Leaflet Drops

[Jonny2morsos]

I have just had 5000 colour A5 leaflets printed which I have started to put through letterboxes with the aim of increasing business locally. The format is fairly simple, what we do, where we are, when we are open, with a picture of a pretty girl looking through a picture frame.

I would be interested to know how other forum members have got on with this type of promotion. I have started off with the more prosperous looking areas in our locality but within the town and plan to do the outlying villages next.

Should I have included an incentive? e.g. 10% off on production of the leaflet. Do I blitz the area and get them all out as soon as possible or trickle them out over time. What is the likely response? Should I aim to deliver on the same day as the free sheet goes through the same letterboxes?

I paid £78.00 for the 5000 which I thought was reasonable, however, it is a big investment in my time (outside of working hours).

I am enjoying the exercise and might even shed a few pounds but need to see a return.

[holtons]

Like any marketing spend you should have a method to measure Return on Investment (RoI). One of the best ways of doing this is with a redemption mechanic that identifies the specific promotion, in your case, the flyer. It doesn't matter what is the consumer incentive as long as it ensures they bring the leaflet or tear off slip etc in with them so you can tally up how many you got back, the value and profitability of orders generated from them and the geographic location of the customer. This not only will tell you whether the flyer, or any other activity, is profitable but also help you improve your flyer targetting next time round.

Flyer response rates can be very low, less than 1-2%, but as I say, you need to be able to measure it in the first place. And picture framing is not necessarily an impulse purchase so you ideally want them to keep your flyer safe for when the day comes that they do want to buy something so any "incentive" on the flyer might need to be long term not just "offer valid until the end of the month" sort of thing.
Steve

[Roboframer]

Work on a 2% response - so that's 100 - not sales though; response. Convert just (say) 10 of those responses to sales averaging £50 and your costs are well covered, as long as you're not taking your own delivery time in to account.

I wouldn't worry about the same day as the free sheet, I'd worry more about the same time of day as that or anything else and have my leaflet being the only thing on the mat.

We used leaflets when we first started out and we got more like a 10% response, but we were working from home and offering home visits - free collection and delivery plus check out the frame and mount against your own decor - yada yada. We delivered those ourselves over many months, but when we opened our first shop and had many more thousands of 'launch' leaflets delivered for us (inserted in free sheets and slipping the local newsagent some wonga to slip them in the not-free sheets, plus paying for stand-alone delivery) the response was pretty dismal - we were asking for people to come to us; not just pick up the phone and get us to come to them.

Now we're on the radio; have been for about 9 years now; not here and there; every day - no longer a case of hoping a leaflet will get read instead of going straight in the green bin, or being read on the way to it or maybe slid under the microwave along with all the free delivery family bucket meal deals for future reference. Anyone tuned in hears the ad - no choice. They may not LISTEN to it .... but they hear it and 20 or 30 ads later, (which would happen within a week, so effectively I've 'delivered leaflets' to the whole county and beyond several times a day) they might actually listen, but if, like me (and probably you) they are a 'Oh FFS not more junk mail" type of person - your leaflet has no chance.

...............might even shed a few pounds but need to see a return.

Make it pounds sterling and you well may £78 is nothing.

[sinbad72]

Like Robo above but I still work from home and do my own leaflet drops but with a difference. I go on the knock. I introduce myself where ever possible as the local picture framer bla bla bla. If they're engaging then I continue my pitch. If they're not I simply thank them for their time and give them my flyer or card. Im not sure how this approach would go down in England but in Ireland we still talk to strangers..... well the ones that understand us It once took me three different evenings to get round a small development of around 80 houses the sales were that good. That was a few years ago now though in more prosperous times I heard a quote once that "50% of all advertising is wasted. The problem is that nobody knows which 50%" or words to that effect. Someone will google it Im sure

[Otters Pool Studio]

I once ready an article by a marketeer who said that repetition is the key. Instead of taking out a whole page magazine advert, take out a quarter page and put it in 4 consecutive issues. Like the radio advert, its the repetition that makes it stick.

Maybe put 1000 of your fliers in the doors of your 'typical' customers (i.e. the more prosperous areas!) and repeat it five times to the same area.

[JamesC]

How clever that the banner advert on this thread showing to me now is for 5,000 leaflets printed up! Like when I go on my local newspaper site now all the banner ads are for things I've been looking at buying online! Bit too big brother for my liking but impressive.

The web may well be the way forward for a lot of people because you can get a more instant targeted response (higher conversion for less effort too), but for people wanting a personal touch and not looking around just for cheapest price more traditional methods can be better. I know some local shops etc. who deliberately don't have a website because they don't want people to be able to compare prices! Sometimes it is a rod for our back - especially when people come in and talk for half an hour first which was never the plan). I've also heard of some websites that track which sites you have been on and display a lower price if you've seen stuff cheaper elsewhere!

I'm of a younger generation but my Dad, who also has a business speaks of how he dislikes local ads where "just a mobile number is shown", likes to see a "persons name he can speak to", and likes company names that say what you do. We are in Yorkshire so maybe a bit more old fashioned and frugal but when targetting locally I try to use different rules like these rather than the technical marketing stuff I learnt at uni. After starting out online with clever or universal names I'm about to brand locally as "Norton Print and Frame" and bring my websites under that umbrella. I gather that anybody who sees my van or drives past our new roadside unit will know where we are and what we do without thinking about it too much. It's not like mass marketing where you have to work harder to stand out or it makes sense to be universal perhaps.

I would agree that one leaflet drop is unlikely to convert hugely, depending a little on your catchment and how good the leaflet is - over 5% is excellent. Strangely I also think that something too flashy or professional can go wrong locally and people assume you are charging too much - but then again that may be the type of customer you want to avoid anyway.

Also it is a marathon and not a sprint and word of mouth is still one of the best adverts so anything you do get and do a good job is likely to mushroom with patience. We've been going 5 years now and we see it where people are coming back from 2 or 3 years ago and helping steady growth. Then if you get one or two good quality customers from this it can make a big impact e.g. a local stately home or succesful artist can often just about make a business such as a framer or upholsterer.

I also agree repetition is said to be key (9-10 times before people start to know/trust you I was told by Business Link) and a feedback mechanism such as discount lets you know when it has worked because otherwise you are likely to assume it hasn't and get a bit frustrated.

One batch of door to door selling per estate I could see working well as people may tend to have stuff lying in a drawer over years they've meant to get framed but never have. Or cherished stuff they are meaning to get redone in a more modern style.

[Jonny2morsos]

Make it pounds sterling and you well may £78 is nothing.

It's not the £78 paid for the leaflets but the time factor to deliver them.

[Steve N]

When we opened in November 2008, we did a leaflet drop around the area, included a 10% discount on custom framing, but only until Christmas and they had to bring the leaflet in with them. Not big response then, but we do get people in now who say they still have the leaflet pinned on the notice board in the kitchen, so the response might not be immediate.

[A Few More Words]

Many Valid points above.

I believe the most important thing for any business to realise that there is probably no single thing you can do to get a serious lift in business..but instead it can be achieved by doing many things a bit better...improving every customer and potential customer contact. In relation to marketing, advertising is only a part of it. Doing a single leaflet drop will help but in itself will have little effect.

Apparently only 5% of homes have ever got bespoke framing done, so any mass marketing approach such as local newspaper / radio are effectively a gunshot approach - anything you can do to refine your effort and marketing spend will get improved results.
Selecting the more affluent neighbourhood for the leaflet drop is a more targeted approach but you would need to re-leaflet these houses a few times over a number of months with a similar identifabe leaflet (logo etc) possibly with a different theme to gain recognition , reassurance etc etc.
In relation to the leaflet layout , remember AIDA ... Attention / Interest / Desire / Action
Attention .... heading / offer thet gets noticed / stands out from the crowd
Interest.... relate to prospect
Desire... need / value etc
Action... website / visit or call

Any offer must be good - I believe 10% off is a waste of time !!!! - How about 3 for 2 etc ? or simply your unique capabilities with no particular money off offer.
Offer must have a closing date .....end of month etc... keep time line tight .

One other notable point on offers etc.... even with good offers, some poeple will see them, be aware of them , but will come to you not availaing of that offer but spend money with you on something else instead...a certain amount of other pull thru business will result.

As said previously, theres no substitute for word of mouth.....so how can you get talked about ?

We do newspapers/ radio / flyers / sponsorship / signed van etc to continue to attract new customers but find the most effective (ROI) marketing to be text offers every 2 months to our existing customer base.

Its been said that only 50% advertising works but if you want to grow your business you must advertise and commit to a budget of maybee 3 - 4 % of turnover. If you dont do that, particularly in the early stage of a business , you're losing out . And advertising must continue to be a part of your marketing .......why do very established brands continue to advertise ???

Finally, remember that advertising etc is to get people in your door......so dont disappoint these prospects....exceed their expectations ....wow them and turn them into happy customers who will want to go away and tell their story to family and friends....Word of Mouth !

[DEEPJOY]

Good stuff.

Plenty for all to consider.

[Not your average framer]

I think that it's largely a game of chance and an excuse for getting some healthy exercise. I have never bothered with special offers, or ways of measuring response. I just want my name out there and people to know that I am here.

As there are always new residents moving into my area, I am particularly targetting these new residents, as a separate activity from my normal leaflet drops. If they don't already have a local framer, then I want them to know about me before they get to know about any other framer.

There's always the odd frame where the glass got broken during their moving, so I want to leaflet them and fix their broken glass, etc. And sometimes things get re-framed because they don't think that the old frames look right in the new house.

I look around the area for "For Sale", or "Sold" signs and leaflet them as soon as the new residents move in. It is possible to watch for tell tale signs that the new residents have just moved in. You know the sort of thing, new certains, different cars in the driveway. Also when you have spotted a house for sale, you can check estate agents shop windows, or websites as well.

[Keith Hewitt]

Jonny2morsos

I thought I had sent you a PM but now discovered it went to Sinbad by mistake !

Seeing you are going round engaging prospects, have you thought of offering
them a framed picture.
I know a framer in Ireland who does just this.
He has built a house on the proceeds of selling the same print of a well known local scene.

What local attraction do you have worth framing? The bridge, the river. etc. Frame a local scene and then take it to show prospects the quality of your work. I bet you even sell a few, and still leave the leaflet.

[Jonny2morsos]

Thanks for the PM. I was interested in to read Sinbad's "on the knock" method but in this area most streets have these signs up:

NoColdCallingZoneSign[1].jpg (45.41 KiB) Viewed 20050 times

which are further backed up by a sticker on the front door. I don't want to alienate potential customers so will be making do with just posting the leaflet.

[Custard]

I'm a "garage framer" and leafleting is the main marketing I do, with the occasional local newspaper ad plus every now and again, plus I'll take a stall at a local street market or craft market when I again hand out leaflets and business cards.

When I started up my plan was to mainly work during the winter months and wind down during the summer (I took early retirement), consequently I'll start leafleting in September and stop in March. In the first year this worked out as planned, with the overwhelming majority of my work in the winter. But as time has gone on I'm getting more and more calls during the summer. It seems that some people save the leaflets, in fact a few times doing home visits I've noticed my leaflets behind fridge magnets and on kitchen peg boards. This makes it difficult to be precise about redemption rates, but I'd say I'm getting about 2% immediate redemption, plus maybe the same again spread out over the following year or so.

[DEEPJOY]

There are a couple of other things we all can be doing. -

The first one is an old car salesman's trick and that is having your own 'birddog'! A birdddog is an out and about sort of person, who you incentify in some way for recommending you to as many people as possible. The incentive is up to you to consider. Cash, vouchers, percentage discount on framing jobs or whatever. (Only paid on results - framed orders taken).

The second idea is on delivery or collection of the framed job. As a result of the customer being delighted with what you have done for them, slip them a load of business cards with their name on and ask kindly, if they wound not mind recommending you to their friends and family by giving the cards out. There could be a discount in the future to that customer if anything came of it. You just need to get into a routine.

Deepjoy

[sinbad72]

[quote="Jonny2morsos"]Thanks for the PM. I was interested in to read Sinbad's "on the knock" method but in this area most streets have these signs up:


My approach is quite simple. I have a framed picture portrait offer which is my lead and core product. Priced very well with 80% profit. I also market the portrait offer to the staff in nursing homes, schools and offices etc in a "book people" style in the run up to Christmas. I pick up lots of bespoke work like this too.

[stephen34]

Rather than leaflets, we had A6 postcards printed. Colour photos of various framed pictures and me at work on the front with info B&W on the back. More expensive at £135/2000 but people keep them. Easy to put on the fridge or in a drawer and people bring them in months later.

[Framing Frenzie]

We have also used A6 coloured postcards around all the local villages and we are still getting people in who we delivered to 4.5 years ago. We have found this a good marketing tool for us in our location.