Postcards are an easy and cost effective way to market our services to the general public so they can know AmeriPlan and our awesome services exist!

First, you'll want to get your postcards made – you can get as creative as you want with this!

One place to get fairly cheap but colorful postcards made is through www.vistaprint.com. .

In the www.vistaprint.com website, the one that a few of us on the team have used is the "toothbrush" postcard. You can find this exact postcard by clicking on the "Marketing Materials" link. Then click on "Medical and Dental" link under the Browse By Industry heading on the left hand side. You'll find the "toothbrush" postcard in that section.

The cost for ordering 250 of these postcards was only $69.98 + shipping (I chose Standard via UPS).

I got the Standard Size (not Oversized) card with Glossy Finish and the postcard has color on both sides (which is a bit extra but looks really nice).

So my TOTAL cost was $80.93 for 250 REALLY nice looking postcards!

Each Standard size postcard needs to have a $0.24 cent stamp with it as well so I purchased 200 $0.24 cent stamps as well, which cost me about $52.00 (stamps plus tax).

If you do the Oversized postcard, you'll be paying more in mailing (just an fyi).

Vista Print Card - Sample

Now, a nice postcard is USELESS unless you have PEOPLE to send them to!

Here are a few VERY inexpensive ways to generate your own "leads" to send these brochures to:

A. SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS

Think....dry cleaners, appraisers, handymen, lawn services and the like. You can also mail them to people who are independent contractors like Realtors, cosmetologists, nail technicians, barbers, etc.

B. LOCAL LIBRARY SYSTEM

A FREE and easy way to generate your own “leads” list is to use your local library system.

You can either physically go to your local library, OR, if you have a library card, you can just use that to gain access online.

Here's what you do:

1. Go to your local library's Home Page or call them and see if they have ReferenceUSA access.

2. On that library page should be a link that says “INFORMATION DATABASES.”

(for example purposes ONLY, if you go to the Chandler, AZ library webpage, at http://www.chandlerlibrary.org/, you'll see it right there on the LEFT hand side)

3. Click on the INFORMATION DATABASES link.

4. Once that page opens up, you'll then want to click on the link in the UPPER RIGHT hand side of the page that says “REFERENCEUSA.”

5. On this page you should be prompted to put in your Library card number and your passcode.

6. This page will bring up RESIDENTIAL DATABASES. Click on the “more” button.

7. On this page, click “START SEARCH”

8. On this page it will say “Quick Search,” or “Custom Search.” You want to choose “Custom Search.”

9. The next page should look like the box below. You can search by ANY criteria you want, but a simple, easy search is searching by zip code, median home value and median home income.

1. Once you've chosen your search criteria, you'll click “Create Search Form.”

2. This will bring you to the “Search Criteria Fields.” Type in the information (zip codes, for example) you want to have pulled up, the median home value, and the median home income.

TIP: Choose an average (not to expensive) home value and a middle of the road income (ex. Under $40,000 or $40,000-$59,000). Then click “Search Now!”

3. What will come up is a list (and links to multiple pages) of people's names and mailing address.

TIP: You can click on the person's LAST name for a specific description of that person. When you do that, you pull up a “detailed listing.”

4. At the bottom of a “detailed listing” it will also allow you to pull up all the neighbors of this person within a 1/10 of a mile or more.

This search can ALSO be done for businesses! So you can also use this GREAT resource and send out postcards, flyers, etc. to business owners in either your local area or whatever market you choose to target!

Have fun with this, get creative and…..HAPPY MAILING!