Two Print Pieces That Work

I get the same mailers, door hangers and inserts as everybody else, and I can't throw them away fast enough. But when I pick up something substantial with an offer on it, I'll stop and skim it. Sometimes it even stays out of the garbage.

That's the reaction I want when I print for a local business. I've used mailers, postcards and folded brochures, but two pieces have done better for me: a two-sided half-page flyer and a business-card-size marketing card, both on card stock. Most local marketing today is paid search and social media, but these two are still great for making a local connection.

The flyer and card both worked well at Funastics, the kids gymnastics gym I owned in Gilbert. Families called and referrals grew. I was in the black after a year and ran 50 to 80 students a day for three years.

The Flyer

At 5.5 by 8.5 inches, the flyer has more room than a standard postcard, with none of it lost to a mailing address and nothing to unfold.

I designed the same pair for AMW Hardscape Solutions, which builds patios and driveways, so the flyer's front is mostly photos: one big backyard shot and a row of smaller jobs, then the offer, the phone number and the cities they cover. The back shows what happens after the call, in four steps from the free estimate to the final walkthrough.

The layout is functional and informative, not airy or overdesigned. I could have gone with more images and less text, but I went with what I've seen work.

Ideally it goes on the fridge and is still there when the homeowner is ready to talk about the yard.

The Card

The card fits in a pocket, so you have one ready when a neighbor walks over during a job and asks who you are.

The front of AMW's card is the flyer shrunk down, with the logo, the same backyard photo, four small project shots and a large phone number. The back gives people a reason to keep it, almost like a ticket: a free estimate and design, plus $250 off jobs over $5,000 with the card. My first version of that side was a wall of text. Nobody reads that on a card this small, so most of it came out.

Why Card Stock

Card stock gives both pieces that substantial feel, and it stays flat in a pocket or on a fridge, where thin paper creases and curls.

Looking that finished also makes a small business seem bigger. Parents often took Funastics for a franchise. It was one gym in a strip mall.

Where They Go

Every month at Funastics, I tried to cover a different nearby neighborhood, doing the rounds myself or hiring someone. I also worked some schools and sent out laminated trial coupons and postcards. In the neighborhoods, I alternated flyers and cards in the doors, where the flyers stood out better than a door hanger. Maybe that's not the best approach, but it worked for me.

At the gym, flyers went in a tray outside, where people could take one as they walked by, or on the counter with the cards.

If you're a contractor, take flyers to the neighbors when a job wraps up. They've been watching the whole thing from their driveways.

Get Them to Call or Email

All of this is to get a call or an email, so the front of both AMW pieces has a bar with just the phone number and email.

Some people will look you up first, so the website has to ask for the same thing. Funastics.com ranked above the local franchises and let parents sign up online, which means print wasn't doing all that work alone. AMW's site pushes toward a call or a free estimate, and it uses the flyer's photos and colors so nobody wonders if they have the right company.

The site also holds the offer's fine print. The card and flyer have no code or end date, only a pointer to the website, so when the terms change, you update one page and the stack in your truck is still good.

Count What Comes Back

The offer also tells you what's working, because anyone who shows a flyer or card at the estimate has told you how they found you. Write down where each batch goes and ask everyone else how they heard about you. Follow those leads through to estimates and jobs, and by the next print run you'll know which streets paid off.

Want a Set?

I'll design the same flyer and card for your business, with your photos and your offer, matched to your website. Send me a note and tell me what you do and the area you cover.