What Makes A Great Leaflet Campaign?

As a means of promoting your business, leaflets are fantastic. However, it is important that they be done correctly. A great leaflet is likely to be rewarded with increased custom, but a bad leaflet can mean a loss of business. Here, we have provided you with a brief guide to creating and delivering the perfect leaflet. It’s not fool proof, but if you follow our guideline, you can be sure of creating a leaflet that will stand out from the crowd.

The Message

The key point in leaflet design is getting your message across. You need to ensure that the person reading the leaflet is engaged. There are two steps to this process:

1.       The first bite is with the eye. You need to hook people’s attention with great design. You do this by choosing an unusual style of leaflet, such as pocket media cards; or, you do it by using bright, attractive colours and designs. Preferably, you would combine the two; for example, pocket media cards in bright, eye-catching, colours.

2.       The content of the message needs to be relevant. If you’re selling a product, then your aim is to convince potential customers to buy that product. You do this by using emotive language.

So, first you hook them visually, and then you take their hearts – that sounds a little macabre, but it isn’t, you’re simply telling people what a great product you have and how much they can benefit from buying/using the product/service.

Always frame your product or service in a manner that shows how it can benefit your prospective customer. For example, if you’re selling mailing services, then you should tell your customers that mail is opened 92% of the time, in contrast to email, that is opened 55% of the time, meaning that their product gets greater exposure through mailing work.

Blurb

Many people get carried away when creating their leaflets. They’re trying to convey too much information in too little space. Remember, that people only like to be presented with one or two salient points at a time. If you present them with too much information, they switch off. Keep things short, succinct and to the point, if you want to keep their attention.

Key Information

People usually understand that too much blurb is bad, and this then leads them to cut too much information from the leaflet. You must remember to include salient information. A leaflet that sells a product, for instance, should include the following:

·         An explanation of the product

·         An explanation of the benefit for them of the product

·         How they can get the product (e.g. your contact details).

That’s all you need to explain. Remember to include all of the above.

Delivering the Leaflet

You have a number of different options, and your choice should depend on the product/service and the target audience. Common delivery methods include:

·         Email

·         Post – with supplied database

·         Door drop – to a specific area

·         Street-level distribution – someone literally stands on the street and hands the leaflets out.

Your choice of delivery is important, and you should research each in turn to establish which is best for your business.

If you would like further information about leaflet design and print, including pocket media cards, then please visit http://www.alpha-card.co.uk/products
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How to Make Your Leaflet Stand Out from the Crowd

Leaflets are a useful marketing tool. Many businesses use them to promote brand awareness, to advertise specific products, and to communicate with existing and potential customers. They are extremely useful because they're cost effective, targeted and attractive. However, the problem is that many other businesses understand their usefulness, and so the market becomes saturated: there are too many leaflets out there for yours to stand out…unless you make them do so. Here, we’re going to consider some of the ways that you can differentiate your leaflets from the rest.

·         Choose an unusual shape: most leaflets are rectangular – normally A5 sized, but sometimes A6 or A4. If you stick to these standards, then you’ll find it harder to create a leaflet that people will notice. Some businesses get around this by having their leaflets cut to unusual shapes. For instance, a company that sells beer may have leaflets shaped like a pint of beer.

·         Choose an unusual design: as well as the shape, there are other design changes that you can make. For instance, pocket folding cards work very well. Pocket folding cards are leaflets that fold down into, usually, a credit card size. People have to open them up to see the message. These can be useful because they’re different, but also because it’s easier for people to keep hold of them – they simply put them in their wallets. If you make sure there is information that they find relevant – such as a calendar, or list to metric-imperial measurements (anything you can think of that people will find useful) – then they’re likely to keep hold of it. This is what you want: the longer a person retains a leaflet, the more likely they are to think of you when they need the service or product that you offer.

·         Colour schemes: Many businesses tend to stick to a set colour scheme, but if you want to stand out, then you need to stick to colours that other people will notice. This does not mean that you need to be garish, there are some subtle schemes that stand out, but that look good too. Keep the colour scheme simple – in general, you should use no more than three colours.

·         Pictures: a picture can tell a thousand words, so use them to your advantage. Something that will make your leaflet stand out is if your audience can tell a lot about what you’re saying without having to read anything. We’re constantly bombarded with information in the 21^st century, and most of us want to understand more for the least effort. Pictures are a great way to do this. You hook them with the image, and then you add a few sentences to bring the concept to life. Remember when using images that you need to use high-res versions, or they can pixelate, and that looks bad.

·         Short and snappy: say as much as you can in as fewer words as you can.

We hope that you have a better idea of how to create a leaflet that stands out from the crowd. 

Folding Cards: A Better Leaflet Format

Many people will tell you that there is no need for leafleting campaigns, letters, or the written word. They say this because they assume the internet has taken over, and in some ways, this is true, but the written word is far from dead, and if you are a business trying to get your name out there, then leaflets remain a powerful means of communication. Of course, the standard A5 leaflet is boring, we need to pep it up if we want it to stand out, and a great way to do this is to use pocket folding cards, instead of the standard leaflet.

Whatever your purpose, whether a business trying to promote a new product or a group trying to advertise their am-dram class, paper is still a great way to deliver information. There is something about the smell and feel of physical paper that will always set it aside from the technologies of the internet. We love a bit of tradition, and we will not be letting go of our paper for a long time yet.

But what is a pocket folding card? These are similar to brochures, because they hold a lot of information that is separated in pages, but in this case their tiled on a bit of paper that unfolds to form a traditional leaflet. When collapsed they can be as small as a credit card, when open, as large as an A3 sheet. This makes them convenient, because people can keep them in their pocket, but also useful, because they can contain a lot of information.

They work well in certain settings, for instance, you will often find them used at venues and events where some sort of map is needed. For example, large music festivals will use them: on one side they may have a map of the various arenas, food stalls, etc. and on the other side they may have a list of the various line-ups. You also see them a lot at theme parks: a map on one side, and then special offers and things on the other side. They are useful because they fold up and people can put them in their pockets, hence their name: pocket folding cards.

A large number of businesses are starting to use this style of leaflet, and there are various reasons for this:

1.       People are much more likely to keep them. They can put them in their pockets, handbags and wallets. Couple this with some useful information, such as a calendar, and they will be keeping the business’s information for a long time. In other words, when the time comes for that person to use the services of a similar business, they have the information on hand.

2.       They are long lasting. They often have waterproof panels for the outer sections (when folded) and this means that they are much less likely to show signs of wear and tear, when compared to a leaflet, and in turn, this means that people will keep them for longer. This further enhances the odds of the person using the service in the future.

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Compiling a Marketing Leaflet that Works

Leaflets are an important aspect of a company’s marketing strategy. It can often prove more effective than other types of promotional media, such as TV or radio. This is because customers have something tangible that they can keep hold of and refer back to, whereas with other medium the message is introduced and gone within a few minutes, people will only remember it if it stands out. Therefore, leaflet campaigns can be essential to promotional activities. However, it needs to be done right. Below, we have created a guideline to help you to understand how to make the most of your leaflet.

Why Would You Use A Leaflet?

The first thing that we need to explain is why you would use a leaflet in the first place. As stated above, they can provide a tangible way for customers to relate to the company. They have all the information they need in their hands.

Aside from the above, though, leaflet printing, as a marketing medium, is exceptionally cheap. You can reach thousands of customers for hundreds of pounds. Other marketing mediums simply don’t come close in terms of coverage versus cost.

How to Write an Interesting Leaflet

Ok, now on to the important stuff:

1.       When you write it needs to be short, sharp and sweet. No one likes to read blocks of text, you must break up your writing. If you use blocks of text people will find it boring and won’t read it.

2.       Bullet points and numbers are a great way of delivering information in short, sweet bursts. You don’t have to use complicated grammar, but you can get your message across quickly and clearly.

3.       Make your points. You need to let people know who you are, what you want, what you have to offer, where you offer it, when you will offer it, why you are offering it, and how they can get it. You need to change the specifics depending on the thing that you are promoting, e.g. an event vs. a product, or discount.

4.       Include any information that you might think is pertinent. For example, if you were hosting an event, then it would be nice to put a map on your leaflet. Depending on the leaflet, you can use a more or less detailed map. An A5 leaflet would have a smaller map, whereas pocket folding cards have enough to carry more information. Pocket folding cards unfold to various sizes, but fold up to credit card or postcard size, which gives designers a lot of scope.

5.       Make sure that you get the opinion of someone you trust who can evaluate the leaflet for you. Use someone of a type that is similar to your target audience. For example, if you’re promoting a club night, ask your student friends/sons/daughters/peers what they think. Take their opinions on board and make any relevant changes.

6.       If the leaflet is being printed for an important reason then have it printed professionally. You will have to spend money, but it is worth it for getting something that looks professional.

If you would like further information about leaflet production, including pocket folding cards, then please visit us today.

How to Design Leaflets to Grab the Attention of Your Audience

Leaflets are an essential means of promotion. Businesses use them frequently to promote their products and services. Given the fact that so many businesses use them, it is important that each create leaflets that stand out from the crowds. Otherwise, the message may be lost in the overwhelming volumes of information coming from the competition. In order to maximise your return on investment, it is important that you take the time to plan your leaflets carefully. A designer can help you to do this, but there are things that you can do yourself, and we are going to explain more in the following paragraphs. 

Colour Schemes

You need to be aware of several things when choosing the colour of your leaflet:

1.       If they look good, choose your company colours. By associating you company colours with the leaflets you will create greater brand awareness than if you were to use other colours. People are much better with visual cues, such as colour schemes.

2.       You need to make sure that you colours are complementary or contrasting. This will help the leaflet to stand out. Be careful with contrasting colours, though, as they can sometimes look tacky.

3.       Avoid using more than three colours. It has creates a confusing visual effect and will turn people off.

Attention Grabbing Titles/Key Features

Many leaflets will sport the company logo at the top of the page. This is wrong because it grabs people’s attention in the wrong way. Nobody cares about which business is offering the product/service, all the customer will be concerned with is the promotion. If somebody sees a leaflet and it says ‘The Training Link’, people will not pick it up and read as much as they would a leaflet titled ‘Free App Development Course’; or, ‘The Computer Seller’ and ‘50% of Mac Book Pro’.

You need to tell people what you can offer them as soon as possible. We have very short attention spans in the modern world, because we are constantly bombarded by information. Our minds jump from one thing to the next, and only things that stand out will be noted.

Be Original in Design

As stated above, you need something that can grab the attention because we are all constantly scanning the environment for information, and only the truly salient stuff stands out. When creating your leaflet, then, it makes sense to think outside the box. You can do that in plenty of ways, but here are a few ideas:

·         Make your leaflets a bespoke shape. For example, you are trying to advertise a monkey sanctuary, so you have the leaflet shaped like money.

·         Have a gimmick. A Chinese restaurant may shape their leaflets like a fortune cookie, and they can add a scratch-off section, like a scratch card, that reveals a fortune. People love those things.

·         Use a different fold. Most leaflets are flat or tri fold, but there are other folds, such as the accordion fold. The accordion fold leaflets, or pocket folding cards as they are generallyknown, are small and quirky. Pocket folding cards can fit a lot of information in a small space, and this makes them very appealing.

We hope that you can now appreciate a little more about the importance of creating a decent leaflet, and that you understand a little of what this entails. If you would like further information, including information about pocket folding cards, then please visit http://www.alpha-card.co.uk/products.