Turn Procrastinators Into Buyers With Smarter Postcard Marketing

Let’s face it—procrastination is built into human nature. We’ve all said it: ‘Why do it today when I can put it off until tomorrow?’ The same thing happens with postcard marketing. Your prospects might set your card aside with every intention of coming back to it later, but ‘later’ usually never comes—and your opportunity is lost.

That’s why urgency and a clear call to action are non-negotiable in postcard marketing. Without them, people stall. With them, you give prospects a reason to move now instead of later.

Why You Can’t Ignore Urgency

Urgency is what pushes someone from thinking about it to doing something about it. Years ago, when life was slower and people weren’t drowning in distractions, you might have been able to send a generic postcard and still get results. Not anymore.

Today, if you don’t give people a reason to act right away, your message will get buried under everything else competing for their attention. Urgency is the little nudge that says, “Don’t wait—do this now, or you’ll miss out.”

How to Build Urgency Into Your Postcard Marketing Campaigns

There are a handful of tried-and-true ways to create urgency. You don’t need to use all of them—just pick the one that fits your offer best.

1. Expiration dates

Probably the most common approach: tie your offer to a deadline. For example: “Order by April 30th and save 20%.” A ticking clock makes people pay attention.

2. Bonus offers

Instead of offering a discount, sweeten the deal with something extra. Maybe it’s an additional product, an upgraded package, or a free add-on. People love getting more for the same price, and it motivates them to respond sooner.

3. Limited supply

Scarcity works because nobody likes missing out. Phrases like “While supplies last” or “Only the first 50 callers” instantly create pressure to act. It taps into the fear of being left behind.

Don’t Forget the Call to Action

Urgency grabs attention, but a call to action (CTA) tells people what to do with it. Without clear instructions, your postcard is just another piece of mail.

A good CTA combines urgency with direction. For example:

“Sale ends April 30th at 10:00 PM. Call 555-123-4567 now and ask for Sarah to claim your free sample.”

See how specific that is? You’ve given them:

• A deadline
• A phone number
• A person to ask for
• A clear reward for responding

That’s the difference between someone tossing your card aside and someone picking up the phone.

Test Your Offers

Not every offer is going to be a home run, and that’s why testing is so important. The good news is, you don’t need to guess what works—you can find out pretty quickly if your offer has legs.

Here’s a simple way to do it:

1. Send your postcard to a small group—say, 100 customers—and track the response.
2. Pay attention to the feedback. Ask the people who respond what caught their eye.
3. Look for patterns. After 15–20 responses you’ll start seeing trends. By 40–50, you’ll know which parts of your offer need tweaking and which ones are pulling people in.

One of the best tools for testing offers is our Visitor Match & Mail© program. Here’s why: it automatically sends postcards to people who’ve already visited your website. These are prospects who are interested enough to check you out online, but most never pick up the phone or fill out a form. That makes them the perfect audience for testing.

If you want to see which offer really gets people to respond—whether it’s a discount, a bonus, or a limited-time deal—Visitor Match & Mail© is an easy, cost-effective way to find out. You’re not guessing at random prospects; you’re putting your message back in front of warm leads who’ve already shown interest. The results will tell you exactly what works best to bring in new business.