Many businesspeople have given-up on the traditional flyer method of marketing, opting more to market their small business online or via word-of-mouth. These are fabulous ways to raise awareness for your brand and services, but the humble flyer can still serve its place in gaining you more #business. The key is for your flyer or leaflet to be good enough to display on the wall, and you want to completely avoid anybody treating your promotional material like it is junk mail, sending it to a dark descent into the trashcan. Here is some advice to help you create a masterpiece that everybody will want to read, and better still, want to share with others!

What is your subject type?

Make it absolutely clear what it is you do, and what field of your industry you work in. People do not like to be confused with cryptic or too-clever phrases that do not get to the point. You can still be interesting, but ensure clarity. The flyer may not suit the recipient, but if it is clear what you do, it is likely they will pass it on to somebody they know would be interested in your product or services.

Whom are you aiming your flyer at?

Ensure you cater your flyer for your audience; for example, if you work with children only, perhaps as a home tutor, then write for their parents; if you do body work and specialise in sport injury, then target your flyer to athletes, or sport enthusiasts.

Target key areas with your flyers…

so, if you are a small business operating from home, mobile or in a small-town or village set-up, then you can easily post your flyers through the door of people who live in close proximity to your business. Most people do glance at letterbox mail, and it is within this brief glance that you need to capture their attention. If you live in an interactive community then you can ask your local schools if you can include your flyer in the children’s book bags, this then reaches their parents. You can also ask local businesses to have your flyers next to the cash register in their store, or even better, if they can put a flyer in each bag with purchase. Think about your audience, and where they would shop before approaching owners or managers. And remember the more appealing your flyer is visually, content-wise, and with offers, than the more likely people will share them on your behalf. Remember, you do also have the option to send your flyers out as direct mail, and this is great if you have an existing database of clients/customers, as you can personally address the promotional material on an envelope, perhaps offering an incentive on the flyer.

It is always difficult to measure your return on your marketing, but you can include an offer on the flyer, with an expiry date. You could offer a discount, or free consultation, or free gift depending on your service or product, before the date shown. This will encourage a direct response from those you have targeted, meaning you will be able to assess the ratio of business from the amount of flyers handed out. You may want to add the expiry date neatly with pen, or with a branded sticker – so that you can benefit from a less-expensive, larger print run… basically meaning you can use the flyers for future marketing without being restricted by a printed date.

What is the purpose of your flyer?

This may sound simple, but keep the purpose your focus, as well as your audience when writing your flyer. So if you want to give a summer offer, do not mention your Christmas gift offer. If your purpose is simply to raise awareness, then make your prime focus providing clear, concise information about your services, location and maybe offer a first visit/purchase discount… but ensure you highlight your website address, and encourage them to visit.

What words will you use? And how?

Avoid sales speech, as it is not necessarily the most effective way to attract people to your flyer, as it can be intimidating, and more importantly comes across insincere. It is wise to include persuasive language features, and write concisely, and for your target audience, for example, if you are a yoga teacher specialising in pregnancies, you are going to really want to direct your text towards mothers-to-be. If you are an English as a Foreign Language Teacher, be mindful that your target audience may not have a full grasp of the spoken language.

Speak directly to your chosen target audience; using ‘we’ or ‘you’, so when they read the flyer, they feel that the message is personal and inclusive. Use alliteration, and/or assonance allowing the flyer to read with flow. For example, ‘summer special’ or ‘treating yourself to better health’ or Love Learning Languages! Do not use complicated words or too much specialised jargon, you can still write from an expert angle, without intimidating your audience. Include intensifiers, such as, ‘very’ to add a special touch to your information.

What image really captures your message?

A beautiful, crisp, bright image can be eye-catching enough to avoid the flyer heading to the bin. Less is more! Do not clutter your flyer with too many images – it can be distracting, and the images can portray conflicting messages. Choose an image that suits the offer, or that reflects your brand message. You can also include your logo – perhaps on one side of the flyer, with the main text. Ensure your images are large in size, and of a good resolution to ensure the best quality printing results.

How will you design and layout your flyer?

Do you want a single-sided flyer? Or double? Will it be colour? Or black and white? Whilst colour will be slightly more expensive, it is effective. Many online print companies guide you through the design template process. Try Good-Print, Vista, or Asda… Some of my clients swear by Vista, I love the quality and branding of Moo. Structure your flyer with elegance, and include bullet points, varied font styles, types and colours for visual stimulation and to emphasise certain words i.e. contact details.

One last note; check your spelling, and contact details before printing! And remember, you can use the same flyer design for online marketing, but include hyperlinks to your website and social networks. This keeps your marketing consistent and also increases your reach… helping you towards becoming a business highflyer.