Ads, flyers and sites

by Banned 47 replies
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I was thinking of printing up flyers (as mentioned earlier) and putting some ads in the paper but I'm unsure what to do. I thought it'd be great to have a short paragraph on the flier but the ad is more problematic.

A teaser for the flyer would work better than one for the ad, right? I think people are more likely to check out something they had in their hand rather than if it's buried with a lot of other ads while they're doing something else, ie, reading the paper.
#copywriting #ads #flyers #sites
  • What are you selling?

    Generally, flyers are a waste of time. They make you feel like you're working hard, but they rarely drum up business. If you're considering using flyers, it might be a sign that you haven't spent enough time exploring your options.

    Have you considered cold emails? I've found them pretty effective when I'm starting something completely new.
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    • I kept my kid in diapers and formula with flyers back in the mid 80s while I was in college. I could work 3 days a week making around $300-400. I got a better response than direct mail post cards too.

      More recently, I got my girlfriend, a Realtor, 3 listings on the same street with a flyer I wrote for her. She distributed only 25 flyers.

      It all depends on the business and the skill of the copywriter but to say flyers are a waste of time is wrong, IMHO.
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    • Ha, your advice is a "waste of time." Then you recommend Emails? Are you freaking kidding me?
      You can inserts fliers (stand alone is Flyer) into Newspapers (otherwise known as a FSI-Free Standing Insert) or you can distribute via "rack space."

      You can do FSI's about "Contractors" into your Local paper when they have a special "Homes" section. Or you can do that for the "Food" section with restaurants.

      You need a compelling offer and a deadline or some type of scarcity to make it work.

      Yep, fliers don't work, lol.
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  • Ah, yes. Hence the question: What is newseller actually selling?
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    • I constantly do Flyers for a whole range of clients - I've become a Flyer specialist which is good news because I know SFA about any technical stuff.

      (I've been so tempted to do a WSO with all the best Flyer techniques - but have no earthly idea how to do it. Anyway it's a bit "low tech" for the Warriors).

      The thing is....

      Time and time again I've found Flyers get a phenomenal response.

      The best tactic is to put an irresistible offer on them – with a “scarcity element.”

      Also and this saves massive costs - they actually work much better in black and white with little or no graphics.

      Printed on good quality paper - or preferably on card - because this boosts the response even further.

      It makes them stand out far more than the usual run of the mill color flyers that so often get ignored.

      They make more money - faster - for clients compared to sales letters, websites and ads.


      So, no great need to pour weeks into endless research and a month to write a sales letter or a magalogue.

      Save the money by not having to buy lists of names - or pay for all the production and postage costs.

      Not really vital taking ages building an expensive website with all the inevitable glitches and spending fortunes on SEO desperately trying to drive traffic and waiting months for it to kick in.

      Forget about writing Ads with high media costs for an ever declining circulation in a newspaper or magazine.


      If the Flyer copy is really good - they work like magic.

      Best of all - they are great fun to do.


      Steve


      P.S. Here's what happened last week.

      Monday - Spoke with client. Agreed a fantastic offer on a Flyer.

      Tuesday - Wrote the copy

      Wednesday - Client delighted with the copy. Printed that afternoon. Started the distribution

      Thursday - Finished the distribution. By mid morning and all afternoon the response started

      Friday - Response increased - client says the sales were over $7,500.00 and counting...

      Client now has a database of new red hot customers - we can keep promoting more offers - usually creating an annual value of 10 X plus the initial customers spend.
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  • Here are some interesting takes on flyers from the Offline forum including how to use them for a professional practice.

    http://www.warriorforum.com/offline-...pon-flyer.html

    http://www.warriorforum.com/offline-...-practice.html

    http://www.warriorforum.com/offline-...ut-flyers.html
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    • Flyers can be extremely effective. I have many clients that market only with flyers.

      The tend to work well for unique services. Organizing services, therapists, classes (film, writing, acting) and related things.

      I own the Thumbtack Bugle. The same one as mentioned in the Guerrilla Guide to Marketing.

      We distribute flyers, posters and postcards throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

      Many of my clients have been using the Thumbtack for over 20 years. You don't need a fancy flyer. You do need a strong offer, a good headline and an understanding of what flyers can and can't do.

      Compared to PPC, Print and other alternatives flyering is another option that can help increase leads at a reasonable cost. It tends to work best for those businesses that are built on continued sales (trainers, therapists, those offerign classes) not those looking to succeed in one shot.

      David Alger
      Thumbtack Bugle
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  • I'd ignore local newspaper ads and go for flyers.

    We managed to get a local restaurant (owned by some friends) TWO free full page stories in the local press (weekly paper, town population of c.75,000), one was on the front page - response from those 2 - zippo.

    Distributed about 1000 flyers locally in black & white with the offer in great big red text in the middle (cost of under $100 plus time to distribute them) - response c. 30 bums on seats each spending roughly $60 = $1800 immediate return, PLUS repeat custom over the next X months or years.

    Unfortunately from that the restauranteur came to the conclusion that flyers are a waste of time and is now continuing with his normal marketing practices - i.e. doing nothing, and complains he isn't busy enough.

    (obviously this was all in GBP I've converted the numbers to USD)
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    • What is it with restaurant owners? I helped a pizzeria do a door hanger coupon flyer once. He distributed 700 in a nearby neighborhood and got about 75 coupons redeemed. He thought 10.7% return was a complete failure. It is stunning to me that a business owner has no concept of lifetime value of a customer.
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  • Flyers are just like any other print media, they can be a big waste of money and paper or a big success. You need three things to make them work:

    1) Relevance: know who you're targeting, be 100% clear on your offer
    2) Make it easy to respond: make it easy enough for a 4th grader to respond to
    3) Pressure: give them a reason to respond right now

    Testimonials are a good addition if you can add them, but these three ^ alone make the difference between wasted paper and printed money.

    Oh, and it also helps if you have a good closer answering the phone if you're asking them to call.
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  • Ewen, on many different levels your flyer is a work of art. I can see why it works so well.
    Nice Work!
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    • Yeah that guest test is a doozy!

      A woman on the offline forum read thru the "guest test"
      and wanted to phone the guy right then!

      Best,
      Ewen
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  • Banned
    [DELETED]
  • Printing Flyers can be a big waste of money, paper, and effort as mentioned.
    You could advertise in the paper, or even online.
    • [1] reply
    • A flyer saying nothing and offering nothing is a huge waste of time.

      Same applies to a press ad or any promo online.

      Steve
  • This a great thread--- thanks to those providing the good information. I see Rambo talk about FSI's and one I think mentioned standing in the mall(?) and handing the flyers to ladies with bags from other stores-- My question is how do you get the flyers into the hands of your target market.
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    • The #1 way I use Flyers is by inserting them in the newspaper. When done this way it is called a "FSI" (Free Standing Insert). The paper minimum is normally 10,000 FSI's, and the cost is between $500 to $1,000. This includes the newspaper Printing & Distributing (P&D) the flyers.

      You supply the completed PDF and they do the rest. They charge your debit/credit card upfront.

      Many newspapers will allow to do target Zip codes and Sub zip codes. Some newspapers are also delivered by the Post Office so you can target via Carrier Route. You can be very selective if they offer delivery via mail.

      My #2 method is via "Rack Space" or "Local Distribution." You can set up display racks in business and leave your flyers in a rack that keep them in order, neat, and easy to pull and replace the flyers.

      I really don't do anything else in regards to flyers. I send out millions per year in newspapers throughout the country. In can be very price effective and give a great ROI to the Customer and YOU.

      There's a lot more to it that posted, but that would take a ebook which I ain't doing.
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  • I have used both flyers and newspaper advertising. I found that advertising is newspapers yielded a much greater ROI.
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    • Sorry delt but we can't an anti - flyer post on this thread...(lol)

      Seriously always do what works best.


      Steve
  • Over the years I've posted literally thousands and thousands of flyers monthly. I've seen super fancy flyers do well and I've seen very simple flyers do well.

    My clients that seem to do best with flyers fit in the following categories:

    1) have a very unique service or business

    2) can close a sale and use the flyer to generate phone calls

    3) have a service or offer with a built in repeat business such as therapists, classes, tutors

    4) use of flyers to promote attendance at a live event where a sample, demonstration or lecture are provided

    I've seen way to many people try to sell something directly from a flyer rather than using it to generate a phone call.

    David
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    • David,

      I agree.

      But you can put a great offer on a Flyer and people instantly buy.

      Worked extremely well for a carpet cleaning company - "Pay for 1 room and get 3 more rooms professionally cleaned for free. If you're not happy - don't pay for the first room (benefit, benefit) etc etc"

      The customers called and immediately booked the cleaners.


      Steve
  • I got my feet wet with offline marketing over 2 years ago.

    I had heard about herbalife, and the amount of money that would be raining on me as soon as I put on a small white badge that said - "I Love Herbalife" while knocking on doors.

    Little did I know that MUCH MUCH MUCH effort was going to be needed in order to be able and sell 1 product.

    In about 3 months I sold 12 products and some of the sales - as anyone could tell - were out of pity.

    Anyways, I had made about 300 dollars (bonuses/repeat sells) in those 3 months.

    Out of desperation I went online and looked for ways in getting more sales. And fortunately for me - I ended up on what's considered - "The most valuable website on the entire internet"

    From that site - I learned about direct response and ate all the newsletters.

    I purchased envelopes and went to my nearest school and printed my first real newsletter.

    Afterwards I walked all around my city and delivered the mails personally. Block by block until I ran out (had 250).

    Long story short - I sold over 50 products. Made well over 800 dollars and was the happiest camper on earth.

    Moral to the story?

    If a dumbass senior in highschool with no experience whatsoever in marketing can make this much money from direct mail, what does that have to say about online marketing?

    You know - I love email marketing but EVERYONE is HERE. The only competition you really only have when it comes to direct mail are those credit card offers and groceries specials.

    Besides - your mail won't go into spam/bulk/junk mail, it doesn't need an open rate, click through rate and you can say the word FREE and attach a dollar to it.

    So yes, I can testify that offline flyers, snail mail, brochures, consumer awareness guides and so forth are excellent.



    @Steve - I agree with you. I remember Gary once saying something like - "The difference between being rich and being broke is a sales letter..."



    regZ
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    • [DELETED]
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    • As a Flyer fanatic it's great to see the success people have had.

      The number one rule to put on any Flyer is -

      Make an irresistible offer.

      The second rule is knock them out to your target audience.


      Steve
  • A piece of advice my friend.. if you are goin to have a flyers just make sure that its content is direct to the point.. and make it more creative ..
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  • Flyers are effective in the right environment with the right demographics. It comes down to what you are marketing and obviously to whom and how. A top quality flyer aimed at the right crowd will deliver a high conversion rate.
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    • Yes, it's always surprising just how well they work.

      Paper and ink - it's a winning combination (just add the right words).


      Steve
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    Ads, flyers and sites

    I was thinking of printing up flyers (as mentioned earlier) and putting some ads in the paper but I'm unsure what to do. I thought it'd be great to have a short paragraph on the flier but the ad is more problematic. A teaser for the flyer would work better than one for the ad, right? I think people are more likely to check out something they had in their hand rather than if it's buried with a lot of other ads while they're doing something else, ie, reading the paper.