Flying in the Face of Technology

E-mail, texts, social networking and other technological forums have become the standard in how we keep in touch with our clients. There is nothing wrong with that—if your target market is aimed at those individuals who only use technology to communicate. If, however, you also want to bring in the technologically inexperienced, those that (dare I mention) still hand-write notes, then you may be cutting off your market segment at its knees.

There are still effective ways to market your business the old-fashioned way—in print that is. I’ve talked about them in recent columns: direct mail, newsletters and postcards. One area we haven’t touched upon yet is flyers. Flyers work exceptionally well for to-the-point announcements. They are a great way to give your customers a quick update on new products or services, a location move, newly hired personnel, a special event, sale or a one-time offer. Realtors, mortgage brokers and other direct sale businesses have been using flyers for years to sell their products and services. 

Like their cousin the postcard, flyers can be distributed in a cost-effective manner. They can be mailed, e-mailed, faxed, given out as handouts or even inserted into newsletters or newspapers.

When creating a flyer keep in mind that many of the same rules for other types of print media also apply here. 

• Present your message clearly. If it has to be read more than once to get your message across, the average person will just throw it out.
• Use high quality paper. If you cannot afford four-color printing you might opt for a colored paper stock instead.
• Use graphics to make the flyer unique—something that says: “pick me up and read me.”
• Include a way to track your results of the flyer either with a coupon or with a special phone number.
• Make certain to include a call to action. No point in creating a great looking flyer with an effective message and not give the reader an urgency and  a reason to call.
• Always insert your contact information, as well as any promotional codes or information about special events.

Flyers have one strong advantage over high-tech methods. Unlike purely electronic forms of communication, which are many times immediately deleted after they are read, flyers are posted on bulletin boards, put on refrigerators and kept for future reference. 

Robin Kellogg, owner of R. Kellogg Associates provides companies of all sizes with text for their websites, brochures, sales letters and other marketing materials. She can be reached at 818-993-5468.