Door Hanger Marketing

Door hanger marketing is incredibly successful when you take the proper steps to plan and prepare your campaign. Unlike many other marketing methods, your customers simply must pick up and handle your door hangers, providing remarkable opportunities to literally put the right message in the hands of the right audience.

The following door hanger marketing strategies will help you develop the perfect door hanger marketing campaign:

Solve problems/make life better

Customers buy for two reasons: to solve problems or to otherwise make their lives better. Your door hanger must address one of these motivators with a bold, compelling headline and supporting copy that elaborates on why you can help. It's important to keep your message straight-forward, simple and to the point — concise copy sells when it comes to door hangers. Tell your customers what you will do for them, how they'll benefit and how to take the next step — that's really all you need.

Define your audience

To whom will you distribute your door hanger? The more targeted your audience is, the better your return on investment will be. Some organizations blanket entire communities: pizza shops, churches, real estate agents, etc.; while others find more benefit is pursuing a specific crowd. A high-end investment firm might distribute door hangers in an affluent area, for example, and avoid "the wrong side of the tracks," because affluent people have more money to invest.
Create incentive

Add value with perforated tear-off coupons or an incredible offer that strikes the right chord with your audience. Free consultations seem to have lost their appeal ... everybody does them, so you must work to differentiate your offer. If you're not offering a discount or free product sample, develop a free report or other useful product you can give to your customers. A real estate agent might offer a free home buying report as part of a lead generation door hanger campaign, for example.
Inspire through your call to action
Include a call to action in your door hanger to motivate customer response

Your door hangers should convey a sense of urgency for your customers to act. Give your customers a very specific call to action, but also give them options: visit a website, a physical location or call a phone number, for example. You can also perforate your door hanger and include response cards for lead generation.

As you can see, there are several considerations to take when planning your door hanger marketing campaign. Investing time to properly plan and creatively develop your door hangers will always result in a higher return on investment than just winging it.

Letterhead & Envelopes

Letterhead is about more than simple correspondence; it's about marketing a branded image that impacts your audience. So, how does letterhead fit into your overall marketing strategy? Read on to learn why letterhead marketing is essential to your identity.
Your letterhead is an extension of you

When you send correspondence, proposals, sales letters and more your letterhead visually demonstrates who you are, what you do, how you do it and who you do it for. A weak letterhead implies a weak company, while a strong letterhead implies leadership. When so many competitors are undoubtedly using letterhead as part of their branded marketing efforts, you can quickly fall behind. That's why it is so important to leverage letterhead to project professionalism.
Letterhead helps branding

Every time you send a letter, your letterhead visually reminds your customers that you're taking care of them. Effective letterheads complement branded efforts by encouraging repeat business. Your company isn't limited to just one letterhead, either. You can have separate letterheads for corporate communications, public communications and even for individual brands.
Letterhead should look and feel great

When it comes to letterhead, skip the clip art and hire a professional designer. You don't want to cheapen your company by going with pre-designed letterhead that is uninspiring at best, sloppy at worst. In the same token, have your letterhead professionally printed and order plenty of second sheets so your letterhead feels strong, secure and consistent in your customers' hands.
Letterhead should come in matching envelopes
Include full-color matching envelopes with your letterhead

Print full-color envelopes that match your letterhead design for a well-rounded, stable and professional appeal your customers will appreciate. Almost all correspondence comes packaged in bland white envelopes, so your reputation will enjoy an instant boost by making this small addition to your stationary arsenal.
Keep an eye on your return on investment

Letterhead isn't like other direct print marketing; it is more passive in nature. Of course, that doesn't mean you shouldn't pay attention to your letterhead overhead. When it comes to marketing, every dollar counts, so carefully examine your letterhead printing options before you go to press. You'll find that ordering in volume can bring tremendous savings. Since most organizations use a lot of letterhead, you'll get more for less when you order letterhead supplies for the next year instead of just the next month.

Letterhead marketing is essential to establishing a well-branded organization. The marketing tips listed here will put you on the right path to planning your next letterhead marketing strategy.

Brochure Tips

So you're ready to launch the next-generation marketing campaign, and you know you need a brochure. If you're not sure where to begin, the task of designing, printing and distributing your brochure can be daunting. Too many businesses rely on packaged desktop publishing software, ClipArt and desktop printers to handle this cornerstone of marketing strategy - and few things could be more fatal to a business. For all the time, effort and expense it takes to do it yourself, you could have a professionally designed and printed brochure that actually works to sell your products and services for you instead of something that tells customers the quality of your company is low.

Customers equate brochure quality with company quality. They also know brochure printing and design costs money; if you have a cheap brochure, it tells them you do not make money and therefore do not have a pool of satisfied customers. In short, cheap brochures can kill your business. Here's how to do it right:

Copy

Before designing your brochure, you need to know what it is going to say. Unless you're an experienced copywriter, you do not want to do this yourself. While you might think you know what prospects need to hear about your company, a professional copywriter knows the psychological triggers that motivate customers to take the next step in the purchasing process. They also approach your company from an objective point-of-view and are able to dig deep to find features and benefits tailored to your target audience. Using online resources, you can find good copywriters for as little as $40 per hour; and they might be able to write your tri-fold brochure copy in as little as five hours. The $200 investment will make a big difference when customers finally see the finished brochure.

Design

A professional graphic designer will know what designs and colors influence customers. Just as with brochure copy, brochure design must be handled with grace and delicacy. Only trained graphic designers truly know what colors influence customers, and how to use those colors in conjunction with shapes and images together with your copy for a compelling brochure that sells. A professional brochure design could cost as little as $400; and, again, this is money well-spent in the long run.

Vinyl Banners

Vinyl banners are one of the most powerful marketing mediums in the world. Large-format designs spread over buildings, stages, as backdrops, and almost anywhere else grab attention right away and leave a lasting, memorable impression

Here are four ways to use vinyl banners to boost your business:

On a building

A colorful banner draped across the front of a high-traffic building gets attention.

Traffic and pedestrians buzz by building after building, and most don't even take stock of their unchanging surroundings. A bright, colorful vinyl banner draped across the front or side of a building at a busy intersection can spruce up the scenery, turn heads, and get your ad noticed by hundreds or thousands of potential customers every day. If you don't have a prime location, ask another (non-competing) business owner if you can rent ad space on their building.
On a stage

Festivals, music tours, performances and other social events invite advertising. Put your vinyl banner front and center for the big event, and you might just be in the spotlight the next day. Try contacting event promoters, venue owners or the acts themselves (depending on the type of event) to see how you can get your banner in front of thousands.
On an overpass

Railroad overpasses and bridges in high-traffic areas are perfect places for vinyl banners. Not many companies take advantage of these opportunities, so you can position yourself as a diamond in the rough and attract double the attention by being in an unexpected location. Public-owned overpasses have traditionally been off-limits, but many municipalities have recently begun renting ad space to offset tax losses in the current economy. Railroads are often controlled by railroad companies themselves, so contact these companies directly to inquire about advertising opportunities.

At athletic events

From football stadiums to golf courses, skating rinks to basketball courts, athletic events draw millions of eager customers every year. If advertising in professional venues is not within your budget, try contacting smaller colleges and high schools to inquire about advertising opportunities. Sporting events present unique opportunities for targeting your audience; for example, a women's volleyball crowd might be very different from a men's weightlifting crowd. Typically called sponsorships, you can often strike a deal that puts your message in front of thousands at a time for a relatively low fee.

Nothing gets mass attention like a large-format vinyl banner, creatively placed. Make sure your banners are professionally printed by a printing company such as us, which offers white vinyl matte banners that stand up to the elements. If your banner is going to be in a windy area, or likely to encounter stormy weather, opt for vinyl mesh (also available from our company) with hems and grommets to reduce wind resistance to increase longevity. Harness the power of oversized marketing to boost your business with vinyl banners today.

Flyer Use

Not sure what to do with flyers?

Distribute intelligently.

Once you've developed a highly targeted club card flyer, you have to get it to your audience. Understand where your audience goes and distribute your club card flyers in the most relevant places at the most relevant times. Some resources suggest that you should begin distributing your club card flyers three to four weeks before your event, but it really depends on your audience. If you're promoting a venue that offers nightly entertainment to weekender tourists, for instance, then you're better off having your street team distribute flyers as they get off the bus. In this scenario, the offer is timeless and the customers constantly change. On the other hand, if you're promoting an annual or one-time event, you do need to begin distributing club card flyers weeks in advance to generate interest.

Here are a few ways to distribute club card flyers:

• With a street team (person-to-person hand-outs)
• On public/organization bulletin boards
• Under vehicle windshield wipers
• In mailed coupon packs
• In newspapers/magazines
• Hotel and restaurant racks, counters, stands, etc.
• Visitor centers
• Chambers of commerce
• Clubs and other organizations

With the right creative strategy, your club card flyers can boost event and venue attendance exponentially. Keep these creative club card flyer marketing tips in mind and brainstorm a few of your own to impress your audience, increase your return on investment and raise the roof with your profit margin.

Business Card Uses

• Add a coupon
• Promote your website
• Add a punch card (punched on each purchase for a prize or discount after so many purchases)
• Add a conversion chart, restaurant tipping chart or other useful information
• Add a sports schedule or event calendar
• Showcase your products... or services with images and specs
• Handwrite your special unlisted direct-access number so prospects will hold on to it

Distribute Naturally

You should keep plenty of business cards on-hand for networking and incidental meetings; however, there are many other ways to distribute your business cards and, because they are so inexpensive, you can afford to blanket the market with them for maximum exposure. The point is that you never know when someone who needs your services (or knows someone who does) will stumble across your card.

Here are a few distribution ideas:

• Include three or four business cards in every direct-mail package or initial correspondence you send (one for the recipient, the rest for them to pass on to others)
• Put your business card in public access phone books and in the yellow pages where your industry is listed
• Place your business cards in relevant books at the library
• Send a card in your bill payments (electric bills, credit cards, mortgage payments, etc.); especially if you're a B2B selling to other businesses
• Make sure your family and friends always have a few to distribute
• Put them on bulletin boards at local supermarkets or other public places
• See if other local businesses will let you place your cards on their counters
• If there are hotels in your area and you offer something for travelers, see if you can put your cards in the hotel rooms
• Leave a card on the table after dining out
• Ask other area businesses if they'd be willing to distribute your cards to prospects in return for you doing this for them (a business card/referral network)

The goal of any marketing campaign is to set your company apart from the competition in a positive way that motivates prospects to take the next step in the purchasing process. Business cards are no different, so get creative with your business cards and your distribution practices, and soon you'll find business in places you never knew existed.