Today we covered Online Postcard and Greeting Card Services. I researched online postcard services for the webinar, but just couldn’t find anything better than the one I have used for the last 2+ years, www.ExpressCopy.com. ExpressCopy specializes in do-it-yourself postcard mailings. You can choose from their templates for various industries, create a design online (which is limited but workable if you’re patient), or upload your own design. ExpressCopy will also mail the cards for you, which I do recommend because they can get you bulk rates. They supply you with a design template for mailing so that if you choose to create your own design, you’ll leave the appropriate space for postage and addressing.

ExpressCopy is great too because of the low minimums. I was incorrect when I told the noon Webinar attendees that there is a minimum of 100 cards — not true! The minimums are $41.00 order and at least 40 cards. This makes using ExpressCopy for mailings of a single design with an uploaded mailing list very affordable.

We also talked about online greeting card services. E-cards are very popular, of course, and I’ve used a number of different services myself. In my research for physical cards, I found www.BlueMountain.com, which allows you to select an online design and print the cards on your printer. I also found a good comparison site page that will help you walk through the various features of both E-cards and physical cards:

http://online-greeting-card-review.toptenreviews.com/

My favorite online greeting card service (which doesn’t appear on the web page above) though is one I’m now using both to showcase my own professional photographs and to keep in contact with clients and colleagues. It’s called SendOutCards.com, and I like it so much that I’m now an entrepreneur/distributor with them. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Internet Marketing in the past 3 years, it’s that online contact alone isn’t enough. A combination of online and offline marketing are needed to maintain relationships with clients and colleagues in this increasingly impersonal world.

During the webinar, I demonstrated the SendOutCards online contact management system, how you can select or create your own cards, and how you can do a customized mailing with either type of card. I used SOC to send my holiday cards to friends, family, clients, and colleagues, as well as thank you notes to volunteers who helped with the recent NSA Technology Lab. I created my own designs for all but the family cards, and sent everything without having to lick the stamps myself.

My next webinar won’t be until January 9th, when we begin our “Organize Your Technology” series. January is a good time to clean up your hard drive, archive files, etc., and get a fresh start on the new year, so put the webinar times into your calendar! If you’re not already on the announcement list, you can sign up at http://www.pcpowertips.com/webinars.html.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to you all!

Toolie

Webinar Date: December 19, 2007