A Montgomery Ward catalog that was printed in 1872 was responsible for changing the nature of marketing when it introduced direct mail marketing to the world. Since those early days of direct mail marketing, there have been several other advances that put customers directly in touch with the providers of goods or services they are interested in paying for. A direct advertising campaign can yield excellent return on investment rates, as they put a clear call to action in front of consumers. That direct call to action might include placing an order over the phone, on the web or by visiting a local store based on the promotions that get printed on custom postcard printings. The process of custom postcard printing is not always cheap, but the high returns that customized printings can yield for your organization make it worth investing in this process.

Several business postcards, customized postcards, real estate postcards, direct mail postcards and other postcard printing services can be found in urban areas. If you live in a rural area, your options for custom postcard printing might be limited. Online custom postcard printing services will help you save money on this process. You may even be able to design custom postcard printings using the web. Printed materials will typically be delivered within a few weeks of the time when you submit a design for your cards. The Direct Marketing Association reports that response rates to direct mail from existing customers averages around 3.4 percent , a much greater rate than the .12 percent of consumer responses to email messages. Thus, custom postcard printing has a very secure place within the marketing industry.

The same person responsible for developing toll free phone numbers, Lester Wunderman, also helped develop the magazine subscription card. Tying these two strategies together to cultivate a market for your goods or services can be very effective. While most marketers are moving their strategies to the web, traditional marketing still holds a lot of appeal with customers that prefer the old fashioned way of getting business done. Some purchasing public members will not use the web, because they do not trust online retailers to provide a quality product. Most consumers that refuse to use online stores dislike paying high shipping rates. Your business may want to appeal to these customers by providing traditional print marketing and promotional materials during the growth phase of your business at prices your operating budget can handle.