Offline Marketing - Delivering Flyers

Hi guys i run a small web design business have barely done much marketing other than SEO, Email Marketing, Social Media and PPC. I have printed at over 1000 flyers which was pretty pricey and was thinking of attaching a cover letter outlining my services etc and posting at least 200-300 flyers out to small businesses in my local area. Do you think this is a good idea, because if it can get me at least 10 new clients i'd be happy with that. Or do you think i'd be better off contacting businesses and making an appointment to meet them in person?

Please share your ideas and suggestions below

Thanks alot!

Rev

 

This is a tricky way to market yourself because I suspect the vast majority of the flyers you send out will end up in the trash. I think it is better to figure out who is the best match for your services and contact those businesses directly so you can wow them in person.

Since you already have the flyers, though, you may as well send them out.

 

Ok so why are printing companies still offering flyer printing services if they are going to end up in the trash? This is unlikely to happen if one offers a service that will benefit there business. Also there is the possibility of attaching a nice cover letter and business card. I will not be sending flyers to businesses who already have a decent website, that would be a waste of time. I was thinking the best way would be to contact the businesses and meet the manager/owner in person and if they don't have time i can leave a flyer with them.

 

First, determine your marketing objectives then segment and profile your target clients. Since you already started your online marketing tactics, I think there is no harm if you will distribute leaflets and have a personal selling by contacting businesses. But between the two, I think it is more effective if you will contact potential clients-- be ready with your database. This kind of personal selling can establish your "costumer contact management." Just be ethical in approaching your target clients. In addition, evaluate the messages you convey in your online platform, leaflets, and personal selling. The messages must be integrated and coordinated. So you should know the role of each promotional tool. Good luck to your business

 

I've been looking into it as well, I have just ordered a large bulk of business cards with my site details on and an eye catching design to be passed around Universities from friends and people I know. Hoping it works for us both

Surminga

 

I am sure you tried craigslist, was it not effective for you? You can post in the services/community and other categories there and get more business from that than from flyers, I think. Try backpage.com too. You can also try Microsoft AdCenter, it's still cheaper to advertise there than with AdWords.

 

It's not only important to get new clients but also old ones. a good content of your site is as important as well. I think SEO would be more helpful than marketing. uoften can try to do blog posts, blog commenting, forums posts, etc. These of course will help you to get more traffic.

 

It's good to hear that you're considering the use of flyers to promote your business -- don't underestimate the power of offline marketing. You can certainly pass out flyers in local business areas but also try to focus on popular public spaces e.g. train stations

 

The fact that printing companies are still offering to print flyers has nothing to do with whether or not the flyer will be read by your target audience. Those print shops are in business to make money, and if you are willing to pay for it, they will sell you a million flyers. That doesn't mean it's an effective form of advertising. I worked at several businesses before starting my own and we would be inundated with sales materials. The vast majority ended up in the recycle bin.

However, I think it is a good plan to try to meet in person.



Anyway. Good luck with your promotion.

 

Wow, you just brought old memories into my head when I was doing direct marketing for some company. Trust me, this doesnt help at all, your just wasting valuable paper.

Unless you post it on some classified board, with others grouped. And even then, you`ll have small percentages.

 

Flyers really is a terrible marketing strategy, especially when it is done all wrong. You are marketing typically to people who don't care about your business or what you are offering. It's why I feel like when I see bands out and about handing out flyers and saying "hey, we're playing at blah blah club, would like to see you there tonight". I can't help but think, A) I don't go to clubs B) I don't know anything about their music, whether I would like it or not C) I have other stuff going on that evening...

They just wasted 10 cents on their little flyer and possibly more importantly, their time. You have to be creative... go to people that are potentially interested. When you are marketing blindly conversions are going to be way to low.

 

Offline marketing?? I've heard of it working for internet marketers offering a product. They go to a job seminar and put a bunch a fliers at a table offering... lets say a resume writing ebook.. People pick those up and hit the site and they get money from the sales..

I don't know about what you're trying to do though.... It sounds like blind marketing... You never know though.. Those are a lot of fliers and if you could get a 10% to 20% response, that would be good...

Me personally, I wouldn't do it... but that's me... You'll never know until you try..

best of luck my friend

 

See, I like what DennisKnows is saying. I think the flyer thing would work if you could find a seminar or other event where your target audience is attending and lay the flyers out for people who are interested to take. Since you already have the flyers, that may be a better use of them rather than leaving them with businesses that will only toss them.

 

Here's my humble idea:

Go to the local paper(s) and look at all the businesses advertising in the paper. I recommend the paper over Yellowpages, because folks that place an ad in the local paper are usually anxious for quick results since the lifetime of the ad is so short.

So pick out all the businesses and research them online. Take note if they have a website or not. In either case, you'll also look at what their competition is doing, so if their competitors have a great site, and they either have a poorly-designed one, or none at all, there's a hot prospect for you.

Once you have a prospect, I would print off the first page of their website and that of their top competitor. Make hand-written notes on each regarding what you could do to help them get ahead. Next, you want to compose a professional letter, print it and then sign the bottom. Finally put everything together in a large legal envelope with your flyer and send it out.

I sent out about 20 of these and landed one client worth $3,000. Well worth the effort.

Let us know what you decide to do!