* thank your customers

* invite prospects to web seminar or tutorial events

* offer special discounts or a sale

To clean up your database of addresses, mail the post cards First Class mail with address service requested; these endorsements are found beneath the return address on the side which is addressed to the recipient. Visit the www.usps.com site for more info about mailing discounts and service requests for post card mailouts.

By opting for this service request, the postcards will find their way on to the recipient's new location, and you'll receive an update about their change of address in the meantime.

Rather than thinking in the context of one specific mail-out, consider your efforts an ongoing campaign. Don't just measure the number of addresses you send to and the number of sales made. It's more important to hone in on your best customers, moving them into the next phase of the purchasing cycle.

Direct marketing efforts don't necessarily need to be expensive. Some companies simply mail out two-color postcards to everyone who makes an inquiry, once a month - just to maintain contact with potential customers. These cards gather a relatively large response from inquirers, especially when they're ready to take it to the next step in the buying cycle.

By using this form of relationship marketing, keeping in touch with leads lets you make sales which less thorough marketers are leaving unconverted on the table. This sort of effective relationship marketing requires you to nurture the relationship between yourself and your customer instead of concentrating on one single anonymous purchase. Do you understand the needs of your customer throughout the buying cycle?

Provide info to your customers during the whole purchasing cycle to make relationship marketing work for both of your benefit. As the necessary expense of marketing keeps rising, and markets continue to become more competitive, we'll need to continually find ways to gain results without spending the entire budget, improving return on investment and winning the most valuable relationships.

Companies such as amazingmail.com, modernpostcard.com, and touchpointmail.com are great resources if you'd rather have someone else design and print your cards, rather than doing them in-house. It is often preferable to employ the skills of professionals rather than straining your own business resources trying to do something new, as often this will result in something done poorly. Postcards are an effective tool which still can fit within the parameters of a limited marketing budget. Remember, the best postcards interact with the audience by giving them a reason to respond, and asks questions in order to update information from a potential customer who opts to provide this information.