Print Advertising
Printed advertising is something many small businesses invest a sizable amount of time and money into. Unfortunately, it is often not as cost-effective or efficient as it should be. This is normally not the fault of the business but lies in the lack of knowledge, interest or implementation of hired services. A few mistakes are far too common when it comes to printed door hangers and postcards. Some critical features in the design of door hangers, fliers, and postcards are overlooked. If these items are not handled professionally, the business paying for the printing service can end up repeating the same mistakes again and again. If you hire an advertising designer or a person who distributes door hanger advertising for your business, then read on. We’ve compiled a short guide to explain why some flier or door hanger advertising campaigns fail. We hope you can avoid the same mistakes, so that you will see a more positive return on your investment.
The nature of the door hanger is that you can direct placement in ideal destinations. If, however, those ideals are ignored, it is likely that the advertising will also be ignored. The worst thing you can do in your campaign is target the wrong market areas. All of the cost of printing and delivery effort goes directly into the trash. Say, for example, you are marketing expensive services, such as an exotic spa treatment, or 2000-channel high-definition satellite service. The incorrect but typical strategy would be to put them all in neighborhoods that are closest to the business or easiest for the person(s) delivering them. This might seem okay, but certainly does not maximize distribution opportunities effectively. Since the products are of high value, it is better to concentrate on more expensive residential areas with more polished advertising.
One thing to consider in printing door hangers is to make sure content of the advertising is presented properly. Presentation is also closely related to the target market. Once you decide who you would like to appeal to, you also need to optimize your design to them. A color printing designer needs to be made aware of the general economic status of the clients that will be marketing to. Keep in mind that offering the least expensive services or products works well for some potential clients or customers, but not for all of them. A professional law firm or well-known restaurant will probably prefer not to use services or products portrayed as “cheap” because they will reflect poorly upon their image. Even if what you provide is high quality, presenting it as low-cost gives the impression that it is not. It is critical to make sure your efforts appeal to the market you are attempting to attract.
Another common error is printing a nicely informative list of what your business provides and forgetting that most people need more than that to get and retain their attention. All advertising should have an eye-catching logo or some sort of graphic design that gains interest from anyone that sees it. Contrast, color, expressive fonts, and a myriad of effects can be used by a good designer. Usually, the slight increase in cost to get professional design and printing done properly is well worth the return.
Promoting your products and services with postcard, fliers, door hangers, or even banners, is the best thing that you can do to get your business seen. There is no time like the present. Get a professional to help you now and you will be pleased to find an immediate increase in business.