Leafleting Local Businesses Offering Web Design

[GeoMal]

I have built up a small web design and development business, with all of my customers finding me by referral/recommendation from existing customers. Up until now I have only pursued it part time, but it is now at the stage where I feel it could pay the bills if I market the business better (I have 4 sites being developed for customers at the moment, and another 4 hot leads). Most customers are local retailers, or small b2b businesses, and spend in the £500 to £1,000 bracket for the actual development, then ongoing support, changes etc.

There is a relatively prosperous high street locally, and in 2 nearby towns. There is also a very large industrial estate nearby.

My first thought was to leaflet, in person and by hand, all the local businesses in these towns and industrial estates offering my services. Print costs are very low for the number I am talking about (<1,000), and I can do the design work myself. So then, what do I put on the leaflet?

• My company name.
• Contact phone number (local code), email and web address (short and snappy).
• Services offered.
• Select examples from my portfolio, along with testimony from the business owner.
• Price range for typical projects.
• Big call to action (Call us?)

What am I missing? Also, should I have 2 leaflets? One targeting B2C businesses (high street retailers, restaurants etc) and one B2B businesses (industrial estate types).

 

[ethical PR]

Why they should buy from you rather than your competitors ?

Calls us is not a 'big call to action" - develop a time sensitive offer.

Before you do this make sure your website looks fantastic , is easy to navigate, and has strong case studies and references and that you have well written copy that clearly differentiates you from your competitors.

Make sure you target the sort of businesses you see as key customers and that you do this as part of a wider marketing plan.

 

[GeoMal]

Calls us is not a 'big call to action" - develop a time sensitive offer.

Excellent, thanks. So free domain name and web hosting for a year, value £xxx, for all contact made with this leaflet by [fixed date] - sufficient offer in this market do you think?

Why they should buy from you rather than your competitors ?.. and that you have well written copy that clearly differentiates you from your competitors.

This I always struggle with. My work is good (not a given in the web world), delivered on time and at a reasonable cost. I'm very responsive to customers and try to develop an on going relationship. Does that make me different to my competitors? Well, to the crap ones, yes. Plus probably I supply work of equal value to the small agencies at around half the cost, as I simply don't have the overheads. I don't see however how I can market these points, as they are negative towards others, rather than positive towards myself.

Before you do this make sure your website looks fantastic , is easy to navigate, and has strong case studies and references

That will be a given.

 

[Annoying Donkey]

Excellent, thanks. So free domain name and web hosting for a year, value £xxx, for all contact made with this leaflet by [fixed date] - sufficient offer in this market do you think?

Not in my opinion... You're assuming that any of the recipients are interested in web design. Chances are that most won't be...

You need something that has more general appeal and is more compelling...

 

[ethical PR]

I don't know what sort of call to action would work for your choosen target audience - different offers appeal to different target audiences. Do you have a clear idea of the type of businesses you are targeting? All SME's in a given geographical area - isn't a target audience you need to drill down - what sectors or types of websites do you have experience in - what sets you apart.

Having good work, delivered on time at a reasonable cost - is a claim many web developers could claim. Providing an agency type service at a freelance cost could have something in it if you can articulate what this claim means in practice.

Having a well designed, easy to navigate website, with strong case studies and references certainly isn't a given - the majority of web developer sites I have seen certainly don't meet this brief.

 

[Annoying Donkey]

Here's an example for web design from my swipe file:

“Warning: Don't Buy Web Design Until You Get Answers To These 5 Questions!”

What's the difference between a website that looks good, and one that gets your phone ringing? The surprising answer is in one word...

Want more leads..? then ask your web designer whether putting price on the offer page is right, because knowing this gave SafeSoft Solutions, a supplier of call center equipment, 100% more leads

Get more buyers to your showroom, by asking your designer which 3 design layouts matter most? Hyundai Holland tested these 3, and got 63% more requests for a test drive

Want to have quote requests left on your website? Then make sure your designer places the form in the correct place. This was tested and made a 110% difference in the number of leads

Want more phone calls from buyers? Then you had better make sure your designer puts more emphasis on one of these 2...great offer...credibility...because Cook Travel tested the 2 and one got 48% more phone calls each day.

Don't risk your future with un-tested web design work and call xxxx xxx to get all these questions answered now, because this is far too important to ignore.

A community service by [your company name]

Lots of curiosity built into those questions. Chances are you'll get calls from people who already have websites...

 

[columbo]

Lots of curiosity built into those

questions. Chances are you'll get calls from people who already have websites...

But, are these not a prime target for the OP's business. In fact, they are probably a better prospect than business newbies. They are more likely to know what they want.

There will always be cases of businesses have used design firms that are no longer operating, their freelance designers who have emigrated etc.

The OP should target look at those who need a "website revamp" .

 

[Alan]

Agree, the OP is targeting what I call stage 3 clients, typically willing to spend £500-£1000

Stage 1. Think website is something you build yourself with tools like Wix, why pay some one when you can do it yourself
Stage 2. Realising that their site looks unprofessional they get a part time, relative, dabbler that builds websites - around the £350 mark. Site runs well for a while, but then they want changes and the dev has disappeared, gone to college, got a proper job
Stage 3. Now they want something a bit more, they still don't understand the value of their website or how it fits into their marketing strategy, prepared to splash out £500 - £1,500, still likely to employ an independent

After that there is a bit of a jump, as what they need for their money now is strategic design, with real conversion thoughts as per @WeblinkPlus post - but if you are selling sites like that for less than £3.5k then you are underselling as they will make real difference to a business, not just a business card.

 

[Alan]

p.s. Agencies don't charge twice as much as independents because they have overheads. it is the other way around, independents charge half as much as agencies as they don't value themselves fully.

The UK average agency charges £640/day that is £91/hour. As an independent, if you charged that based on average chargeable hours, allowing for sales time, down time and marketing costs, works out at around £55k per year - about the same as a senior developer in a perm role without the hassle of running their own business. BUT for some reason, independents often pitch at £35/hour - which in reality is like taking a perm job at £19k which is junior starting wages.

Dont under value yourself or in 2 years you will abandon all those small local business to go get a full time job.

 

[Annoying Donkey]

But, are these not a prime target for the OP's business. In fact, they are probably a better prospect than business newbies. They are more likely to know what they want.

There will always be cases of businesses have used design firms that are no longer operating, their freelance designers who have emigrated etc.

The OP should target look at those who need a "website revamp" .

Agree.
In fact OP might be better off collecting advertising and researching the website of the advertisers to focus in on those who need a revamp or update...
Just about every website out there sorely needs a better marketing message and conversion optimisation. A web developer could easily differentiate themselves by offering such a service... and it would be easy to show the value by the measured increase in sales...

p.s. Agencies don't charge twice as much as independents because they have overheads. it is the other way around, independents charge half as much as agencies as they don't value themselves fully.

The UK average agency charges £640/day that is £91/hour. As an independent, if you charged that based on average chargeable hours, allowing for sales time, down time and marketing costs, works out at around £55k per year - about the same as a senior developer in a perm role without the hassle of running their own business. BUT for some reason, independents often pitch at £35/hour - which in reality is like taking a perm job at £19k which is junior starting wages.

Dont under value yourself or in 2 years you will abandon all those small local business to go get a full time job.

IMHO what a business offers should be based on the value, not how long it takes to produce.
If it takes one man week to produce a website that brings in 100,000 per year of new business, then that's gotta be worth at least 10,000 - not 3600 based on an hourly rate.
What business owner would turn down the chance of turning every pound spent into 10 pounds...?

 

[GeoMal]

Not in my opinion... You're assuming that any of the recipients are interested in web design. Chances are that most won't be...

You need something that has more general appeal and is more compelling...

Let's assume I am just looking for people looking for a website. Then you are right, most won't be looking right now, but enough should be to make it a worthwhile process.

Here's an example for web design from my swipe file:

Lots of curiosity built into those questions. Chances are you'll get calls from people who already have websites...

Do you actually have the (old) case studies referred to here? Or did you just copy it from a forum, where the poster copied it from someone else? Have you actually used them? I don't believe in snake oil practices.

I don't know what sort of call to action would work for your choosen target audience - different offers appeal to different target audiences. Do you have a clear idea of the type of businesses you are targeting? All SME's in a given geographical area - isn't a target audience you need to drill down - what sectors or types of websites do you have experience in - what sets you apart.

Thanks again. The terms SME is used a lot isn't it? My targets are micro and small businesses, in retail, or service businesses that supply them.

Having good work, delivered on time at a reasonable cost - is a claim many web developers could claim. Providing an agency type service at a freelance cost could have something in it if you can articulate what this claim means in practice.

You are quite right, most would claim this, though many don't in practice. Hence my predicament on how to market myself.

Having a well designed, easy to navigate website, with strong case studies and references certainly isn't a given - the majority of web developer sites I have seen certainly don't meet this brief.

Sorry, I should have said I will have this, rather than it is a given. I know it is not a given for most, quite the opposite in fact. My site currently is well designed and easy to navigate, but needs relevant case studies and testimonies. These I am working on and will be done prior to any outbound marketing.

 

[GeoMal]

Agree, the OP is targeting what I call stage 3 clients, typically willing to spend £500-£1000

Stage 3. Now they want something a bit more, they still don't understand the value of their website or how it fits into their marketing strategy, prepared to splash out £500 - £1,500, still likely to employ an independent

Spot on. The vast majority of my current clients already had a stage 1 or 2 web site, as you described them.

p.s. Agencies don't charge twice as much as independents because they have overheads. it is the other way around, independents charge half as much as agencies as they don't value themselves fully.

The UK average agency charges £640/day that is £91/hour. As an independent, if you charged that based on average chargeable hours, allowing for sales time, down time and marketing costs, works out at around £55k per year - about the same as a senior developer in a perm role without the hassle of running their own business. BUT for some reason, independents often pitch at £35/hour - which in reality is like taking a perm job at £19k which is junior starting wages.

Dont under value yourself or in 2 years you will abandon all those small local business to go get a full time job.

I'm curious about your sums, though I agree with the sentiment. I won't be looking for a job though, personal reasons preclude that, and I've been self employed for nearly two decades.

At £90 an hour, 7.5 hours to the day, with 60% of hours billable, 4 weeks holiday, that gives revenue of around £97K. My costs are pretty low.

At £35 an hour (and you are correct again, that's about where I pitch it), the revenue is around £38K.

Ideally I would be working at around £50-£60 per hour, for 50% of the time.

Thanks for your thoughts, it has made me think that I must continue to increase my hourly rate, which I have done over time, but perhaps not aggressively enough.

 

[fisicx]

Let's assume I am just looking for people looking for a website. Then you are right, most won't be looking right now, but enough should be to make it a worthwhile process.

Spot on. The vast majority of my current clients already had a stage 1 or 2 web site, as you described them.

Go for the second option not the first. Leafleting businesses who don't have or haven't considered a website is like asking people without a horse if they want one.

And leafleting really isn't they way to do this. I get a lot of work by just talking to people. I was talking about cars to a bloke I met at the station, the conversation moved on and by the time the train arrived I had his number and today we are meeting to discuss changes to his site.

Get your elevator speech right and you can pick up loads of work.

 

[Annoying Donkey]

Do you actually have the (old) case studies referred to here? Or did you just copy it from a forum, where the poster copied it from someone else? Have you actually used them? I don't believe in snake oil practices.

Do you understand what a swipe file is?
Despite it's name, it's not to steal or cut and paste. It's to give you inspiration on creating your own unique marketing message...

To answer your questions:

Do you actually have the (old) case studies referred to here?

Yes, I do. They were published on a marketing forum/blog at the time. I tend to collect such things...

Or did you just copy it from a forum, where the poster copied it from someone else?

I can't remember where it came from, probably a forum. As I said, it's from my swipe file.

Have you actually used them?

No. That's not the purpose of a swipe file, nor of my posting it. As I said above...
I have used similar - with different case studies and questions - to generate custom for web developers. I don't "do" web developers as part of my business, however I occasionally have been asked to help out a friend of a friend...

I don't believe in snake oil practices.

If you believe it's snake oil, then go with your message...
Or you could search on "meaning of 'sell the sizzle, not the steak'" and learn something

People who decide they want a web developer will most likely ask around their friends and associates first, They'll then perhaps go on forums like this and ask for recommendations. Then they might use G.

Any form of cold caller (leaflets are just cold calling in print) is usually last resort, or if your leaflet just happens to drop through the door just at the right moment.

If they're not thinking about web design, your leaflet will likely be binned or at best filed away never to be seen again.

What the example I posted does is get people thinking. Those who already have a website, but perhaps in the back of their mind feel that the website is under-performing. The example (which IMHO could be improved) gets their attention, whereas what you posted won't...

 

[Alan]

with 60% of hours billable,

How to you achieve 60% billable time as a one person business? You must have pretty sophisticated automated marketing and advertising.

 

[GeoMal]

How to you achieve 60% billable time as a one person business? You must have pretty sophisticated automated marketing and advertising.

Ah, I see, that's where my maths is wrong? I have achieved up to 80% in a different industry, but that involved fewer, longer projects.

What percentage, roughly, do you think is achievable, could I ask?

 

[Alan]

You have to be pretty disciplined with time tracking to get % right. I don't track all my time (as support tasks on retainer for instance are inclusive) but on project work looking back over the last few years my best ever month was 66% - but my annual average is around 20%. No allowance for vacation in these numbers.

I would say that 33% sales & marketing 33% on billable time and 33% lost (training, research, under estimated projects, problem resolution, making tea) would be my 'rule of thumb', as I am independent. Compare that to when I contracted - I recon on working (fully billable) for an average of 40 weeks out of a possible 52 = 76% on the same basis.

 

[Alan]

IMHO what a business offers should be based on the value, not how long it takes to produce.
If it takes one man week to produce a website that brings in 100,000 per year of new business, then that's gotta be worth at least 10,000 - not 3600 based on an hourly rate.
What business owner would turn down the chance of turning every pound spent into 10 pounds...?

In your opinion it is a great idea - just impossible to sell to Stage 3 or Stage 4 website clients.

They see a website as a commodity, not part of their marketing strategy. It is impossible to sell to them value add.

Most small businesses at Stage 3 or 4 have no concept of ROI. Even talking about PPC you have seen the threads - Adwords is so expensive conversations - I have a budget of £300 .... What they don't get is that if if it costs less than their margin (+ve ROI ) budget doesn't come into it.

True conversation with a a Stage 3 client. Current turnover £50k per year, came to me wanting a website that would increase their turnover 5 fold = £250,000 p.a.. They wanted me to produce a strategic proposal that outlined exactly how that would be acheived - asked if they would pay for that advice - no. OK if I can deliver what will you be paying me - £50,000? (reasonable I think as they grow by £200,000, their margin was 50% I keep half the increase. Jaws drop to floor - I push them for a number £25k? No - what about £10k - no - what about they get lost - I ended the meeting.

OK I'm no salesman, I'm sure a skilled person might have walked out with a great deal - but its not easy for a techy like me.

 

[Annoying Donkey]

They see a website as a commodity, not part of their marketing strategy. It is impossible to sell to them value add.

We've come across that attitude, not just for websites, any form of advertising or marketing.
Trick is to find those who "get it".
That's why I suggested looking at websites of those who are advertising and find reasons to talk with them. Chances are they already "get it" and the conversation becomes easier.

In your opinion it is a great idea - just impossible to sell to Stage 3 or Stage 4 website clients.

Not impossible
I'd say there are a portion, say 20% who are impossible. They're fixed in their thinking and nothing will persuade them. Even then, something might, like if they see someone they trust spend the money and suddenly they're able to afford a Rolls

There's another 20% who already "get it". It only requires you to persuade them that you're the one they need.

Then there's 60% who are various shades of grey...

Anyone who responds to the questions (or similar questions) that I posted is unlikely to be a member of the first group... So you know something about them immediately... It's then a matter of having a conversation where you figure out where they stand and you show them the value...

The guys I know who sell websites more on the value have a sales funnel. Rather than asking them to telephone, they'll get them to enter their email in return for answers to the questions. They'll then get a booklet with answers backed up by case studies that show the possible results...

If someone does telephone, then you send them the booklet in the post... and you'll have their address for further mailings.

Back that up with a system for getting referrals... and you should have more high paying clients than you can handle...

OK I'm no salesman, I'm sure a skilled person might have walked out with a great deal - but its not easy for a techy like me.

I emphasise. I have a techy background, more used to working with computers than people. I'm not salesy, I tend to have conversations... My marketing machine sells for me

 

[Alan]

Thanks, by the way your 'swipe' gave me an idea (for another thread I have going biz ideas around WordPress) as the swipe ins't actually about building websites it is about testing them (testing UX) rather than guessing what you want - the answer to the question is in the following questions.

 

[AllUpHere]

How to you achieve 60% billable time as a one person business? You must have pretty sophisticated automated marketing and advertising.

I'd say the complete opposite.
The thing that stands out in this thread is the fact you all seem to be getting paid for such a low percentage of the hours you work. You have got to have painfully poor marketing strategies in place to be billing only 60 % of your time.

 

[Alan]

What do you personally achieve in terms of % time on direct revenue earning activity?

It is a bold claim you are making both in the response and your signature.

Your signature indicates you know some transformational secrets. Not that I don't trust transformational claims - but I don't. I have been in the service business for 5 years so still learning.

My approach to marketing strategy is to look at traction channels and then select 3 to work on and see how they succeed or not. I seem to have a long list of ones I have tested that don't suceed, and very few that do.

 

[ethical PR]

What do you personally achieve in terms of % time on direct revenue earning activity?

It is a bold claim you are making both in the response and your signature.

Your signature indicates you know some transformational secrets. Not that I don't trust transformational claims - but I don't. I have been in the service business for 5 years so still learning.

My approach to marketing strategy is to look at traction channels and then select 3 to work on and see how they succeed or not. I seem to have a long list of ones I have tested that don't suceed, and very few that do.

Can't answer for All Up Here - but your approach to marketing - is certainly not strategic but rather a suck it and see approach. With a marketing strategy you will pre identify the channels that work for you based on market research and marketing insight. You can then focus on those that are most likely to work for you, rather than wasting time and money on a long list of ones that don't.

 

[Alan]

With a marketing strategy you will pre identify the channels that work for you based on market research and marketing insight.

is to look at traction channels

ou can then focus on those that are most likely to work for you

select 3 to work on and see how they succeed or not

I'm not sure what you are saying that is different. Perhaps I was economical with words, but when I say 'look at' I mean the same as you.

This method is based on the transaction bullseye as per G Weinberg.

What would you do differently to that book?

 

[ethical PR]

Haven't read it I'm afraid.

In terms of a marketing strategy? It would depend on the business and what's already been done before but in general after agreeing measurable objectives/....

1. Review the company brand and values - make sure there are clear points of differentiation and a clearly articulated market position, test messaging with target customer base.
2. Competitor research - who are your competitors where do they sit in the market place in relation to your business - what do they offer, how do they market themselves
3. Target audience - who are your customers? what communications channels do they use? what are there consumer habits (for B2C) or what are their business habits (B2B). Develop customer profiles for 5/6 most common customer types
4. SWOT analysis
5. Key messages
6. Strategic approach
7. Branding
8. Tactics
9. Calendar of opportunities (year one)
10. Strategic opportunities (year two-three)
11. Budget and resources
12. Measuring success (against measurable objectives)

 

[Alan]

Don't forget, we are talking independents here, not agencies or independents looking to grow into agencies.

Your list is fine and relevant and not dissimilar to the process I have been through in our business.

The OP's post was whether leaflets is a reasonable channel to test - the resounding response from those with opinions was no, there are better channels.

This digressed into a a discussion on rates and more particularly % time on revenue generation work.

This moved on to a bold statement that less than 60% utilisation was shocking and due to poor marketing.

The discussion then followed on that my marketing approach was not strategic, which I refute, in that it has been strategically planned and executed and has had input from various experts over the years, and on examination differs very little from the helpful contributions from Ethical PR.

So the question I throw out there, is "is 60% utilisation a realistic target for a single operator business".

 

[ethical PR]

When I was starting out, I was taught 70/30 was what independents and agencies should look at as a model.

I don't agree with All Up that it's a sign of 'painfully poor marketing' if you use this sort of formula anymore than I believe you can 'transform marketing for service based businesses in two hours'.

 

[Alan]

I agree that agencies & consultancies should aim for 70%.

Its the independent that have to be their book keeper / sales team / marketing team / office manager / it manager / strategic executive planning team / pre sales engineers / inhouse legal team / compliance & HR and all the other things that a one person band has to cover that is not direct revenue earning . how much does that push the 70% down. Personally I think 60% is achievable but a stretch target rather than the 'norm'.

 

[AllUpHere]

So the question I throw out there, is "is 60% utilisation a realistic target for a single operator business".

Of course it is, even sole traders in industries that are difficult to achieve high billable hours should be able to achieve 60 % (for example gardeners or handymen who need to travel between jobs or pick up materials).

For office based services (consultants, web designers, developers, graphic designers etc) it's not difficult to achieve 75 - 80% billable hours.

Doing a bit of work on increasing these percentages is a really easy way to give yourself a pay rise without having to increase your rates.

 

[Alan]

@AllUpHere I look forward to your top three tips.