Flyer Flop

[SynergyRoofing]

I'm struggling to put together a flyer for my roofing company.

I'm simply not able to determine a call to action with some kind of offer that doesn't sound desperate, I'm also wondering if the quality of the leaflet (full colour gloss - 300gsm) is making people think the company is expensive rather than full of quality. I have 3 designs and a few of each printed up to see which one works best, they all appear equally inept. The 4th picture is the reverse side of all 3.

Happy for brutal critiques, would be even happier if anyone has some better suggestions:

Thanks and of course anyone needing a roofer in peterborough .......

Simon

 

[DavidWH]

1) Your logo doesn't stand out on the front
2) There's no call to action on any of them.

"No job to big or small", "Gutters cleared from £60" I would personally try asking a question, that they'll answer? I couldn't tell you what state our roof's in, if the gutters need clearing... what are the tell tale signs? Damp patch on my bedroom ceiling?

The rear side's not to bad... remove the return between professional and reliable & OAP discounts. Call today for a free quote might look better on one line? Maybe also on a white band across the flyer?

I wouldn't worry about the weight of the card, what size are you intending them to be?

 

[finleydesign]

Never liked "no job to small" I've always translated that to "i'm desparate and will do anything", as above, when promoting to people, solve their problem, not just what you do

"Are your gutters all blocked up?"
"Chimney in need of restoration?"

 

[SynergyRoofing]

I'm looking at a6 cards (300 gsm) the idea being that they would be kept by the customer.

The 'call to action' bit is what I'm struggling with - do you simply mean 'call today' or 'call by the end of the year for 10% off'.

The message should be clearer too as you mention - how do people tell if their roofs need fixing, how do I clarify that on a card ?

How about something like:

Does your house:

Have damp walls ?
Not retain heat ?
Have condensation ?

This could be a problem with your roof.

Call now to book a free roof health check ?


???

 

[DavidWH]

Discounts can work... but a whole year?? there's no urgency for them to action the problem.

I know a roofer who did the 'free winter roof check' seemed to work OK for him, but not sure how he worked it in any detail.

 

[finleydesign]

I think your FREE roof check is a good call to action, the only thing I would try and avoid is what can be seen as a scare tactic, so you need to be careful on your wording

 

[Elliottc26]

Seeing that it's Christmas and I'm in a giving mood right now...I quickly knocked this together for you. See all the bits and bobs? Just place in a results-based testimonial somewhere, make the bullet points ticks, and you're good to go.

This is how it's done. Enjoy!

Act now to save your roof!

Save £££ with your free winter safety roof inspection.

Ensure your roof is ready for the potentially damaging winter weather. Snow and ice, wind and rain will all take their toll on your fragile roof.

With years of experience, we will professionally inspect your poor suffering roof (free of charge!) to guarantee you peace of mind for the coming winter onslaught. Protect yourself against tile loss, damage, leaks, and cracks.

Our free, no obligation safety inspection includes:

• Guttering
  
  
• Tiles
  
  
• Chimneys
  
  
• Window seals
  
  
• Leadwork
  
  
• Mortar and pointing

What's more, we are:

• Fully insured
  
  
• Exor Accredited
  
  
• CSCS card holders
  
  
• Guaranteeing all work

Call to book your no obligation, free safety roof inspection on 01733 711 711 today!

Visit us online at www.synergyroofing.co.uk to see full details of our guarantees with our terms and conditions

P.S. OAP's now qualify for a special discount on all winter work! Don't miss out - call us today!

 

[Scott-Copywriter]

There's not a single shred of copy on that flyer which tells people why they should choose your roofing company over a different one.

There's just no reason to really call you. What you're going to find is that you only have three audiences available:

1). Those who have roof problems at the exact same time your leaflet comes through their door - you need the flyer to make them realise why they should choose you over anyone else.

2). Those who don't have roof problems yet but may in future - your flyer needs to give them a reason to keep the leaflet and use you if a problem ever occurs.

3). Those who have non-essential problems which are optionally remedied, for example chimney restorations and gutter cleaning - your flyer needs to give them reasons to get these problems fixed NOW and then give them a reason to use you over anyone else.

Make sure your flyer achieves these 3 things and you're going to get a far more successful leaflet drop.

You're also focusing your leaflet into far too small of a niche. Why dedicate an entire side to promoting chimney restorations when you want to sell your full range of services? If you have a flyer with one side about gutter clearing, then focus the whole leaflet on this service and give them plenty of reasons to get in touch with you. If you want to make a leaflet targeting a broader range of services, then do that too, but cater both sides to it.

The free roof check may work, but I'm not so sure. With this type of service, people generally don't want to spend money on repairs unless there is a symptom or matter of urgency which forces them to do it (for example, a cracked tile causing leaks or damp).

Plus, many people are frankly pretty scared of high-pressure sales situations. No one wants to invite a burly roofer to their home to climb up a ladder and inspect their full roof, only for them to then say "ok thanks, bye" without so much as a penny for the roofer's time.

A free roof inspection with no catches and no sales-pressure simply sounds too good to be true, and also sounds like an ideal situation for a roofer to identify far more problems than the homeowner originally anticipated to bump up the amount of work required.

I think you may struggle to find people who will optionally put themselves in that situation, and I suspect you would need far more high quality copy to instil that sense of danger which persuades them to take up your offer.

 

[SynergyRoofing]

Thank you for your feedback especially Christopher and Scott.

There's a lot more to this than meets the eye!! I can understand now why my 'look here's a picture' flyer doesn't tell a story to the reader about why they should be calling. I'm going to go back and try again but this time try and set the scene a little better.

My first attempt was based on the notion that the leaflet would only have a quick glance and therefore needed to be very simple and obvious but as Scott points out this will only works if the customer picks up the leaflet at the precise moment they need a new chimney / gutter cleaned.

I'm still a little dubious about whether leaflets will work but will do some research and make another sample attempt and see what response I get.

 

[deniser]

All I can add is that I like the third photo best from a merely visual point of view.

 

[Elliottc26]

I'm still a little dubious about whether leaflets will work but will do some research and make another sample attempt and see what response I get.

It all depends on how effective your leaflet is. Good copy and good design are musts.

Direct mail is one of the most effective marketing techniques. On average, when done right, the Royal Mail states that you can estimate receiving a 3.4% response rate, giving a 7% ROI.

You may estimate each new customer generating you an approximate £147 in gross sales, for example. So, if your campaign is 30% effective, and you send 3,000 leaflets, the potential is: 30.6 responses = 9.18 new customers x £147 spent per customer = £1,349.46 gross sales.

But of course, this is approximating and estimating; averaging across the board. You will need to make it effective. Additionally, get your website up to scratch.

Look at your competitors' websites and make yours better, with examples of work completed, persuasive copy, etc., and a nice look (wordpress themes). It's war!

 

[davehayes]

I have to agree with Scott and Chris. There is nothing stand outish about the flyers. However, that doesn't mean to say they can't become so, with a little creative genius and a good call to action.

There are other copywriters in this forum, but would be happy to provide a quote/give advice on top of others, as I look at work in a slightly different way.

 

[Scott-Copywriter]

Thank you for your feedback especially Christopher and Scott.

There's a lot more to this than meets the eye!! I can understand now why my 'look here's a picture' flyer doesn't tell a story to the reader about why they should be calling. I'm going to go back and try again but this time try and set the scene a little better.

My first attempt was based on the notion that the leaflet would only have a quick glance and therefore needed to be very simple and obvious but as Scott points out this will only works if the customer picks up the leaflet at the precise moment they need a new chimney / gutter cleaned.

I'm still a little dubious about whether leaflets will work but will do some research and make another sample attempt and see what response I get.

I produce leaflets (both design and copy) and here is what one of my recent clients said in a testimonial:

After a couple of failed attempts at designing and writing my own leaflets I decided to hire a professional. From the very start Scott was informative, understood my needs and provided exceptional advice on design features and copy to include.

Most importantly, the leaflets he designed provided an immediate return on investment. In the first week I recouped all the money spent on the campaign (including design, printing and distribution) and the lifetime value of the clients acquired will mean a ROI in the 100's of %.

I would fully recommend Scott to any company looking to improve conversion rates from their leafleting campaigns and get great advice on what they were doing wrong before.

Jake Lawrance, Director, Endurra Fitness

So yes, they do work if they're done correctly.

And you're right about their being more to it than meets the eye. Copywriting and conversion rate optimisation is a vast field of knowledge which is why people often hire copywriters, graphic designers and other professionals who have spent years dedicated to learning exactly what makes a leaflet sell with the largest response rate.

Another tip is don't be afraid of using more copy. It doesn't need to be written for passing glances.

Think of it this way, if you have a good headline which shows the reader what you're selling, and they still ignore the leaflet or only give it a quick glance, then they were highly unlikely to ever buy your services, so it isn't worth tailoring the leaflet to them. Some people simply aren't interested, and some brief bullet points to try and capture their fleeting interest is not going to be enough to do anything.

However, if people do show an initial interest, then they are the people you want to focus on, and it's these people who will be willing to read a little more. You can take advantage of this by providing a more comprehensive selling piece to really drill in why they should buy from you.

If you were in a face-to-face situation with a potential client, how much would you have to talk to them and sell your service to persuade them to hand over hundreds of pounds? You may need to spend 10 or 15+ minutes talking to them. That just gives you an idea of how much a flyer would need to say to sell your services for you.

You obviously don't need to write a novel for them, but at the same time, a few bullet points and only 5-10 seconds of total engagement really isn't going to be enough to persuade people to pick up the phone and call you.

 

[Elliottc26]

Advertising takes seconds...

Unlike other copywriters, I always remind my valued clients that an effective leaflet is a form of advertising. As you know, whenever you look at advertisements they are quick, to the point, direct, targeted and easy to skim read.

Great copy:

• Excites
• Persuades
• Brings targets quickly to action

You have literally seconds to gain your target's attention and excite them. Having studied Media and with years of experience, I know what works in advertising - especially with signs and their meanings. But then what?

Make your targets act the way you want

As with all advertising, you want the target to perform an action in your favour. Whether that be to call, visit your website, or even send a text - the copy must bring them to an action. That's all!

Effective advertising:

• Grabs attention
• Compels targets
• Delivers a strong message

A continuing client of mine, Stephanie Gale, Marketing Manager at Rewards Training, said,

"Chris was professional, knowledgeable, and listened to our requirements. He produced quality copy for leaflets and posters for our target group of customers, generating 72 quality responses worth a potential £86,400 in new business for us."

Advertising works and gains you new customers. Leaflets are just a part of a wider effort.

Bring home the bacon

After the desired action, selling begins. As the targets contact you, you need to have a great website to persuade them to take more actions, one-to-one sales techniques, and excellent telephony skills - your job is to sell, deliver exceptional service, and provide amazing after sales support.

An effective advertisement whether as a leaflet, flyer, poster, postcard, landing page, or banner, is just the first step in acquiring new and existing customers for your growing business.

Target. Persuade. Sell More.

 

[MBE1]

I think a free roof inspection is a great call to action, but coupled with a detailed high quality video record the client could actually see the real problems once you come down on say their tv.

Many people have no idea about roofs, few ever go that high or wish to, but at the same time many might think you are making up problems.

Best of luck.

 

[SynergyRoofing]

Thanks all again.

MBE1 - we always take photos of the problem we see on the roof, before and afters pictures are always a great help.

Changing the subject slightly, I can certainly see issues with the flyer and it needs addressing but so do some other points.

I have a certain budget to apply to marketing, and while it's not the be all and end all, I cannot be flippant with the companies budget. I have explored the options as I see them, and I could target several areas to generate more work.

Areas I am looking at are:

Bespoke Direct Mail
Flyers
Newspaper / Local Magazine adverts
Small Billboards
Online Adwords etc etc

Now while I can't afford to do all these things at once, I personally like the flyer / direct mail ideas because these remain to a certain degree under my control. I could increase or decrease the marketing as needs dictate. And these all need to be backed up with a more informative website. Our work does speak for itself so I see us simply as needing to 'spread the word' however, we could also do with more contracts. We have a great chance to become a very tidy company quite quickly with the right marketing or completely miss the boat with shoddy amateurish attempts.

 

[Scott-Copywriter]

Thanks all again.

MBE1 - we always take photos of the problem we see on the roof, before and afters pictures are always a great help.

Changing the subject slightly, I can certainly see issues with the flyer and it needs addressing but so do some other points.

I have a certain budget to apply to marketing, and while it's not the be all and end all, I cannot be flippant with the companies budget. I have explored the options as I see them, and I could target several areas to generate more work.

Areas I am looking at are:

Bespoke Direct Mail
Flyers
Newspaper / Local Magazine adverts
Small Billboards
Online Adwords etc etc

Now while I can't afford to do all these things at once, I personally like the flyer / direct mail ideas because these remain to a certain degree under my control. I could increase or decrease the marketing as needs dictate. And these all need to be backed up with a more informative website. Our work does speak for itself so I see us simply as needing to 'spread the word' however, we could also do with more contracts. We have a great chance to become a very tidy company quite quickly with the right marketing or completely miss the boat with shoddy amateurish attempts.

If I were you I'd focus on three marketing approaches:

1). Flyer drops - for domestic and commercial clients
2). Sales letters - for commercial clients to secure more contracts
3). Website and Adwords - for domestic and commercial

With this strategy, you're including pro-active marketing by reaching out to your audience, and also reactive marketing by making sure that your website is in the search results when people Google local roofing companies in your area (which will happen quite frequently and is likely to be a good source of potential clients for you).

This keeps it simple and allows you to focus more resources on the key pieces of marketing material which will heavily dictate the response rate of the campaigns.

 

[Elliottc26]

Areas I am looking at are:

1. Bespoke Direct Mail
2. Flyers
3. Newspaper / Local Magazine adverts
4. Small Billboards
5. Online Adwords etc etc

The marketing materials and channels (mix) used depends on who you're targeting. For instance, if your targets don't read the local paper, but read the local magazine, then you'd be better off placing an advert in there.

It also depends on your budget. Some channels are very expensive per lead generated, where others are more budget orientated - however, cheaper alternatives require much more effort and cost in terms of distribution.

The more you highly target your customer groups, the better the response will be, and the more effective your campaigns will be. They key is to ensure the correct research is carried out - something I am highly skilled with, but where others fall short.

 

[The Byre]

Just read everything David Ogilvy ever wrote. Start here - http://blog.subscribermail.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/ogilvy-advertising-that-sells.pdf

 

[Scott-Copywriter]

Just read everything David Ogilvy ever wrote. Start here - http://blog.subscribermail.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/ogilvy-advertising-that-sells.pdf

Good advice right here.

 

[The Byre]

BTW, your website needs a rework. The services do not show much special work and no fancy, quality slate work (the very marque of any good roofer!) and the lead work shown looks a bit off and is very basic.

Metal roofs? You don't mention them and that market is growing.

 

[Uzair Kharawala]

With leaflet distribution, you need to do it consistently to get the message across. We do 10,000 A5 leaflets every 3 months and work on a conversion of 1%. If you get more, good luck. With each leaflet, we have a different offer, call to action and for a limited time only.

 

[Hook Solutions]

Do not do what everyone else does if you want to stand out. Why do things go viral? Usually they are touching, funny or unexpected, your flyer needs to be one of these....

 

[Scott-Copywriter]

Do not do what everyone else does if you want to stand out. Why do things go viral? Usually they are touching, funny or unexpected, your flyer needs to be one of these....

This really depends. Sometimes people try to come up with such an 'out of the box' idea that it takes over the entire point of the marketing material, causing the actual selling and persuading to become neglected.

You can be creative as you like in the headline to grab attention, but at the end of the day, the flyer still needs to make someone realise why they should buy the service.

It also needs to pre-qualify the prospects. Any idea must grab the attention of the target audience who are most likely to buy the service. If the idea captures the wrong type of audience, then you could end up with a flyer which gets more attention, but ultimately fewer sales. At the end of the day, it's the response rate which is the most important thing.

What I do disagree with is your comment that the flyer "needs" to be "touching, funny or unexpected". It really doesn't, and it can backfire spectacularly if you put all of your eggs in one basket with a creative gimmick instead of making sure that the basics are done correctly.

 

[The Byre]

What I do disagree with is your comment that the flyer "needs" to be "touching, funny or unexpected". It really doesn't, and it can backfire spectacularly if you put all of your eggs in one basket with a creative gimmick instead of making sure that the basics are done correctly.

+1

The punter is getting (one hopes!) a roofer and not a song-and-gag-man!