Advertising

The Law Of Attraction

Advertising, Leaflet Distribution, , , , ,

The law of attraction can be applied to almost anything in life if you really think about it. So why not make your leaflets, flyers or magazine cover an instant attraction feature.

As a part of the direct marketing mix, magazine and leaflet distribution is one of the most successful methods of building a new business or expanding and consolidating an existing one, as we all know you only get one chance to make a good first impression. It’s that law of attraction thing again!

Research has shown that over 95% of people receive and see a magazine or leaflet that lands on their doormat.

Research has also revealed that over 55% of adults will keep a door drop leaflet for more than a week and over 80% keep the magazine for even longer; in fact, door drop leaflets are kept for an average of 38 days, longer than any other piece of information that comes through the letterbox, except for utility bills.

These distributed leaflets & magazines are kept in various places in a household.

There is the holding area where they are held in abeyance, waiting to be dealt with by various members of the household. A random holding area such as a convenient space on a cabinet or mantle-piece or a drawer, where they are kept after being read and wait to be read again.

Finally, there is the display area. The display area is the area where leaflets are on permanent display.

These days a domestic appliance has become the most prominent display area in most households; this is the family sized fridge freezer. It is on this display area leaflets should aspire to be placed, and, if possible, aspire to take pride of place in this display area.

The family fridge is a display place for all sorts of material, shopping list, reminders of school runs, and many other pieces of information required to keep a busy household functioning. The competition for space on this display board is fierce enough and it is made more competitive because most people will use a fridge magnet to display information they think worth keeping.

There are companies in the market who manufacture illustrated fridge magnets, but I feel they do not lend themselves to leaflets for distribution either for cost or for weight. However, you can do something to have your leaflet displayed on the fridge door, and it will not add any cost to the production of your leaflet.

If your offer is an attractive offer and your message conveys this, why not add a line at the foot of the copy and suggest they put it on their fridge door to remind them to contact you when the time is right. Make the law of attraction work for you.

Most people have fridge magnets and may be happy to put a well-designed and printed leaflet on this very important area in the home.

Just ask, besides what have you got to lose?

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One Leaflet One Business One Promotion

Advertising, Leaflet Distribution, , , ,

We at Hallway Distribution believe that each leaflet promotion should have just the one business advertised on it, one leaflet, one business, one promotion works the best.

A few questions I was asked just the other day by a potential new client was, “is double sided leaflet distribution a good idea”?

Should you ever put one product one side and another product or business on the reverse side?

Should my friend advertise their business on the back of mine? They are completly different businesses.

I would like to put all my contact information on the reverse side of my leaflet? This is ok as it keeps it one leaflet, one business.

My usual response is no, as after years of testing things like this, what works best is simply having one leaflet for one business.

Of course this does depend on what you do, but in many cases it lessens response. We work on the principle that the recipient will initially read your leaflet for 3 seconds only. It is often hard to think of a header which will capture their attention in that time. Printing on the reverse means that you either have to think of two great headlines or you risk loosing their interest. Putting one product on one side and another on the reverse, e.g kitchens/bathrooms, hair/beauty might mean that they never read one side get to it because they didn’t turn it over. The same applies for two businesses on either side. You will definitely lessen response.

Another question I get asked is shall I repeat the same design on both sides. For me this is a definite no, no. You work really hard to engage the viewer, excite them to react and then if they turn over they are confused because you have repeated the same message they might even find it annoying. There is nothing to gain by doing this.

National businesses, where the brand is well known use double sided because people know what they do and most of their leaflets are offer based. A double sided leaflet can also work well if you are a company with a lot of interesting headlines and Unique Selling Points or if you are producing a menu. But as a rule of thumb, one leaflet, one business.

Getting leaflet distribution right can be an art and consultancy is always free with our service, even if we do not actually print your leaflet.

Here are 4 facts you should know about.

1. More than 8 out of 10 people in the UK are happy to receive a door drop leaflet if it is on a topic of interest to them.
2. Over half of UK adults say door drop leaflets are useful for finding out about local information and businesses.
3. With the footprints of local free newspapers in decline, door drop leaflets are sometimes the only way for people to hear about this kind of information.
4. 89% of UK adults report remembering receiving a door drop leaflet communication in the last two weeks.

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Leafleting The Advertising Gem

Advertising, Leaflet Distribution, , , , ,

Door to door leafleting is still, and will continue to be, an advertising gem. It is here to stay and continues to grow against the odds.

It is no secret that the internet is swiftly becoming a vital advertising tool for small and large businesses alike, but that doesn’t mean that it is dominating the market. In fact, it is simply opening up even more opportunities for marketing in the real world for those with a little know-how.

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Nowadays advertising is a matter of utilising all those opportunities, combining the reach of the internet with the familiar touch of leaflet distribution to contact your ideal target audience in a more meaningful way. Cast aside any old ideas of blind leaflet dropping because this is the future of marketing for small businesses, allowing you to contact the future customers that you want, creating a strong customer-brand bond from the word go.

With any advertising campaign you have to consider the method from the customer’s point of view. Anyone who has ever lived in a city will know the familiar clatter of the letterbox as leaflet after leaflet is shoved through, eager to sell you pizza, fried chicken or cheap supermarket deals. This is exactly what gives leaflet distribution a bad name and for those on the receiving end it can be an absolute nightmare. However, every now and then you come across a true gem, invariably from a small company, offering you a worthwhile service or product that you simply can’t resist. This is the true art of leaflet distribution. Blindly dropping leaflets through doors, regardless of the audience is a waste of money. You need to know who you are marketing to and adapt your leaflets with them in mind. If done correctly leaflet distribution will reach out to your customers, enticing them with your beautifully designed advert, maintaining that small business trustworthy feel that we are all looking for.

From the business point of view advertising is all about finding an avenue that targets the right audience in the right manner for a reasonable price. By combining the internet with leaflet distribution you can locate areas with a suitable customer base and deliver leaflets that appeal to their needs and interests. The allure of the small business is the impression of identity. The customer is a person, with real needs and not just a number in a vast database of figures. To maintain this, the flyer needs to present key information in an attractive format, offering the familiarity of your favourite corner shop or bakery. Somehow, by offering a high quality leaflet in ‘the real world’ rather than on the internet, this method reassures the customer of the reliability and familiar nature of the company. Moreover, as the target audience is sourced via the internet you can combine this familiar marketing method with a wide reaching campaign, targeting as many customers as you need to.

While technology is evolving all the time, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the old methods are becoming obsolete. Having something literally in your hands to read is becoming a novelty and with the right design it can catch the eye in ways that the internet simply cannot. Clearly the time is right for all businesses to use leaflet distribution to find new customers locally.

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Leaflet Distribution Planning

Advertising, Leaflet Distribution, , , ,

One of the main challenges in advertising via door to door marketing for small businesses is leaflet distribution planning.

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We discovered that time and time again a lot of businesses have thousands of leaflets still sat in boxes at the office which are either now out of date or have no action plan to be distributed to potential clients. Others have commented that their return and generated sales / enquiries from their leaflets has been little to none.

Understand your target audience

Know who your target audience are in regard to age, sex, and ethnicity. Learn where they socialise, work, shop, live, visit and what they read, watch and listen to. You can begin to concentrate distribution efforts from this information.

Hand out leaflets in the street

If your target audience are found out and about in the town consider handing leaflets to passers by. Check with local authorities first about any by-laws in place for the areas you wish to distribute. This method often receives avoidance by passers by, so consider screening the people you hand leaflets to first or talking to individuals one to one before handing them a leaflet to gauge interest. My top tip here is be prepared to pickup dropped leaflets, you’ll do more damage to your campaign and business by littering the streets with your company flyers.

Go small

If you are handing leaflets out in the street you may want to think about the size of your leaflets. Credit card size receive the lowest drop-rate (the amount of leaflets dropped on the floor by people) because they fit easily into pockets or wallets. Larger, thick leaflets can put people off even taking it from you.

Post or email your customers

An obvious method is to post or email your leaflet out to all your existing customers. This could be a one off occurrence or part of a regular newsletter, either way make sure you understand all your obligations in regard to the Data Protect Act and the EU Privacy Regulations.

Place inside packaged orders

If you run an online shop or post out goods to customers place a leaflet inside the packed order. You could apply this same method to customers shopping in store. You may want to produce specific leaflets for this purpose, such as latest sales / discount voucher towards next order or a leaflet to raise brand awareness further.

Be a leaflet insert

Have your leaflets inserted into an established publication that is already distributed across your target area. Newsletters, local magazines and directories may offer this service at a cost.

Collaborate with complimentary businesses

Find complimentary businesses to help distribute your leaflets either through their own distribution plans or if they have a high street shop, perhaps inside carrier bags or on the counter at the tills. Ask shop owners who your target audience often visit to display small stacks of leaflets at the tills or checkout. This is often a common place to find local advertising however many shops discourage this method and will either say no or take your flyers and recycle them soon after, a waste of resources. So build good relationships with shop owners, possibly with incentives.

Stock control your leaflets

It may sound odd or a chore but controlling the number of leaflets you give out can maximise your potential and minimise waste. Giving the local newsagents 200 leaflets when they realistically will only shift about 25 is over stocking. Make smaller bundles and restock if required.

Support / Sponsor an event

By sponsoring or supporting an event such as a village fete, fundraising ball, music event, charity dinner, school production, local football tournament, sporting event you might be able to negotiate the opportunity to distribute your leaflets to all those attending whether through hand to hand delivery or a display table.

Attend exhibitions & trades shows

Book a stall at a local exhibition or trade show and pass out leaflets to passers by as well as talk to them in more detail about what you have to offer. You may even be allowed to display your products / services. On the other hand you may be able to pay for the opportunity to pass out leaflets to all exhibition / trade show attendees or at least have them displayed on tables within the shows.

Leaflet dispensers

Agree with shops, business’ or establishments that you can erect a leaflet dispenser at their business location. There are more permanent leaflet distribution points than the ones at local shops where you have asked the owners to display leaflets near the tills. You could even have a custom designed leaflet dispenser to add more appeal and brand awareness. Obviously devise a way to keep these stocked with leaflets.

Plot the miles

If you need to drive around many locations to distribute your leaflets take time to plan your journey to save on fuel and time. Also be specific to which locations / shops / businesses you need to visit to avoid wasted time and effort. Your first trip might be less specific on where to visit but try to make a note of which shops / businesses / locations agreed to display your leaflets so that in the future you can be more direct.

Time it right

Timing the distribution of your leaflets in phases or to co-inside with the seasons is always worth considering if the circumstances dictate. Perhaps you’re advertising an event that requires promotion early on and then a refresh a week before. Or your opening a new nursery that would suit distribution close to school term holidays should you take on new placements around term times. Think about your business and industry and identify any time based requirements that could be utilised.

Door to door

If your leaflets suit the majority of house holds you could try door to door leaflet distribution. Simply travel to a local town and post your leaflets through letter boxes. Note you may need a large number of leaflets to do this adequately and may have to walk some distances. Also note that you could use the Royal Mail leaflet distribution service or another third party leaflet distribution company who charge a nominal fee for x-amount of leaflets. (Do a web search for ‘leaflet distribution services’ in your area).

Hold a promotional day

If suitable, hold a promotional day at your business premises / shop and hand leaflets to passers by and those who attend. Any attendee’s are prime candidates because they already show an interest in your business / products / services.

I hope this guide on leaflet marketing distribution tips has helped you in some way.
If you need further advice on leaflet design or distribution please contact Hallway Distribution now.

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Does Your Leaflet Get Results

Advertising, Direct Mail, , , ,

When a leaflet has been successful for some time, it is tempting to keep sending it out unchanged. It is also tempting to blame outside influences when the responses begin to slacken off. So ask yourself does your leaflet get results?

Perhaps a smarter question would be “Are the results the same as they used to be?”

It could be the economy; perhaps you have been targeting the wrong people. Maybe the product or service is losing its appeal.

imagesPerhaps you think leaflet distribution is no longer working and it is time to try something new. When things begin to go wrong, it is human nature sometimes to blame the messenger. However, blaming the messenger is hiding from the truth, and the real problem could be the message.

I am sure when you initially sent out your leaflet you were pleased with it and the response you received.

However, now some time has passed, and things may have changed for you and your business.

Perhaps there are features and benefits you can see in your offer that were not clear at the beginning. Maybe your product and service may have changed slightly.

Maybe your message has been seen so often that it is starting to look a little tired and weary.

They say familiarity breeds contempt. Perhaps the time has come for you to step back and review your leaflet with an older and more experienced eye.

And perhaps this more experienced eye will see some things you may have missed, or you think could be presented in a more persuasive way.

Of course, you may believe the following suggestions are things you have heard many times in the past, and I am sure they are. However, by taking a critical eye over old copy you often see how they can be improved to ensure your leaflet get results.

Your Headline

Does your original headline still have the power to hold your prospects attention? Does it highlight the major benefit you are offering your target audience?

Benefits not Features

How many times have you heard this? But it is one of the most common mistakes people make when they design their first leaflet.

The features of an umbrella are, it’s got a strong, wooden handle and durable cloth covering so it won’t break in the wind.

The benefits are it offers protection from the sun’s rays and keeps you dry in the rain.

What’s In It For Me?

The offering to the reader is the only thing that will interest your prospect. Does your copy make it clear to the reader that they are being offered something that will benefit them in some way?

Use the word “you” as much as possible.

Boost Your Credibility

The best way to do this is with testimonials. Have you asked your satisfied customers for testimonials?

Third-party validations will build credibility for you and what you are offering your prospects.

Make it Easy for Them to Respond

Have you told them how to respond?

The call to action or the contact details are one of the most important components of your leaflet. Make sure all contact numbers, e-mail addresses, and web links are easy to read.

Whatever your call to action is, you must tell the customer what to do and make it easy for them to understand. If you do not make it clear what they have to do, they will not respond.

The above tips are just a few of the things you can do to make sure your leaflet get results if it has not been performing so well. Remember the leaflet was successful for you in the past, and there is no reason for it not to be successful for you in the future.

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Leaflets Just Work

Advertising, Leaflet Distribution, ,

Many businesses use leaflet distribution to attract customers and increase their profits, quite simply because leaflets just work!

It is very well known among media aware advertisers that leaflets delivered to homes through the letterbox produces good ROI (Return on Investment), and the reason for this is something many advertisers are not aware of.

When their leaflet drops through the letterbox it continues working for them for the length of time it remains in the home.

Despite many people’s perception of advertising that is delivered through the letterbox, the majority of it is not relegated to the waste bin. Much of it is kept in the home for some weeks and continues to deliver its message to the various members of the household.

Leaflet distribution beats direct mail

A recent survey undertaken by the Royal Mail has revealed that door drop leaflets are kept in the home for an average of 38 days. This compares favourably against direct mail’s 17 days.

The survey also reveals that leaflets containing relevant local information or time sensitive information such as an offer ending on a specific date, are the ones most likely to be kept and referred to several times.

These interesting facts are not the only ones contained in the report.

Leaflets have a place

It appears that many households not only keep the leaflets they receive but also have designated places where they are kept for future reference.

These places can be various areas in the house, a random holding area such as a convenient empty space on a cabinet or mantle shelf.

Some households have designated place where a pile of material is allowed to gather, or a specific display leaflet holder where the various leaflets are left out for members of the household to read.

Leaflets stay on display

imagesResearch reveals that the kitchen is the most popular place to display leaflets, with 51% of people surveyed saying this was their choice, with the dining room coming second with 30% of the population surveyed favouring that area.

Surprisingly the hallway came a distant third with only 18% of people opting for that venue.
There are also three also rans bringing up the rear.

5% of the survey goes to a study or office, strangely 3% of those surveyed claimed they displayed leaflets in the bedroom, and even more bizarrely, 1% claimed the kept them on display in the bath room.

Make sure they stand out

So now the survey has revealed that not only do people hold on to leaflets for 38 days, but many of them have favourite places to display them.

This information is good news to all businesses using leaflet distribution to advertise their goods and services.

However this underlines the need for leaflets to be designed to not only encourage people to keep and display them, but to make sure they stand out from all the competing material on display.

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Stop Wasting Your Advertising Budget

Advertising, ,

advertising budget

imagesWould you seriously knowingly waste your advertising budget? I hope you answered NO to that particular question.

Recently I had a very interesting conversation about advertising budget with a fellow internet marketer from the world of digital marketing. The conversation took place at a social gathering and over a glass or two of wine.

This particular persons job involved marketing her company’s cloud services to those who wish to use such a facility.

Being naturally interested in marketing I asked her what methods she used to promote her organisation’s services. Her reply was Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and several others whose names have escaped me, basically social media platforms which are of course all the rage right now.

Of course, being in the digital world of commerce it is only to be expected that her marketing campaigns will be on digital platforms.

When I enquired whether she would consider a direct mail campaign, she felt that such a marketing method would not be the correct way to approach her prospective customers. As her marketing campaigns were b2b campaigns we both agreed that a residential leaflet distribution campaign would probably not be the best marketing tool for her particular plans.

I then asked the question that all of us involved in various advertising and marketing campaigns ask marketing people “are your campaigns successful?” her answer surprised me.

“I know half of my advertising budget works; I just don’t know which half it is.” Yes, that was her answer.

Now, I have heard advertising people use this phrase for many years, and I suppose in the days before computers made it possible to compile accurate mailing lists and other information to enable advertisers to focus on their target markets, marketing was of a bit hit and miss affair.

However, I thought now there is a wealth of information and methods available to companies to identify the right people to target, the days of hit and miss marketing were over. It appears I am mistaken.

This lady openly admitted to me that half of her advertising budget was wasted, money down the drain as it were.

I wonder how many people using door drop leaflets would tolerate such a waste of money.

The beauty of using leaflets to advertise goods and services is that the results can be seen at the end of the campaign as long as they are carefully monitored and effectively tracked, and if all the relevant steps have been taken before the distribution is undertaken, the results should be very profitable.

I cannot envisage any marketing manager who commissioned a door drop campaign being willing to accept that half of the money allocated to the project was going to be wasted. Especially taking into consideration the fact that leaflets remain in the home for 38 days and that the message they carry is easily passed to friends and colleagues

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