Advertise in a Card Deck

A card deck is a package of advertisements enclosed in an envelope, and sent out to hundreds, thousands, or even millions of businesses or consumers. Most decks are sent out on a monthly basis, but some are sent less frequently.

Perhaps the most well known of all consumer card decks, Val-Pak has been serving American marketers since 1968. There are more than 220 franchises serving regional markets in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico, and most people have received their blue envelopes filled with advertisements and coupons for dozens of local and national businesses.

Do these really work? Yes! If not, the whole card deck system would have shut down long ago. But they do work better for some businesses than others.

The most important thing to remember when planning a campaign is to zero in on your target market. Many decks offer opportunities to target your promotion to the neighborhood level. This gives you more control over who receives your offer, and lets you attract customers from outside your trading area, without the cost of providing discounts to your existing customer base.

Another key to using card decks effectively is to provide a strong enough incentive for prospects to take some sort of action. Don’t try to sell your product or service directly, however. The objective is to get potential customers to identify their interest in what you have to offer. If you offer a “free” report on how to do something or other, and people register to receive it, you know they’re a good candidate for products and services related to the subject of the report.

One last thing. People like to respond to offers in different ways, and people have different means to contact you. Therefore, your card should include as many ways as possible for prospects to contact you. Don’t assume that simply providing a toll-free number is enough. List your physical address, web site and an e-mail address, too.