Business Branding

Discover the Advantages of Leaflet Advertising

Advertising, Business Branding, Leaflet Distribution, Marketing Strategy, , , , ,

Leaflet advertising can be a great way to reach your target audience, without the need for expensive digital wizardry. It can also deliver excellent results.

So here is why leaflet advertising still gives your business an advantage.

In an age of Facebook, Google Ads, and all things digital, it can be easy to overlook traditional marketing techniques. Especially those that have proven effective since well before we all had a smartphone in our pockets. So what are the leaflet advertising advantages and disadvantages?

Local Targeting with Leaflets

Distributing leaflets gives you complete control over exactly who you wish to target. You can convey information about your product or service to your audience directly through their letterbox.

This can be of huge benefit to local businesses, as unlike online advertising, you are guaranteed to be seen by the people in that location using just one marketing method. Whereas online you would need to use a range of ads on different search engines such as Google and Bing, or several social media channels to ensure that you are connecting with your target audience on the medium which they use.

Convey more Information with Leaflet Advertising

When you use digital marketing techniques such as Google Ads you usually have just a few characters to use to get your message across. Thus competing with thousands of other businesses, all trying to be unique in just a couple of sentences.

You are also then relying on taking someone from your advert to a website, and then to a contact form or email.

The advantage of a leaflet advertising is that it allows you to convey far more information in one go. You can showcase your service, display case studies, give pricing information, and tell your potential customer about how you can help all in one well-designed leaflet.

Cost Effective Marketing Strategy

One of the biggest advantages of leaflet advertising is just how affordable it is. The simple cost of delivery when compared to the price of online advertising design, costs of advertising placement, plus landing pages, offers a considerably better return on your investment.

In addition, once you have designed and printed your leaflets, they can be used for various functions. For example; you may wish to use them for direct delivery, for distribution at local events, when you go to networking meetings, or for trade shows.

How To Get it Right

While we have outlined the considerable advantages of leaflet or flyer advertising above, just like a digital strategy, you do need to ensure that your plan of action and materials are up to scratch. A badly designed leaflet is likely to be discarded before it’s even read, and poor targeting will not yield the best results either.

Therefore it is worth putting time and effort into understanding your buyer personas and target audience. For example, if you are offering a service which is only of benefit to homeowners, there is no point in distributing your materials in an area where most people rent. Or if your flyer does not convey clear information about your product or service, it’s unlikely to catch the attention of the person reading it.

The Future of Leaflets in a Digital Age

While it’s clear that leafleting does offer you a route to market directly to your customer base. It is also true that you need an online presence to back up your efforts, such as a well-designed website, and social media presence. However, your flyers or leaflets can be the perfect way to enhance your online presence without the need for expensive online ads.

Get in touch today to discuss a leafleting campaign with Hallway Distribution

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Make Your Brand Memorable To Your Audience

Advertising, Business Branding

Making your brand memorable to a large audience can be difficult. Not everybody is interested in the same thing, and not everybody will be interested in your business and what you have to say.

The first thing you’ll need to do is come to terms with the fact that not everybody you’re targeting is going to become involved with your business and buy from you, or even like what you’re doing and what you have to say.

However, there are many things that you can do to give your business the best chance, and to ensure that your brand remains as memorable as possible to your target audience.

Create A Good Logo

When people think about certain brands and companies, the first thing that comes to mind is the logo. This is usually because some logos are very memorable, either as a result of being controversial or a result of being amazingly effective.

Work with a good designer who can help you to create a great logo, and be prepared to invest that extra cash. Your logo should include something unique about your business, as well as the business name so that people can remember it easier.

Consider Your Colours

You need a good colour palette if you want to appeal to the right audience. You might want to concentrate on black and white images, keeping whatever you have as minimal as possible. However, the use of colour can often make your brand and logo stand out more, so think carefully about this.

The colours should reflect your business and what you’re trying to sell, advertise or campaign for. Do bear in mind that once you’ve decided on your colours and produced the logos and colour scheme that the public have seen, it can become very difficult to change further down the line, especially when your business is new and people are just getting used to your branding.

Create a Brand Name That Makes Sense

You shouldn’t use a brand name that people find difficult to say, and you shouldn’t choose words that are difficult to spell either. Remember that you want people to be able to find your website and business details in the search engines. If they can’t remember how something is spelled or they can’t convey the website properly to their friends, you’ll struggle to build up your audience as quickly as you might otherwise be able to.

Branding is important for small businesses as well as large companies. If you have a limited budget, smart branding is perhaps the most inexpensive business tool you can create.

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Postcard Advertising

Advertising, Business Branding, Direct Mail, , ,

If your small business is looking for an effective yet affordable way to reach and stay in touch with your customers, drop them a postcard.

Postcards are great tools to develop and enhance your relationships with your customers. Often overlooked by marketers, postcards have become a fast, easy and reliable way to increase your sales and profits without spending too much on advertising or promotion. It is a marketing tool that through content and design could break through the noise and clutter.

Postcards can be used in a number of ways. You can use it to generate leads, attract more website traffic, get new customers, and increase sales from your own customer base. It is also a great tool for announcing major changes in your business or events in your company.

Here are 5 great advantages of using postcards to market your products and services.

1. Easy to prepare.
Hands down, postcards win in the efficiency game. It is easier to prepare than direct mail or letter. You only need to write a short copy, no slaving for a 3-5-page direct mail material. Plus, you need not spend time folding and stuffing the postcards in an envelope.

2. Unlimited creativity potential.

Your goal in sending a postcard is not only to get the customer to read your message, but to keep your message! And you can achieve this goal by designing a creative postcard that could elicit the response you need.

One advantage of postcards is it allows you to experiment with size, shape, and artistic design, without cost getting too much in the way. You are not constrained by the letter size and the formal rules of etiquette. It is a medium designed for creativity and fun!

Some postcards are so creatively designed or have funny sentiment or useful information that customers pin them in their boards or in their refrigerators. Imagine a customer seeing your card (and reading your message) every day! Even better, a postcard’s staying power may mean that it can have the opportunity to be seen by the receiver’s business colleagues, family and friends.

3. Savings, savings and savings.

Postcards are more economical than a direct mail campaign. By using postcards, you can send up to four times (in full-colour) for about the same price as just one traditional direct mail package. You can realise savings in printing costs, paper, and labour costs. Plus, no envelopes!

Rising postal rates have also made direct mail expensive. A first class stamp, at the time of writing, costs 65 pence; postcards on the other hand are significantly cheaper. You can also  reach a wider customer base with postcards compared to direct mail.

4. Bite-sized information.

Postcards are quick and to the point. There are only a few words to read and you need to ensure that you get your marketing message across to the prospect reading the material. With the influx of marketing materials faced by consumers, it is important to shape your message briefly yet catchy enough to gain your prospect’s attention.

However, therein lies the challenge you will face when using postcards. You must have a unique selling proposition (USP) that you can craft in your message that will distinguish your business favourably apart from every other competitor. Why should the customer use your product or service? What is the unique benefit that you could offer? Customers want a company that offers them the best selection, the best prices and the best guarantee. In a few words, you must be able to write that message in a postcard.

5. Can make a big impression.

One advantage of doing postcards is its novelty relative to other marketing tools. While an increasing number of marketers are discovering postcards, postcards have not become too commonplace that it has turned to be an irritant. Many consumers already consider direct mail a scourge, and many direct mailings go to the wastebasket without even being read. Customers are also becoming inundated with emails as a result of spam that even legitimate emails are dumped into the virtual bin.

One advantage of postcards is its “openness.” Unlike direct marketing letters, you need not worry about customers simply throwing your mailing without even opening the envelope. With postcards, there is no envelope to open! The customer immediately reads your message. The more eyeballs, the more prospects, and the more customers you will have.

The key to finding success in marketing with postcards is to create the right postcard, mail it to the right audience and craft it with the right offer. The humble postcard can be a great tool to enhance your relationship with your customers. Best of all, postcards may be within your budget reach.

When planning a postcard marketing campaign (especially if it’s your first), it’s easy to get carried away with all the things you want in the design. After all, you’re sending an ad to hundreds, possibly thousands of potential customers, so you want to show off every aspect of your business. So, what do you do? You give your postcard marketing company 15 images, and you tell them they all must go in.

It’s a good thought. But unfortunately, it won’t leave a very good first impression on your customers. Most likely, it won’t leave any impression at all. Nine times out of 10, postcards that are too cluttered simply don’t get noticed. With too many images in your postcard, your headline, offer and call-to-action will get lost.

Tips on Using Images in Your Postcards

To improve the success of your campaign, here are some simple tips to keep in mind:

1. Keep images to a minimum.

On most size postcards, you’ll want a primary image on the front, your logo, some simple design elements on the back, along with a small image of someone on your staff (when appropriate).

2. You don’t need a picture of your office or building.

While it’s tempting to add one for credibility, it’s not necessary on a postcard. Save it for a brochure or your website. Otherwise, it will simply get in the way of your postcard’s primary messaging.

3. Let the experts help you decide.

Your postcard marketing company likely has years of experience in designing postcards for maximum response. Let them recommend the best possible use for your images.

Keep in mind that the primary goal of most direct mail postcards is to get a quick response. It doesn’t need to (and probably shouldn’t) tell the history of your company. You have only a few seconds to grab their attention and give them a reason to respond. Having 8-10 different images on your postcard won’t achieve that goal.

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Your Local Area Marketing Is Key To Any Business

Business Branding, Leaflet Distribution, Marketing Strategy, , , ,

Get 2019 planned with these five great business promotion tips.

Local area marketing will increase the brand and reputation of any business in your local community.

Firstly, Get Involved. All towns and villages have fund-raising days, coffee mornings and other local events that mean something to the local people so try to get involved in these and maybe have a way of raising money for these events or offer a little prize for example. You can also get involved in local community initiatives, things like litter clearing, building projects, park maintenance and many other things that the local communities all have to do.

Give Something Back. Local people like businesses that do something for the local area, especially in the smaller and more closer towns and villages. You could sponsor the local football team, buy something for the nearest hospital or simply give some money to the Christmas lights fund, but whatever you do the local people will take notice and this will increase your reputation in the local area.

Speak To The Community. Encourage local feedback about your business and try to find out what you are doing well and even more importantly what you can improve upon. Hold regular meetings where the local people can come and speak to you and find out what you are doing as if they feel engaged with your business then your reputation will rise.

Attend Local Events. Although you are undoubtedly very busy with your business, try to find the time to attend local events in your area. Making an appearance at charity events, themed evenings, local meetings and all the others things that happen in a community driven society then people will come to know who you are and therefore respect you for giving up your time to attend.

Use Local Services. If the people in your local area know that you as a business are using other local businesses for your requirements, then you can rest assured that they will be more likely to use you instead of some of your rivals. For example, if you needed 500 business cards and 10000 flyers, yes you could get them cheaper from a company two hundred miles away but if you just spent a bit more and used a local business then this will not only reflect favourably on your company but would hopefully reciprocate the business.

Increasing your reputation with local area marketing will take time and a lot of effort, but you have to bear in mind that your easiest business is often the business that is in your local community. These are the people that will see you through the hard times and help to increase business through their friends and family, so you must make the effort now to make sure it all comes together positively in the future.

Build your business with local area marketing and let Hallway Distribution do all the hard leg work for you in 2019.

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Blowing Our Own Door to Door Distribution Trumpet

Advertising, Business Branding, Leaflet Distribution

As the year draws to a close and with Christmas approaching very quickly, it is a time to reflect on what has gone before and to plan for the New Year ahead.

It is with a great feeling of achievement that I can report on a tremendous milestone reached for our company, Hallway Distribution. Over the past twelve months our business has distributed just over 800,000 leaflets, magazines, pamphlets and other advertising materials on behalf of our many satisfied clients. We have not only distributed to households but also into many business establishments this year.

The many areas we have covered this calendar year are; Cheltenham, Shurdington, Bishops Cleeve, Woodmancote, Gotherington, Gretton, Greet, Winchcombe, Tewkesbury, Bredon to name the more local ones. Also further afield Churchdown, Longlevens, Brockworth, Hucclecote, Kingsway, Quedgeley, Stonehouse, Stroud, Painswick. We have even ventured into Cirencester, Fairford, Tetbury, Northleach, Evesham, Broadway, Bourton-on-the-Water, Stow-on-the-Wold and Moreton-in-Marsh.

Our clients range from not just local small businesses but national ones too, for example; estate agents, mechanics, window cleaners, landscape gardeners, house maintenance, builders, plumbers & boiler repairs, keep fit studios, martial art clubs, hotels & spas, carpenters, taxi services, web designers, job recruiting services, cafes & restaurants, and opticians as well as local event organisers.

We have worked with some amazing clients this year to help their businesses grow by promoting them via our door to door leafleting service. We also go a step further by offering clients an inclusion on our website hallwaydistribution.com with a link or two back to them.

Not only do we deliver advertising materials but we also help with the design process and offer a copywriting service to go hand in hand with that, we know what works and what doesn’t. We give out free advice on all manner of things advertising wise from, the grade and size of paper to use for best results, the choice of colour and a customer grabbing headline.

Social media these days is of paramount importance in any line of business or service that is on offer, we can also help out with that as well. We can build Facebook groups for business, improving their social media presence as well as showing clients the best way of using Twitter to its full potential, and ultimately gaining you more customers and interaction with it.

With our order book already filling up for January and February 2019 we predict a steady increase for the upcoming new year and beyond.

Our success, we believe, is built upon integrity & trust and always with a willingness to over deliver, no pun intended, in order to keep the customer happy and informed as to the progress of any leafleting campaign we undertake on their behalf. The majority of our distribution is GPS tracked; this gives our clients peace of mind and with that proof of a successful delivery.

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Business Leaflet Design

Advertising, Business Branding, Leaflet Creation, , , ,

The purpose of a leaflet may vary from business to business, but one rule sits firm, it needs to be fit for purpose, audience and occasion and most importantly it must generate a response.

This article outlines five questions to guide your creative brief towards getting your most wanted result from a business leaflet design.

Some leaflets simply display services or focus on selling a product. In this sense they often make the mistake of leading with features instead of promoting benefits.

People rarely ‘buy’ on first seeing your advert or leaflet. In fact, research shows that on average it takes 7 messages before someone decides to buy your product or services.

Here are five key questions you should have crystal clear answers to before spending time and money on expensive leaflet design and printing.

1. Who are you targeting, specifically?

If you aim at nothing (or no-one), you’ll hit it every time! Can you clearly identify your ideal prospect (customer, client or business), i.e. who you are really wanting to target with this leaflet?

The style for your leaflet should fit your specific audience. It needs both to create impact and offer the results your clients want. Make your imagery and headlines stand out and address specifically the issue, need or problem your target audience is looking to resolve.

The buying process is a series of decisions where the customer is finding out if what you have is for them, whether they like you and trust to buy from you, and how easily and quickly they will receive after ordering.

2. How will you reach them, physically?

How, where and when are you intending to distribute the leaflets? Are you mailing, flyering houses and/or businesses, using a distribution service, handing out on streets or booking a stand at relevant events & exhibitions?

Whatever your strategy, there are different costs involved, be it time or money. Handing out a leaflet rather than posting anonymously means you may have a chance for eye contact with your prospects, even a short conversation where you can build some rapport.

Always do a trial run with a small sample first and review the response rate. If you get a reasonable response from the trial, you can increase, or you could first analyse how many of the leads/enquiries actually convert to customers.

From these results, you will have a good idea of what methods work best, what the conversion rate is in terms of sales & profits. This lowers the risk of doing a bigger and more expensive mailshot.

3. What is your unique value proposition?

The value of what you offer should be very prominent on your leaflet.

This can be money related, but often is more subtle in the form of representing what you do, why you do it, and the benefits and results that your product or service provides to customers/clients.

How are you different from other businesses/companies that do something similar, particularly if they are cheaper or more well known?

4. What is your most wanted response?

Since we know that people rarely buy on impulse, unless you are in that kind of industry/market, you need a strong, clear ‘call to action’. Your leaflet or brochure is intended to take your ‘prospect’ to the next step in the sales funnel, not an instant sales tool.

Be very clear what you want people to do as a result of seeing (and hopefully reading) your leaflet. Should they call you, visit your website or a specific page on your site, book an appointment.

Consider some incentive or special offer. Give it adequate design space and make it easy for your prospect to take that step. Once you’ve inspired someone to take action, you want zero obstacles in their path!

A popular offer is xx% off or a free xx with this leaflet, which would make it more likely to be kept for future rather than ending up in the bin. This obviously depends upon what product/service you are promoting.

5. Is your text, images and layout helping or hindering?

content is kingThe design look is obviously a factor in getting your message across. But your leaflet text and imagery is the main substance, as they say ‘content is king’. Whether using a single sheet flyer or a bi-fold or tri-fold brochure, the visual appeal is an important factor.

Once you have clarified your main messages, write text that is interesting, engaging and simple to understand. You should address the ‘conversation going on in your ideal customers head’.

Get across your value proposition – aim to convey what’s good about what you are offering using words that are emotional triggers (not just hype).

Avoid lots of dense text and long narratives – remember less is more. Too much information on a small leaflet just doesn’t look inviting to read and can turn people off.

Use vibrant, high quality and relevant images, bold headings and recognise the need for white space. This breaks up text, directs the eye and whets the appetite, which is really important in a small space.

Finally, proof your leaflet, not only spellings but the overall design. Then have someone else check it for sense and typos you don’t always spot yourself when you’re too close to it.

Does your leaflet tick all these boxes: Attention, Interest, Desire, Action? If so, you are definitely on a good track.

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Discover How To Get The Best Response Rate From Leaflet Distribution

Business Branding, Direct Mail, Leaflet Distribution, , ,

The question of what is the best response rate from leaflet distribution, has to be one of the most commonly asked questions we receive from potential and existing customers.

To put this question into context, it’s like a asking a gym instructor, ‘how much weight will I lose by joining the gym?’. There are many factors which determine how much weight you may lose, and the same is true for your best response rate from leaflet distribution.  The next few paragraphs will help illustrate how you can maximise your response rate.

What do the stats say about response rate from leaflet distribution?

The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) has carried out extensive research in an attempt to give you a good idea of what to expect from your flyer distribution campaign:  “A key finding is that 89% of consumers remember receiving a door drop mailing more than any other marketing channel. And it has a powerful place in people’s lives, with 45% keeping leaflets on a pinboard or in the kitchen drawer”. This is great news! However, the average response rate is around 1%. So the question is why aren’t people responding, and more importantly, how can we encourage people to respond?

Which industries benefit most from leaflet distribution?

According to a DMA article, the retail sector has most success with 9 in 10 people happy to receive retail based unaddressed mail. This was closely followed by FMCG brands, then restaurants and local services. In our experience, our biggest bulk of clients which repeat very regularly with us due to high ROI are Estate Agents, Gyms and Garages (car sales showrooms such as Perrys Mazda).

New business vs established brand, who wins?

Imagine that two businesses in the same industry decide to invest in a door to door distribution; who will receive the higher response? Consider, if you receive a flyer for DFS Sofas and another from Mr Sofas, they both say 50% off Boxing Day sale, and both have images of nice sofas from just £399, which would you more likely respond to? Even if Mr Sofas had a better offer and better starting prices, you would still go to DFS over Mr Sofas because you know and trust the brand, where as you have never heard of Mr Sofas (probably because I made them up!). Just think about that for a moment when looking for the best response rate from leaflet distribution

How many people will respond to your flyer?

For this let’s stick with the sofa example. If you receive a flyer from DFS, a well established brand, and receive a Dominos Pizza flyer, again a well established brand, the response rate would be equal right? No! How many times do you buy a pizza compared with a sofa?! The point here is not to dwell on the percentage response rate, but on the potential value of each converted lead. Dominos need to sell a lot more pizzas than DFS do sofas in order to see a return from their distribution.

But I’m not an established brand, is leaflet distribution a waste for me?

Absolutely not, and there are a number of reasons why. If you have a local business looking for local custom then I can’t think of a better solution to advertise locally than flyer distribution. So, why will people respond if they haven’t heard of you? They won’t necessarily on first view, but going back to the joining the gym analogy, leaflet distribution is not a one hit wonder event, just as going to the gym doesn’t work if you only turn up once.  Leaflet distribution works most effectively when treated as a long term campaign, which goes out to the same people over and over with a professionally planned strategy. This is the same whether you are an established brand, a new business, or a small business looking to expand.

What is the campaign based approach to gain the best response rate from leaflet distribution?

This is the essential ingredient to ensuring you will see a return on your investment. People don’t tend to respond to something on first view, they need to see it over and over, which is known as drip effect marketing. You need to plan a long term campaign, tailored around your budget, which enables your flyer to target the right audience on a regular basis with actionable flyers.

How much impact does the design of the flyer have?

A huge amount! For example, if you have an estate agents and send out a flyer with a boring image of your office on, and it says something like ‘we are an estate agents, we sell and rent houses’, you will likely receive no response even if you send 100,000 on a regular basis to the same audience. However, if you simply have a headline such as ‘Thinking of selling this summer?’ Followed by a sub headline, ‘we are offering free valuations in your area this week’, with a call to action, ‘Call us today on…and book your free valuation’, and an image of an exciting house with a happy family embracing it, your response rate will rate will be completely different. Why is this? Because instead of talking about your boring business, you need make your business relevant to the receiver, and give them a strong reason to respond. Actionable design is vital.

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Choose Wisely Grasshopper

Advertising, Business Branding, Leaflet Distribution, , , ,

downloadWhen I was younger I would watch a TV show called Kung-Fu, which was full of old Chinese proverbs, it was about a Shaolin monk who was always called Grasshopper by his teachers. I use the following quite regularly in my daily life today and that is; choose wisely.

The following post is exactly why you should choose wisely in your business especially when advertising it. There have always been frauds and scams carried out by unscrupulous people looking to relieve decent law-abiding citizens of their hard-earned cash. But with the introduction of technology, fraud has become easier as far more people can be approached by the fraudsters and scammers.

The telephone has become one of the instruments where the bad people contact their victims with promises of easy wealth.

Many people have been conned by the false promises of money to be made by investing in fine wines, and many people have lost thousands by scammers convincing them to invest their pensions in non-existent financial schemes.

All these corrupt telephone callers sound plausible and convincing, and now they have another weapon they can use to dupe people: The Internet!

The website

Now it is possible for them to design and put up a highly convincing website to draw people into their dodgy schemes.

The opening up of the internet and the comparative ease to design and put a professional looking website up on it has made it simple for people to start their own businesses.

A majority of new businesses launched online are not frauds and scammers and are in fact genuine offerings. However, some don’t have the expertise their websites’ suggest and ultimately don’t have the ability to provide the services they are offering.

The chancer

Among the genuine businesses operating online, there is a group of people who, although are not actually dishonest can cause unsuspecting people as much financial damage as the fraudsters.

These people are looking for a business that, on the surface, seems easy to set up and operate. They then create an attractive looking website selling these services and hope to develop clients and income streams without any real knowledge of the business they have decided to operate.

One of the businesses they try to operate in is leaflet distribution.

They think it is easy

It is easy to see why these chancers think leaflet distribution is an easy business to enter. To them it is just a matter of convincing some small business owners to hire them, then get some leaflets printed, hire a few students or unemployed people to distribute them and then send an invoice. It’s easy, even their grandmother could do it. Only she couldn’t.

Leaflet distribution & door drop marketing is a business that requires management skills and the availability and deployment of modern technology.images

Soon the poor business owner who hired them realises they have been seriously misled. They begin to realise this when no orders or enquiries are forthcoming from their campaign. They also realise their mistake when the so-called distribution company they hired cannot provide proof of any deliveries because they do not have GPS tracking, and have been using inexperienced and untrustworthy people to deliver the leaflets.

It is not long before they realise they have wasted their marketing budget; their money.

This is what a chancer, a person looking for a quick buck, can do to a business: it can do lasting damage. And it can do lasting damage to our industry too.

How many of the people who have fallen foul to the imposters, offering cheap prices, posing as door drop experts are left with the belief that leaflet distribution does not work?

So what should business owners beware of when they are faced with a glamorous website promising them the earth?

What to look for & choose wisely

You should ask the people behind the site what they are really offering.

Does their blog only have one or two posts from months, even years ago?
Is the content on their website well written and informative?
Do they have any reviews or case studies from previous clients?
Do they monitor the leaflet distribution using the latest GPS technology?
Do they supply a detailed report of the distribution including dates and GPS logs of the delivery?
Do they provide a complete leaflet design service and do they offer examples of work they have done?

Choose wisely with Hallway Distribution not only offer every capability listed above but we also offer expert advice to help you get the best results from your leafleting campaign. This includes the best time and the best place for launching a marketing campaign, how to present your business with the design of the leaflet, what material to print it on and much more.

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Supercharging Your Business

Advertising, Business Branding, , , ,

imagesThe following are some of the best ways for super charging your business, no matter what kind of business you are in.

  1. “Same-Old” is out

    Getting attention with something new is in. To get new business, you must strive to be innovative and dramatic. For example, an insurance agency, offered “the biggest steak dinner in town” if it couldn’t save any person money on their car insurance. This challenge was enough to make the telephone start ringing off the hook for days at a time. The customer flow was “absolutely crazy” for days.  The bottom line: dozens of new insurance buyers and tons of new cash flow and all they had to do was fork out the cost for a half dozen steak dinners!

  1. Tight target marketing.

    The big job in marketing and sales is getting to the right people inside another company. Addressing mail to “Facilities Manager” or printing a “routing slip” on the outside of the envelope is ineffective. Hitting the target is the challenge. Scoring a bull’s eye means making contact with the right individuals and is the only way to make the sale. Taking time to be highly targeted in business communication is essential.

  1. Be more creative.

    Pushing direct-mail pieces out the door or sending the newsletter to the mail room isn’t doing the job. Ask yourself: “Will anyone be intrigued enough to read the mailer before tossing it in the wastebasket?” Ask the same question about the company newsletter. A highly creative approach is necessary to be different and distinctive. Creativity costs money. But, if more people read the ad, take time with the newsletter or decide that the offer in a mailer makes sense, you have accomplished the goal.

  1. Focus on what customers care about.

    imagesAfter listening to the admissions director talk about what should be shown in the school’s new recruiting video, the marketing consultant asked, “Is this what parents and prospective students are interested in knowing?” Suddenly, everyone became less confident. Someone suggested asking the student tour guides what questions the visiting parents and kids asked? Whether creating an ad, a brochure, or a sales presentation, knowing what the customer wants, needs and expects is what works.

  1. Tell customers how to think about your company.

    We come to conclusions by making comparisons. If you don’t let customers and prospects know why it is in their best interests to do business with you or buy your product, they won’t. The rating of life insurance companies makes an impact on customers. The J.D. Powers’ customer-satisfaction survey on cars and personal computer manufacturers influences buying behavior. Wise companies spend time and effort consciously influencing the way they are perceived by customers, prospects, bankers and stockholders.

  1. When supercharging your business make your offers outstanding.

    Customers are cautious. They don’t like being put on the spot; they don’t want to make a mistake. This is why offers are essential. “Try it for 30 days free.” “We won’t deposit your credit card slip for a month.” “Your satisfaction is guaranteed.” “Take the car for the weekend and drive it all you want.” The goal is to overcome the customer’s reluctance.

  1. Be in the right place at the right time.

    “Why didn’t I think of you last week when we bought the new…” Some salespeople simply shrug off such comments. Oh, well. I can’t be in the right place every time.” Wrong. Being in front of the customer is today’s assignment. Developing a consistent program for staying in front of customers regularly is the challenge. A mix of seminars, newsletters, bulletins, fact sheets, special events and informative articles will keep you in the customers’ minds.

  1. Be relentless when supercharging your business.

    Persistence is power in marketing and sales. Far too many firms fail in their efforts because they don’t follow through long enough to produce proper results. Marketing momentum comes from a consistent effort. Once you start a newsletter, issue it on schedule. It takes time for customers to comprehend what you are doing and for prospects to get acquainted and comfortable with a business.

  1. Get rid of the self-serving nonsense.

    Most company publications, ads, letters, brochures, and other sales materials are filled with words, photographs and information that do nothing more than toot the company’s horn. No one cares that the business says it is the “best,” “oldest” or the “biggest.” Pictures of the staff are only interesting to the staff. A better approach is to ask prospects what they want to know about your company. We doubt anyone will be anxious to see pictures of the CEO, chairman of the board or the executive vice president.

  1. Tell them everything you know.

    Spill the beans, so to speak. Since today’s customers want information, knowledge and helpful ideas, do everything you can to share everything you know. This is the only way to become a valued resource to your customers. When people use your ideas, they will buy what you sell.

  1. Be generous.

    No one wants to do business with firms operating on a one-way street. Buy a new car and the dealer hands you a 20-cent plastic key holder! It sends a message that this dealer doesn’t under-stand his customers. You may forget the car, but you will never forget the lousy key ring! Another auto dealer delivers the new car to your office. What a difference. This dealer sends a powerful message our customers are important.

  1. Make prospect identification your mission

    imagesThe single most important daily activity in any business is prospect identification. By making prospecting a continuing process, companies produce a steady flow of new sales leads. They never stop asking, “Who do we want to do business with if we have the chance?” Then make sure all prospects are entered into a database so they can be cultivated over a period of time.

  1. Scrutinise your corporate identity.

    Yes, how a company presents itself makes a difference. Is the logo appropriate? Is it dated? Does it communicate the right message and the correct image? Is the president the only one who understands it? What about the company colours? Are they reminiscent of the late ’70s? Do the letterhead, mailing labels and business cards convey a strong, positive message? Or, are they dull and ordinary looking? If you don’t think this is important, your competitors will be thrilled. Corporate identity is the face you put on your company.

  1. Write customer-centered letters.

    Most business letters have cold, impersonal words. “As per our conversation,” “Pursuant to our agreement.” When was the last time you heard anyone talk this way at lunch (other than perhaps a lawyer)? Yet, give the same executives a pen and they become stilted. There is no reason why business letters should not be warm, friendly, conversational, interesting and customer-centered. Write as if you were the one reading it. Should a letter end at the bottom of the first page? Yes, if that’s what it takes to tell the story? But it may take two, four or six pages. A letter should be as long as necessary and always interesting to the reader.

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Getting Business Customers Through Leafleting

Business Branding, Direct Mail, Leaflet Creation, Leaflet Distribution, Marketing Strategy, , ,

Plenty of research shows people need to see your marketing message several times, in different ways,  before they buy.

If a customer says no, is it game over? Be honest, do you give up after your first knock back? Many business people do. But that’s a mistake. Here we will outline ways of getting business customers through leafleting.download

“If at first you don’t succeed try try and try again.” I know this saying has become a cliché, but quite often clichés have something to tell us.

The message here, of course, is you should never give up. The problem with selling a product or service is in most cases it is usually a marathon, not a sprint (another cliché)

Repetition, Repetition.

Just because a customer says no is not a reason to give up. The sad thing is though, many business people do.

Plenty of research has been carried out proving that your marketing message will have to be seen several times before a sale or response is achieved.

If you ask any salesperson, they will say they rarely make a sale after the first contact with their prospective customer. It has been said a salesperson has to make contact seven times before they make a sale. Of course, that figure is an average one. Some people will respond after the first or second call, others may take longer.

Successful users of leaflet distribution will tell you sales of their product or services increase when the customer gets used to seeing their leaflet drop through their letterbox at regular intervals. The more your prospects read your message, the more chance you have of making a sale. It’s always better to contact 5,000 prospects 5 times than 25,000 just once. Getting business customers through leafleting works best this way.

Decide What Results You Need

What do you want your leaflet to do?

You must make it clear to the prospect what your leaflet is about and what you want them to do.

Do you want them to contact you by e-mail?
Do you want them to visit your website?
Do you want them to telephone you?
Do you want them to visit your store?

Whatever your call to action is, your headline and the copy must lead the prospect to do what you ask.

Select The Right Areas

If you were promoting home extensions or loft conversions there would be little demand for these on social housing estates, wouldn’t there? If you’re promoting a gardening business, there would be less point in targeting flats.

Selecting the right areas is a hugely important factor when preparing a leaflet campaign. There is no point in trying to sell a product where there is obviously no demand for it. You will save time and money by having your leaflets delivered to the prospects most likely to want your product or service.

Now, you won’t get this perfect the first time round and you shouldn’t expect to. This can be tested and refined each time you carry out a campaign learning from the previous results, which areas performed best, where you got the most enquiries and sales from and so on.

These are just some of the many ways you can make sure your leaflets are distributed to the people most likely to buy your product or service.

Stand Out From The Crowd

Remember you may be competing with other leaflets and letters arriving through your prospects letterbox. You want them to be attracted to your leaflet above all the others.

To help yourself stand out why not use a professional photographer if you are putting pictures of your product on your leaflet? If your budget stretches to it, use a larger leaflet. The print cost will be higher but distribution will normally be the same for an A4 or A5 single sheet leaflet and you are more likely to stand out on the doormat.

Why stop there? You can have your leaflet cut to a special shape. This will definitely catch your prospective customer’s eye.

The aim is to get your message read before their attention moves elsewhere.

Use Fonts, Styles And Text Correctly

Typefaces can tell your reader a lot about you and your business, so you must choose them carefully. The fonts you choose will also influence your prospects as to whether you are a safe and trustworthy company to do business with.

Don’t use more than two and use them in different sizes and weights. Make sure the typeface you select makes your text easy to read. Remember this text is carrying your message to your prospective customer.

Picking the correct font is so important that it would be advisable to get some expert advice. Ask us to help you with this aspect of getting business customers through leafleting.

Choosing Your Size And Paper Stock

The size of your leaflet really depends on the length of your message and what you want to put on your leaflet. We suggest keeping it short in most cases and simply increasing the size of your content to increase the impact when your leaflet lands on the doormat.

You do not want to squeeze too much text on a leaflet that is too small. This will make your look amateurish and put people off reading it.

downloadIf you are selling big ticket items like home improvements an A4 leaflet should normally be the minimum allowing you to include large images of the products you’re offering. If your offer is simple and your text short and sweet, then an A5 leaflet will be fine. But if you can afford it, the bigger the leaflet the louder the message.

The paper you choose for your door drop leaflet will also reflect the image you are putting out to your target audience. Using a cheap paper to save on price is usually a false economy.

When a prospective customer picks up a leaflet or folder printed on a good heavy stock that feels expensive, they are more likely to read it and keep it, as they will perceive it to be something of value. A cheap lightweight paper will send out the message that your offer and your company lack gravitas.

Don’t Stop

As I said at the beginning of this article, selling is a sprint, not a marathon and often, along the way to success, there will be some disappointments.

You should not abandon your leaflet distribution just because the response has not been up to your expectations because there could be a number of reasons why the response did not live up to your expectations.

However, if you follow the advice given in this article you will be sure to achieve success.

To make sure all of these important elements are in place when planning a leaflet distribution campaign, it would be wise to put all of the elements in the hands of the experts. Getting business customers through leafleting is not as hard as you might think.

Hallway Distribution has been managing leaflet door drops for many years, and we have a huge amount of knowledge and experience in what will work and make a successful leaflet campaign.

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