A good part of the practice is dealing with Self Assessment Tax Returns, small self-employed accounts and lettings etc.: in other words the usual stuff. Having had some success in one local area with an ad in a local businesses leaflet distributed monthly with the free local newspaper we are considering whether to undertake a flyer campaign through letter boxes around local residential areas. Though it might be good exercise we will use a local distributor to save shoe leather.
Has anyone tried such a campaign, and how successful was it? We understand an average response rate might be around 1 to 2% for general offerings and that would be brilliant for any professional services, but in practice is it likely to be worthwhile? Any comments on your experiences would be most welcome. Thanks.
Flyer by night?
Replies (8)
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Don't worry, Sarah!
I have looked you up and you must be around a hundred miles away. Thanks very much for the tip about Vistaprint.
Decent Printing
I post this with the hope that you are not marketing in the same area as me as I had had the same idea and was planning to do something similar very soon!
Vistaprint offer very reasonable printing services. I usually get batches of full colour glossy oversized postcards (A5 I think) and they look pretty snazzy. The last batch came in at about £60 for 250. www.vistaprint.co.uk
Good luck!
Thank you very much for all your comments. EL, the postcard idea is very appealing.
I shall use a bit of shoe leather cherry-picking the really good roads but for a more general campaign of say 10,000 houses (and yes, thanks, we will only do residential) it would take forever to do that many ourselves.
I did it
When I started, I printed my own advert onto 160g card, cut it into A6 sizes and delivered them myself, usually in the evenings, so they didn't arrive with the other fliers. I thought that if they were on card, someone might read it on the way to the bin as it is harder to scrunch up. Because I did everything myself, it was very cheap.
I also worked on the basis that everyone lives somewhere, so it is best to deliver to houses - deliver to industrial estates and the receptionist will throw it away. Choose the nice estates where the houses aren't too far apart for the most efficient delivery and best results.
From an hour or so in an evening, I would get on average one or two responses over the next week or so, which may not sound great, but it did get me some great clients, who, 8 years on, are still here.
Also surprising how long some people kept the cards - I think three years was the record between my delivering it and them phoning me. If it had been a piece of paper, it would have got lost more easily.
I did that a year or so ago.
I didn't save shoe leather and it was good exercise, especially going up and down the steps outside some houses!!
I think I got between 1-2% response, all of which became clients and I was happy with this as it only took a few evenings to do.
It is cheap advertising and it does seem to work so if you cannot find a better way to advertise then why not give it a try.
I did it about 10 years ago
I seem to recall I got about a 1% response rate. I prepared a letter and went to the bother of having them put in envelopes and delivered separately from other junk. This does cost more, but saves the flyer landing on the door mat in amoingst the curry house menus etc.
Thank you
but given that we are prepared to take the risk, Fellowcraft, we would be grateful for the opinions of those who have tried the flyer method of marketing.
Hmmmm
Not sure I'd want to be promoted in that way!
"Oh look dear, it's another taxi-firm card, curry house menu, and accountancy practice circular"