Advertising with flyers

[justmjc]

Well, we all know that putting a flyer on someone's door is a guaranteed to at least see it. But if you were to take a full color 5.5" x 8.5" postcard or a full size flyer and put it into the paper box, I would bet money, you would have just as much success. Why? Because everyone has to go to the mailbox. And everyone's eyes focus on appealing objects. Place your card face up and I bet money they take it and look at it. I like advertisments in my paper box just out of curiosity. If someone sends something full color, it's got my eye. Just another thought to save some time. 5.5 x 8.5 post cards are just as expensive as full size b&w flyers, maybe a little cheaper.

Something to think about.

[Rustic Goat]

Newspaper tubes/boxes are only used in the most rural areas in my location.
Good try though.

Door hangers/flyers left on doors don't seem to work well here either. Very few actually use the front door, either come and go from patio door or through garage.
Many times have found little piles of door hanger type paperwork fading and collecting on the front porch when servicing the account.

What seems most successful around here has been direct mailings.

[MEvans857]

Same issue here with the newspaper boxes, only in the rural areas. How much on average do you put into direct mailings? Including the design, postcards them selfs or what every you may use, and probley the biggest postage? I do really like both ideas but the mailing route worries me because of cost. It cost me nothing but my time to drive around on a down day and advertise with flyers etc. but get into mailing 10000 postcards out and that going to be some $$$$$!

[justmjc]

I can get 16k flyers printed for $465. Then I have to pay $40 per 1000 flyers to mail out in our local community paper plus a $80 display ad to get the $40 discount rate. Total cost to hit 16,000 homes = $1185. These are very zip code specific areas I've picked right around me. Not to bad. The following year I'm thinking about running it either every 2 to 3 weeks for the first few months, or every month.

I would love to see a 1% from that.

[BrianK10]

I'm still using flyers that I put out by hand. Haven't steped into the mailing advertisment yet. Any suggestions on what to look for if I try mailings during the off season?

Brian

[Rustic Goat]

Originally posted by justmjc
Total cost to hit 16,000 homes = $1185.

That's excellent pricing, hope you're prepared to handle the biz when it takes off.

[Phil Nilsson]

If you make your advertising (3 dimensional)? Ever get an envelope in the mail that had something inside like a wooden pencil or free pen? Buy some small boxes or shipping tubes maybe 6 inches in length with a cap at the end. Place your door hanger inside the container ... curiosity says they'll open it to see what's inside but the container must be very low cost. You could also use a brown envelope (biz size) with your door hanger inside of that and that wooden pencil with your company name on it. When it's 3 dimensional ... you have satisfied the "what's in it for me thing" ... why should I read this ad? ... the small, inexpensive free gift.

Phil

[BrianK10]

Boy what a good point. Never thought of that before. (Phil = Genious)

Brian

[Phil Nilsson]

A few years ago a local landscape outfit placed a plain, unmarked, no printing on it, door hanger bag ... it was brown like a brown paper bag type thing ... and had taped it with masking tape to my garage door. Okay, so I see this brown envelope bag taped to the door, got out to remove it ... but I shake the bag first because it was "lumpy" had something that was NOT flat inside ( as a clue) and it made a "sound" ... so I opened the bag and inside was the company's sales flyer AND a very small packet of flower seeds. I'll bet the little package of seeds couldn't have cost more that what? a few cents each but this was a small gift ... and again satisfies the what's in it for me requirement for getting attention to your sales materials.

On the Geico (SP) Insurance ad envelope it says ... something like ... Save up to 15% on auto insurance ... that IS the what's in it for me reason to open Geico's (SP) envelope.

My suggestion for door hangers is to hammer home in big print ... the words FREE or SAVE or NEW because these are the most powerful words you can use to get attention plus a small FREE gift. Even if .... EVEN if the "Gift" is simply a COUPON for lets' say 10% off a future service! Hey what the heck ... it could be a "FUTURE" free gift right? a future discount ... try using an "official looking" coupon redemption looking device like they use at grocery stores for discounts at the regiater check out?

Phil

[Elwood]

There are some neighborhoods in my market that do have paperboxes and mailboxes on the street instead of on the house. I hit the paperboxes as suggested above and my hits were up vs. leaving it on the front door.

As said above, most people go in thru the garage or back door. Hitting the paper box is a great idea that works.

[ElephantNest]

++++++++++QUOTE

A few years ago a local landscape outfit placed a plain, unmarked, no printing on it, door hanger bag ... it was brown like a brown paper bag type thing ... and had taped it with masking tape to my garage door. Okay, so I see this brown envelope bag taped to the door, got out to remove it ... but I shake the bag first because it was "lumpy" had something that was NOT flat inside ( as a clue) and it made a "sound" ... so I opened the bag and inside was the company's sales flyer AND a very small packet of flower seeds. I'll bet the little package of seeds couldn't have cost more that what? a few cents each but this was a small gift ... and again satisfies the what's in it for me requirement for getting attention to your sales materials. ++++++++++


Police would be called in a heartbeat in this day and age. Unmarked plain brown package? I can hear the sirens already. Great idea for 2+ years ago.


~Nest