Boosting Reviews and Referrals Through Postcard Follow-Ups

Follow-ups are essential for keeping clients. Your interaction with them shouldn't end with a sale if you want to create repeat customers. 

According to ThinkImpact, approximately 65% of a company's revenue is from its most loyal customers. Increasing customer retention by only 5% can up your revenue by 25-95%.

Read on to learn how you can encourage client engagement and retention through postcard follow-ups.

Why Is It Important to Follow Up?

Follow-ups are an important form of business communication. They keep the momentum going after an initial interaction. 

This helps:

• Demonstrate commitment
• Answer questions
• Provide additional information
• Encourage customer loyalty

Why You Should Use Postcards for Follow-Ups

Direct mail in all its forms may not seem like the best way to follow up with a client, but it's more personal and likely to be opened than email. According to the Tardell 2025 Small Business Marketing survey, it has the second-highest ROI behind Facebook ads.

Postcards are one of the best customer follow-up tactics for several reasons.

They're a physical item that's less likely to get buried in an email inbox. They stay around the house and keep customers thinking about your brand whenever they see them. That leads to a greater level of brand recognition.

Sending a postcard shows a level of gratitude and personalization. Customers appreciate the extra effort it takes. They feel like you care about them as an individual and not just a sales number.

It's also an easy way to engage them further. Use the postcard not only to follow up but also to:

• Provide useful information or reminders
• Offer discounts or rewards
• Ask for feedback or reviews

How to Plan Campaigns

Planning to send follow-ups should be treated like any other marketing campaign. It needs careful planning if you want to get the best possible results.

That means targeting them to your audience, designing an attractive card, and mailing it out using the right service.

Segment Your Audience

Knowing your audience is essential for strategic business growth. It's the key to all parts of marketing, including follow-ups.

Gather enough data on your customers to know them well. What do they like? Who are they? Why are they making purchases?

Once you know this, you can split them into different segments and cater different follow-up postcards for each segment. You could highlight a certain product they've bought frequently, a value they hold, or anything else that unites them. It'll ensure your message doesn't just speak to anyone but to the specific customer you're trying to follow up with.

Design the Postcard

Designing the postcard itself is the most important part of your campaign. If it doesn't grab the eye or provide the right information, it'll end up in the trash before the message gets through.

Identify your target audience. Make sure that the message and visuals are catered to them.

Follow all the US Postal Service rules. Choose the right size, balancing budget and impressiveness.

Make sure the message is clear and compelling. Highlight any offers or promotions. Include your company's contact information. Add compelling visuals and colors so that the card stands out. 

Use the Right Mailing Service

Using the right postcard mailing service is the final step in the campaign. Your postcards won't help anyone if they don't reach the customer.

Find one that provides a variety of sizes and design elements to choose from. Experiment until you find the one that works best for your business and gets the biggest response. 

Requesting Reviews and Referrals Through Follow-Ups

Postcards are effective client engagement strategies. One of the best forms of engagement is a review. According to a study by Reputation, approximately54% of customers trust online reviews firstwhen researching a business.

Personalization encourages them to leave one. Even a simple step, such as putting the customer's name on the card, makes them feel appreciated. 

The visuals and language on the card should also be persuasive without being pushy. Clearly say why you're following up and what you want them to do next. Most customers will leave a review or referral for a product or service they enjoyed if they're asked.

Your postcard can also offer incentives for further interaction. These could include thank you messages or a small reward.

Include a QR code to make all of this information easy to access. It could take them to the place you want them to go next. Perhaps it could link up to the page on your website where they could leave a review. Just leave clear instructions on how to use them.

FAQ

When is the best time to follow up?

This depends on what type of interaction you want to follow up on.

For a sale or business inquiry, follow-ups should happen within two to three days. It helps maintain momentum and shows that you're still interested.

Wait a bit longer for cold emails. A follow-up after three to five days is effective without feeling overly aggressive.

Finding the right time is an important part of the process. If you wait too long, the customer can forget about your initial interaction. That won't nurture enough brand recognition. If you go too soon, you can seem pushy and scare customers away.

How often is too often to follow up?

The timing varies here as well. It's important to know because following up too often can backfire and scare customers away.

The general rule is that the first contact should be a few days after the initial interaction. The second can be a week later if there's no response. Wait another week before following up again.

How will you encourage customers to provide a favorable review of your product?

The best way to encourage a favorable review is by providing a positive customer experience. Follow-ups help make it the best it can be. They also provide an easy reminder and way to give reviews.

Start Creating Great Follow-Ups Today

Follow-ups are one of the most essential forms of business communication. Postcards are one of the simplest and most attractive methods, and they encourage further interaction.

Tardell offers an all-in-one marketing platform that includes direct mail. Over 10,000 businesses trust us to help them grow. We'll serve all your marketing needs and help you track it all in real time.

Contact us to start planning your campaign today.