For any business, marketing and promotion are of paramount importance. While most business owners are only too aware of this, many make the mistake of thinking that the way forward is 100% digital. In reality, although digital marketing is useful, it’s often not as effective as physical promotion in the form of flyers or leaflets.
Leaflet Advertising
Anything but old school leaflet advertising has some really great benefits for businesses and, some of these are:
Keeping it real – with digital advertising, it’s all too easy for consumers to go scrolling on by, whereas a flyer through the door is a tangible form of promotion that tends to demand attention.
Here to stay – Once we scroll past an advert on social media, it’s very much a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’. On the other hand, when people receive a flyer through the door, they’ll usually pop it into a drawer or onto a notice board for future reference, even if they don’t respond straight away.
The price is right – flyer advertising is one of the most cost-effective ways of getting your message across. Depending on the quantity purchased, flyers cost mere pennies to produce and distribute.
The memory game – A massive 89% of people (surveyed at their home) say that they remember a specific leaflet being delivered to their door – a much higher recall figure than digital, TV or radio advertising.
Keeping it close – When asked about leaflet deliveries, 45% of respondents said that (when relevant to them) they will keep hold of flyers and leaflets for possible future reference. This is, of course, extremely significant as you can’t generally pin a Facebook post to your kitchen notice board.
Leaflet Distribution Response Rates
Now that we’ve gone through a few of the impressive benefits of advertising with leaflets, it’s time to take a look at the big question – what is the response rate for advertising with leaflets?
A key finding is that 89% of consumers remember receiving a door drop mailing; more than any other marketing channel. And with 45% keeping leaflets in a kitchen drawer, on a pinboard and some even in the bathroom, leaflet distribution should be a key part of any marketing campaign.
The average response rate of a leaflet distribution campaign is between 0.5% and 1%. This would include any of the calls to actions you include on your leaflet e.g. phone calls, website visits, emails and is not direct sales. However, it’s not possible to give a definitive answer regarding the level of response you’ll receive from your leaflet campaign as this will depend on many factors, including;
- demand for your product or service
- choice of demographics when targeting
- the timing of the campaign (relevant to the demand), i.e. you won’t sell many Christmas trees in July
- the design of the leaflet
- how well established your brand is.
Leaflet distribution, as with any type of advertising, works better the more you do it as repetition is key to building recognition and brand awareness. So the question is, how can we encourage people to respond?
How to increase response rates
The whole point of your flyer campaign is, of course, to get as high a response rate as possible. The following are a few ways in which you can increase your response rate and bag those all-important customers:
The headline is the first thing they read – The leaflet or flyer needs a bold headline, a question or statement near the top (which is the part the eye is typically drawn to) to engage and gain the reader’s interest.
All things bright and beautiful – people tend to be naturally attracted to bright colours, and so, a bit of colour pop on your flyer will go a long way. While red is certainly an attention grabber, blue and green tend to be associated with trust and reliability.
Clear and simple – When it comes to the text on your flyer, it’s best not to try to be too fancy – an exotic font might look good but, this becomes irrelevant if people can’t actually read what it says!
Hook line and sinker – For the best results include a discount or special offer code on your flyer – this is an excellent way of giving the customer the impression that they’re being offered something special which is just for them.
Call it in – One of the most essential parts of your flyer is your call to action. This should be in a prominent position on the flyer and should be clear as to what you want the customer to do next.
Conclusion
This article demonstrates that flyer advertising can be highly effective and has much more longevity than digital marketing. Pay close attention to the design of your flyers and, to make them even more cost-effective, try not to ‘date’ them too much. Consider demographics and target where to deliver your leaflets.
Finally, ensure you use a professional leaflet distribution company with good mapping and systems in place along with GPS tracking to ensure your coverage and saturation are maximised.
