Digital and online is the new playing ground of marketers today. With the Internet and advanced digital tools and applications , many marketers consider old advertising methodologies such as displaying posters, putting up banners, publishing ads in the newspaper, and broadcasting television commercials as dead techniques. These marketers are losing a huge opporunity. Traditional marketing is still a crowd-drawer . Indeed, in a many circumstances, classical marketing methods can be very effective, even more effective than online marketing. Just think for an instant: what if your target audience is in an an area, region, or country where Internet connection is not really satisfactory or not readily accessible? For maximum reach, businesses should strive to have a harmonious mix of online and traditional marketing methodologies.
Distributing flyers is one of the time-tested and effective offline marketing strategies. Flyer have a wide reach, and many people feel more comfortable and more conducive to be attracted to your offers if they can actually touch a promotional material. In addition, electricity is not needed when viewing a flyer (you need electric power to turn on your computer and view a website, right?), it is convenient to bring and share, and you can keep it for long periods .
However, a flyer must be well designed to attract attention and to induce interest and action . Here are useful guidelines onhow to design an effective flyer:
* The headline is the first thing that a person sees on your flyer . An interesting, eye-catching, interest-inducing headline is very important . Make your headline sentences that provoke interest such as “What do you do when your car breaks down?” or “Imagine a 5-star cruise for only $20!” Do not include your business name or product in your headline; that is just to hard sell. People are first interested in what is in it for them, not who you are.
* According to a study, the first 10 to 15 seconds of reading determines if your readers will be interested in your flyer or not. Those precious seconds are your only window to get their interest . Thus, use bullet points and brief sentences that are clear, concise, and straight to the point. It is not a good idea to compose long sentences or paragraphs.
* Use power words that grab people’s attention such as “free”, “exciting”, “exclusive”, “new”, or “save”. Needless to say, use them with sense and within the context of your message.
* Pictures speak a thousand words, and they work beautifully for your flyer. If you are marketing automobiles, your message would be clearer if you put an image of a beautiful, sparkling, sleek automobile in your flyer rather than just promotional text. However, take care not to overwhelm the marketing space with images or else your flyer would become too confusing. It is better to use no more than one or two strong images.
* Smartly use blank space an inch or two of unprinted space on each side is excellent. Blank spaces eliminate clutter and make your flyer more readable.
* Make sure to include an active call-to-action text such as “Buy now and receive this gift” or “Don’t miss this great opportunity.” Passive call to action such as “For more information, call . . .” do not exude a significant impact.
* Make sure you add your contact details such as your business name, contact person, phone numbers, e-mail address, website, and mailing address. If you fail to include them how can your customers communicate with you if they don’t know how to get in touch with you?
Finally, remember that a professionally designed flyer is not just attractive but also enhances your credibility and professionalism. Unprofessionally designed flyers (e.g., handwritten ones, home-printed black-and-white ones with just the business name and contact details, etc.) that is printed on low-quality paper reflect badly on your company. That is why you have to invest in getting the services of a graphic artist to create your flyer’s layout. If you cannot find one within your contacts, look for a trusted cheap leaflet company; most likely it will have a professional graphic artist in its employ.