HVAC Webmasters discusses seven HVAC maintenance reminder postcard ideas for contractors looking to maximize their direct mail marketing. Believe it or not, direct mail marketing still has its place in the digital world.
Don’t believe us? The numbers don’t lie. In 2022, the average direct mail marketing open rate was 90%. That number has sustained itself in 2023 and projects to continue onward.
Getting a physical postcard in the mail that you can then pin to the refrigerator or your corkboard to remind you of an appointment is still helpful for many people. So, in the following post, we will give you some HVAC postcard ideas to give your direct mail marketing campaign a shot in the arm.
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Why Use Maintenance Reminder Postcards?
As an HVAC company, you provide an ongoing service. Therefore, everyone needs to have their heaters, ACs, or ductwork worked on from time to time, and postcards can help people track when they need maintenance.
Here are some instances when an HVAC postcard would be appropriate:
- Maintenance Reminders: No one wants to get caught with a faulty HVAC system in the dead of winter or during dog days of summer. A friendly service or maintenance reminder in the form of a postcard can help the consumer maintain a working HVAC system and boost your sales.
- Promotions: Postcards are also a great way to upsell your current customers with special deals that may interest them. Try to personalize the mailing list by sending postcards about a service that the receivers have used or inquired about previously.
- Greeting New Residents: You can send a postcard greeting to people who have just moved into your service areas, letting them know that you provide HVAC services and maintenance. You can also send postcards to residents in areas where your company expands.
- Thank You Notes: Making customers feel appreciated is essential for any business – HVAC included. Postcards are a great way to thank a customer for their patronage.
Awesome HVAC Postcard Ideas
Creating effective postcards has a lot to do with visuals and the actual copy on the cards. Take a look at some HVAC postcard ideas for inspiration:
1) Make it Personal
Personalizing your maintenance reminder postcards as much as possible is always a good idea. In email marketing campaigns, customized messages increase conversion and open rates. The same principle applies to physical mail marketing. People don’t want a general statement sent to hundreds of others.
They respond more when they know the message is personal. When you send thank you cards, mention the service the customer purchased. When promoting a service, use your sales history data to send promotional postcards to a targeted mailing list.
2) Drive Action
If the goal of your postcard campaign is sales, it can help create a sense of urgency that drives action. For example, if you promote a sale on duct cleaning, make sure that the offer is time-sensitive so that people will feel compelled to take more or less immediate action.
In addition, any offer you promote through direct mail postcards should most certainly have a clearly marked expiration date.
3) Utilize a Call to Action
Just like with web copy and email marketing campaigns, you need a call to action on your HVAC postcards to let the recipient know what you want them to do so that you can measure the effectiveness of your campaign.
For example, giving special codes for a specific discount is an easy way to track the effectiveness of a promotion and a direct mail marketing campaign.
4) Use Copy Sparingly
The written content on your HVAC postcards shouldn’t look like an essay when your customers receive it. That will only scare them away. So instead, keep your message short, simple, and focused. In other words, don’t try to cram a bunch of different promotions or topics onto the same card. Instead, stick to the most important message and a straightforward call to action.
5) Be Careful with Images
Piggy-backing off the last point, be careful with what images you include on your postcard. While images can certainly increase open rates, having too many will make your postcard look too busy and unattractive to the recipient. Instead, use only one or two images at the most.
Also, you always have to ensure that your images are high-resolution for print. Remember that when you see an image on a computer screen, it might not necessarily look as clear and crisp in print. In general, you want your pictures to have a print resolution of at least 300 DPI.
6) Create a Compelling Headline
The headline should be the largest font on your postcard. It should also be as compelling as possible. For example, if you are promoting a special discount on an HVAC service, the gist of the service should be your headline.
For example, if you promote an AC tune-up special, your headline could be “Stay cool in the sweltering summer months.” This headline pressures the pain of not having a properly working AC at the hottest time of the year. It conjures up an uncomfortable image for the reader and may spur them to action.
Here’s another example of an HVAC inspection special: “Save money on your monthly utility bills.” Again, this headline pressures the pain of high utility bills due to an inefficient HVAC system. However, it also offers a solution for the recipient.
7) Keep Track of the Results
Last but not least, you will want to make sure you can measure the success of your direct mail marketing campaign. That way, you can figure out what messages are working and which are flopping. You can track the results by phone by using a specific number on the postcards for customers to call.
Link the phone number to a call forwarding system so you will know each time the phone rings as a result of your postcard campaign. You can track results by website visits by including a unique URL on the postcard that links to a specific landing page.
Finally, you can track actual purchases by including a special discount code on the postcard.
Next Steps for HVAC Maintenance Reminder Postcard Ideas
Now that you’ve learned strategies for creating effective maintenance reminder postcards, it’s time to take action. Order your postcards and start delivering them to your existing customers. Keep track of the results through your CRM and refine your approach based on the data.
If you need assistance with your marketing campaign, feel free to reach out to HVAC Webmasters.
