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completemerchandise
- Original Poster
- #2
From experience here, they are a double edged sword. We have sent them out to existing and prospect customers in the past in some sectors we've wanted to break in to and there's been very little interest. However, with some sectors and by sending them with deliveries... they're loved it and really taken to the info on offer.
Are you considering sending a campaign out? Or have you dabbled in the past? Always felt offering as much info as possible has yielded the best results, visual flair can take a backseat if you can give them the info they want
Are you considering sending a campaign out? Or have you dabbled in the past? Always felt offering as much info as possible has yielded the best results, visual flair can take a backseat if you can give them the info they want
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toastking
- Original Poster
- #4
Sorry on my phone but what's the industry?
We received a card through the door for a cleaning and ironing service today. I have been considering it since my wife has a back problem that is never going away so I did in fact take the card and review the service!
But... Most of the time it's like spam and comes in droves.
We received a card through the door for a cleaning and ironing service today. I have been considering it since my wife has a back problem that is never going away so I did in fact take the card and review the service!
But... Most of the time it's like spam and comes in droves.
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If I get a leafet through the door I take great interest. If it has got website on it I'll go and take a look, make sure it works. If it hasn't got a website, I'll phone them up and ask them if they want one
My wife has a bad back too and I don't think we everhave eaten spam
My wife has a bad back too and I don't think we everhave eaten spam
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lol. How odd that something of interest to you isn't spam but everything else is. It isn't. It's how marketing works. It caught you at the right time.
A wife without a back problem and I guess it would probably have been spam again
This.
So many times on this forum I've read posts from those decrying and dismissing cold calling, leafleting/direct mail and similar. They say, "I never read leaflets and they go straight into the bin, unless it's something of interest to me."
Or they say, "I always reject cold calls, unless it's something I like the sound of".
Thereby proving that such methods are effective.
People are funny.
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If we're a little quiet (which is rare) we send out flyers and we always get new customers from them.
They're made in house, and we laminate them, so we find people do tend to hang onto them and phone many months later, and sometimes they pass them on to others.
A month ago we sent out 25 flyers and have quoted two £5k jobs from it. Although we haven't had an order yet, our business is industrial heating and the chances are, the customers won't go ahead now the weather is warmer, they'll wait until temperatures are -5c and expect us to be able to do it at short notice during out busiest period!
Both of these quotes were to companies who we hadn't sent the flyers to, so they must have had the flyers passed to them.
In the past I've had a response to a flyer which the customer said he received 2 years earlier.
Personally I think the laminating is worth the effort and minimal extra cost.
They're made in house, and we laminate them, so we find people do tend to hang onto them and phone many months later, and sometimes they pass them on to others.
A month ago we sent out 25 flyers and have quoted two £5k jobs from it. Although we haven't had an order yet, our business is industrial heating and the chances are, the customers won't go ahead now the weather is warmer, they'll wait until temperatures are -5c and expect us to be able to do it at short notice during out busiest period!
Both of these quotes were to companies who we hadn't sent the flyers to, so they must have had the flyers passed to them.
In the past I've had a response to a flyer which the customer said he received 2 years earlier.
Personally I think the laminating is worth the effort and minimal extra cost.
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Leaflets work if they have the right copy with a good headline to grab the attention of target prospects.
I've seen leaflets gain 10% response rates and I've seen leaflets gain 0% response rates (literally nothing despite thousands being sent out). It all depends on the content.
Sadly, a lot of business owners fail to educate themselves on basic copywriting and sales design principles. Well, I say 'sadly'. It's actually a good thing if your competitors are doing this whilst you give yourself an advantage by employing proven copywriting techniques.
I made a blog post a while back showcasing an example of what I mean:
http://chapmancopywriting.co.uk/blog/your-adverts-should-never-look-like-this/
I've seen leaflets gain 10% response rates and I've seen leaflets gain 0% response rates (literally nothing despite thousands being sent out). It all depends on the content.
Sadly, a lot of business owners fail to educate themselves on basic copywriting and sales design principles. Well, I say 'sadly'. It's actually a good thing if your competitors are doing this whilst you give yourself an advantage by employing proven copywriting techniques.
I made a blog post a while back showcasing an example of what I mean:
http://chapmancopywriting.co.uk/blog/your-adverts-should-never-look-like-this/
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Completely agree. So many people embark on leafleting in such a half a**ed way - completely ignoring the most basic principles of persuasive copy amongst other aspects. Then when they experience little or no response they declare that leafleting doesn't work.
NOTHING works when you do it wrong.
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We've been considering leafleting for a very specific product we sell due to the limitations on who the product is available too.
Sending someone to cold call is one of the best methods (and cheap if they are commission only sales agents), but we really found that a mix of leafleting followed by cold calling really improves sales figures on some, but not all products.
But I am quite biased as I run a door to door 'marketing' company.
Sending someone to cold call is one of the best methods (and cheap if they are commission only sales agents), but we really found that a mix of leafleting followed by cold calling really improves sales figures on some, but not all products.
But I am quite biased as I run a door to door 'marketing' company.
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Mark Toon
- Original Poster
- #21
Leafleting is indeed an extremely effective way of advertising your business.
However, to get the most out of it, you need to do your research with regards to the people/businesses you are targeting. As mentioned elsewhere on this thread, direct mail sent to somebody who has never had any interest in or need for your product pretty much guarantees it will end up in the bin.
Then there's the issue of the quality of the material you're sending out.
Not only does your product or offer need to be enticing, you need to differentiate your direct mail from all the other bits of paper that drop through your customer's letter box. Don't skimp on design or paper quality, and if you can, try to do something interesting. And it goes without saying that your messaging must be spot on if you're going to get the most out of a campaign.
In short, leafleting is like any other type of advertising. If it's done well and makes the customer sit up and take notice, the chances are, it will work. If not, you might as well not bother.
However, to get the most out of it, you need to do your research with regards to the people/businesses you are targeting. As mentioned elsewhere on this thread, direct mail sent to somebody who has never had any interest in or need for your product pretty much guarantees it will end up in the bin.
Then there's the issue of the quality of the material you're sending out.
Not only does your product or offer need to be enticing, you need to differentiate your direct mail from all the other bits of paper that drop through your customer's letter box. Don't skimp on design or paper quality, and if you can, try to do something interesting. And it goes without saying that your messaging must be spot on if you're going to get the most out of a campaign.
In short, leafleting is like any other type of advertising. If it's done well and makes the customer sit up and take notice, the chances are, it will work. If not, you might as well not bother.
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Leaflet advertising is still one of the most effective ways to advertise your business but just sending them out to random people will cause you to see no increase if they are not interested in what you have to offer. If you sell things sending them in your packages will allow you to advertise different products to your customers who you know are interested and will increase sales.
Leaving them in local stores where people may be interested in what you have to offer also can work, especially if you are allowing it so people can pick a leaflet up if they are interested in what they see and not have it forced up on them.
Leaving them in local stores where people may be interested in what you have to offer also can work, especially if you are allowing it so people can pick a leaflet up if they are interested in what they see and not have it forced up on them.
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Miromedia
- Original Poster
- #25
Personally, I think it is like any form of marketing, it is about the targeting as much as the channel. If you were targeting pensioners for example you wouldn't use Facebook (possibly!) that's not to say Facebook doesn't work, it just doesn't work for that audience.
I know leaflets work for one of our clients in her local area, she only works within a 5 mile radius of her house offering a very specific pet service so it is very targeted, she also does well being page one of Google - it's all part of a mix and understanding what your audience will respond to.
I know leaflets work for one of our clients in her local area, she only works within a 5 mile radius of her house offering a very specific pet service so it is very targeted, she also does well being page one of Google - it's all part of a mix and understanding what your audience will respond to.
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Absolutely! Knowing which marketing materials your targets respond to is all part of your research. A sales letter in some cases, a leaflet in others, even a postcard can do wonders.
You can't expect massive responses, but if you get them, it's a bonus. As I've researched and found out, direct mail averages a response rate of 3.4% in the UK and 18% keep the mailings for future reference. Advertising needs to be well written, well designed, and with quality printing - there's techniques, forms, structures, and all sorts that go into it to make it multi-layered and with inter-woven facets.
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Huge levels of local takeaway trade is driven by leaflets, so we know they work. I have a drawer full of them in my kitchen for when I don't fancy cooking.
However depending on what our business is, they must be targeted correctly to be effective. If you do your homework, and then design the leaflet well they can bring you in a ton of enquiries & a number of sales.
However depending on what our business is, they must be targeted correctly to be effective. If you do your homework, and then design the leaflet well they can bring you in a ton of enquiries & a number of sales.
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If you get a response rate of, say, 5%, then you're going to get 5 sales out of every 100 leaflets. This means that 5 people will read the leaflet and be persuaded to buy, whilst 95 people will either read the leaflet and fail to respond, or simply throw it in the bin without even a second glance.
Leaflets are a quantity game. By most standards of marketing, leafleting (with good copy and a good design) provides a pretty respectable response rate. When you combine this with the fact that it's very cheap to print and distribute thousands of them, you will find that a well thought-out leaflet campaign can provide a considerable return on investment. At the end of the day, that's the only thing which is important.
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