It is easy to see why so many business enterprises use leaflets to help them ‘get the word out’ whenever they start a new marketing campaign. As well as being incredibly affordable and cost-effective, leaflet printing has proven itself to be a truly effective promotional strategy time and time again.
However, perhaps the most appealing aspect of this kind of marketing lies in its simplicity. Indeed, virtually any business enterprise can achieve their marketing aims with a leaflet printing campaign simply by following four simple steps.
Step One
The first thing that a business enterprise needs to consider is how many leaflets they will need to order from their local printers (or from an Internet-based provider if they are looking to use printing services online). In general, this will be determined by how big their target audience is and how local – geographically speaking – their catchment area is. Examining data that is freely available from sources such as the Office of National Statistics or the UK Census can be very beneficial in this respect as it can help a company’s marketing teams to identify demographics (such as age) within the local area which may be useful to them. Once a company has a rough idea of how many people they need to target they can simply multiply that figure by how many times they want to target them with the same leaflet.
Step Two
The next thing a business enterprise needs to consider is the design of the leaflet. In general, it is best to keep messages on leaflets ‘short and sweet’ as this will make the information easy to digest and give it an immediate impact. If images or pictures are to be used then they need to be bold enough to stand out and convey the benefits of whatever product or service is being promoted. Quite simply, the design of the leaflet needs to make the offer look desirable.
Step Three
The third step requires a company’s marketing team to work out the format and weight of the leaflet. To this end, they will need to consider questions like how much actual information will need to be printed onto the leaflet. Will a single-sided or double leaflet be better? Will the leaflet be handed out in the street, distributed through letterboxes or put into newspapers? Weight is also important, and not just because heavier items may incur higher delivery costs but also because more weighted and graded paper will be more durable.
Step Four
The final step is to decide the best way of getting the leaflets ‘out there’. There are many options such as handouts to passers-by, car windscreen distribution, letterbox distribution, inclusion in newspapers and magazines, direct mail shots etc, etc. Each option has its own benefits, logistical issues and costs; however, the most important thing to consider is which one will get the message out to the target audience most effectively.
Lee Hood is a freelance writer and blogger who contributes to a variety of websites such as A Local Printer.