Quality of flyer

[killerdog]

What are peoples thoughts of the quality of the flyer that would come through your door. Does the thickness of the paper influence you if you read it or not?
Im trying to work out if I should go with 170g or something like 300g paper. Gloss or silk dont think it matters but Im trying to keep costs down as Im printing on both sides.

 

[benion]

For me the biggest thing about flyers is whether to deliver in a solus or multi drop. I started a domestic cleaning business a few months back and delivered about 2000 leaflets by hand and got a good response. As I wanted my weekends back I paid a firm to drop 150000. NO response whatsoever

 

[FIZIX Agency]

Honestly, if it looks higher quality and is attractive I am far more likely to stop and pay some attention to it before it goes in the bin. And that's for stuff that has some value, stuff like window cleaners, gardeners or whatever always go into the bin.

They rarely turn into conversions with me though. Very, very occasionally I have used a companies services that way.

 

[thelegalstop]

If i get a flyer, I rarely care about the paper quality. It is more like if it attracts my attention or not. If you have not used flyers before, don`t go for too expensive paper in my opinion. focus on your message!

 

[cheap]

Agree with others something on the flyer that catches your eye at a glance.

 

[Scott-Copywriter]

You don't have to worry. All you should avoid are the two extremes. Don't waste money on some thick piece of card which eats into your ROI, but at the same time, don't use flyers which are like toilet paper.

Paper thickness and quality are a little more important if you have a premium brand, but not much.

 

[killerdog]

Cool, think Ill go with 170g. Thick paper/thin card.
Had a flyer through the door other day and it was fold in half, it made me look at one side first and I will be doing this because side a of my flyer has all the information.
I dont think a folded flyer is off-putting is it?

 

[DJR51]

I can't imagine it would be off-putting, provided it looks professional and deliberately folded, rather than just looking lazily scrumpled up.

 

[Ashley_Price]

I know you're not going to want to read this, but I'm going to say it anyway: be ready for a very low ROI.

I know I am probably in a minority, but basically I never read leaflets that come through our door, no matter what the thickness or "attractiveness" of the design. They go straight in the recycling bin.

 

[B&H Digital]

On a personal level, it's the design that stands out to me when it's laying on the floor

 

[Christiane]

I'm not sure but I'd think women are more likely to read them. My OH puts them in the bin, I tend to flick through them ''just in case'' there's a good offer on one. And same at my brother and sisters
Thickness of paper doesn't matter, agreed with the others, the design is more important.

 

[LeafletsInLincs]

Not sure paper thickness is about "attractiveness"....the thinner your leaflets are the more chance a distributor will have to bend the leaflet to get it past draught excluders.

(I always try to bend rather than fold so it unfolds when through the door)

 

[Nuno]

Be prepared for a very low response rate, as Ashley said. As with a lot of sales it is a numbers game, so a 2000 drop is just a toe in the water, a 20,000 drop will be more useful.

Design is far more important than pager weight, and if an instantly visible, and worthwhile offer, (discount, prize draw etc), is included the response rate will go up.

Area targeting is also important. A friend does 50k leaflets every month and specifies that they all go to houses with off street parking: bigger and more affluent.

 

[DJR51]

Not sure paper thickness is about "attractiveness"....the thinner your leaflets are the more chance a distributor will have to bend the leaflet to get it past draught excluders.

(I always try to bend rather than fold so it unfolds when through the door)

It surely takes a pretty lazy distributor to fail to push past a draught excluder?! Or am I over estimating the average distributor's determination to succeed?

 

[Ashley_Price]

It surely takes a pretty lazy distributor to fail to push past a draught excluder?! Or am I over estimating the average distributor's determination to succeed?

That depends on the distributor. I think many are paid per quantity they deliver, so probably aren't interested in spending too long trying to get leaflet properly through the box.

As a town councillor, I deliver a lot of leaflets and newsletters, especially in the run up to the recent county council elections. I saw a lot of flyers from someone who was obviously going round before me just stuck out of the letterbox, so they'd obviously not pushed hard enough if it was a stiff flap or draught excluder.

Many will also be wary of pushing their hands too far into the letterbox for fear of a dog on the other side (one of our other Councillors had to go to the minor injuries unit at the local hospital as his fingers were bitten by a dog).

But there are some draught excluders or flaps that are so stiff that I've felt the leaflet or newspetter crumpling up as I'm pushing it through, it must look like a bit of rubbbish when it comes out the other side.

I now have a secret weapon to combat both stiff flaps/draught excluders and dogs. I have a 12 inch bamboo cane (like you see sold in garden centres), that I use to help force the flyer through. That also means my fingers won't get bitten.

 

[DJR51]

Good points, well made.

 

[Ashley_Price]

Good points, well made.

Really? Gosh! It must be Friday.

 

[tom_doggett]

Quality of print and paper are important to a degree - if it's dot matrix on kitchen towel then it's not going to look great (although there's an argument that you would at least stand out!).

More important is getting the attention of the person you've delivered the leaflet to - so be really big and bold with your headline and message. Assume you've only got a second or two to grab their attention so get your message across quickly. That means not having your logo as the biggest thing on the page. Consider the difference between

John Smith
Window Cleaner

and

Window Cleaner
Call John Smith...

Possibly a slight exaggeration but it's amazing how often you see that sort of thing.

 

[mhall]

Ok, from the anal brain of hubby who, over a period of three years tried every combination you can think of:

Bear in mind, each business is different, but these were his findings:

1. Flyers don't really work as much as you think and if you deliver them yourself it becomes counter productive cost wise - but does keep you fit
2. The best format is black ink on yellow paper
3. The next best is black ink on green paper
4. Then comes white paper with a splash of colour
5. If using white paper, go for 110gsm, coloured paper - 80gsm is more than fine
6. Full colour impresses few people - and the use of colour can actually take the eye away from the message.
7. Best size is A5, but easiest to deliver is A4
8. Solus delivery is much better in that more people will GET the flyer, but that doesn't mean your sales will increase
9. Put your flyers in with the free papers and there is a high chance they will end up in the canal
10. Always have a control in the leaflet so you know where the sale comes from (code or voucher)
11. Proof read it twice, and then get someone else to do it three times.

 

[Scott-Copywriter]

Quality of print and paper are important to a degree - if it's dot matrix on kitchen towel then it's not going to look great (although there's an argument that you would at least stand out!).

More important is getting the attention of the person you've delivered the leaflet to - so be really big and bold with your headline and message. Assume you've only got a second or two to grab their attention so get your message across quickly. That means not having your logo as the biggest thing on the page. Consider the difference between

John Smith
Window Cleaner

and

Window Cleaner
Call John Smith...

Possibly a slight exaggeration but it's amazing how often you see that sort of thing.

Of course, in reality, they're both terrible headlines. One of the major sins of flyer advertising is to use either the business name or the business service as a headline. However, you are right when it comes to the number of businesses which do exactly that. It's startling.

The major problem which gives flyer advertising a bad rep is that the majority of businesses which do it have absolutely no idea about copywriting. And as it's the content of the page which actually sells the services, having a lack of flyers which follow even the fundamental principles of good copywriting is obviously not going to go well.

You could spend hundreds of pounds on an amazing flyer design, but if the copy isn't right then it will fail to sell anything at all. However, I could write sales copy on a blank piece of A4 paper, post it through doors and get a good sales response. The copy and content (including images of the product if applicable) do the selling. Nothing else.

Anyone who puts design above copy is almost always going to end up with a leaflet which fails to get a good response. It's totally counter-productive. It's like trying to build a fast car by focusing more on the paintwork instead of the engine.

 

[tom_doggett]

Of course, in reality, they're both terrible headlines. One of the major sins of flyer advertising is to use either the business name or the business service as a headline. However, you are right when it comes to the number of businesses which do exactly that. It's startling.

The major problem which gives flyer advertising a bad rep is that the majority of businesses which do it have absolutely no idea about copywriting. And as it's the content of the page which actually sells the services, having a lack of flyers which follow even the fundamental principles of good copywriting is obviously not going to go well.

You could spend hundreds of pounds on an amazing flyer design, but if the copy isn't right then it will fail to sell anything at all. However, I could write sales copy on a blank piece of A4 paper, post it through doors and get a good sales response. The copy and content (including images of the product if applicable) do the selling. Nothing else.

Anyone who puts design above copy is almost always going to end up with a leaflet which fails to get a good response. It's totally counter-productive. It's like trying to build a fast car by focusing more on the paintwork instead of the engine.

Absolutely - the point was really the difference between the two, that if you're a window cleaner then "Window Cleaner" is a better headline than no headline at all, and certainly better than "John Smith".

Couldn't agree more about design, massive mistake to focus on design over content. Well-written plain-text black and white adverts (leaflets/flyers etc) are nearly always more effective than the ones created by a "design genius" whose main ambition is to impress other designers.

 

[LeafletsInLincs]

That depends on the distributor. I think many are paid per quantity they deliver, so probably aren't interested in spending too long trying to get leaflet properly through the box.

As a town councillor, I deliver a lot of leaflets and newsletters, especially in the run up to the recent county council elections. I saw a lot of flyers from someone who was obviously going round before me just stuck out of the letterbox, so they'd obviously not pushed hard enough if it was a stiff flap or draught excluder.

Many will also be wary of pushing their hands too far into the letterbox for fear of a dog on the other side (one of our other Councillors had to go to the minor injuries unit at the local hospital as his fingers were bitten by a dog).

But there are some draught excluders or flaps that are so stiff that I've felt the leaflet or newspetter crumpling up as I'm pushing it through, it must look like a bit of rubbbish when it comes out the other side.

I now have a secret weapon to combat both stiff flaps/draught excluders and dogs. I have a 12 inch bamboo cane (like you see sold in garden centres), that I use to help force the flyer through. That also means my fingers won't get bitten.

You're right. I've personally been bitten twice and it can ruin your week.

We're careful to never leave leaflets hanging out of a letterbox as they can get ruined by weather or complained about by the council.

The only option is to bend the leaflet, stab it through and hope it unbends on the other side.

Most of the leaflet distribution industry is paid by the leaflet so you do have to post as fast as possible.

I found the comment about a distributor being "lazy" quite amusing as some of us walk up to 12 hours a day whilst delivering.

 

[Leaflets-Distribution]

You're right. I've personally been bitten twice and it can ruin your week.

We're careful to never leave leaflets hanging out of a letterbox as they can get ruined by weather or complained about by the council.

The only option is to bend the leaflet, stab it through and hope it unbends on the other side.

Most of the leaflet distribution industry is paid by the leaflet so you do have to post as fast as possible.

I found the comment about a distributor being "lazy" quite amusing as some of us walk up to 12 hours a day whilst delivering.

Amusing yes. To walk for several hours is hard graft. The amounts of cuts and scrapes I have picked-up from when my legs/feet have become tired and I have tripped-up some steps when walking up a path

 

[zindel987]

Yeah it really matters that hows the quality of the paper you are using for flyers. If you want to get attention through flyer before being throned to the dustbin quality is must to take care of.