A flyer is a paper advertisement, often printed in bulk for distribution on a large scale in public places, through the post or directly handed out to.
It’s not just club promoters who use flyers today. Businesses, individual entrepreneurs, non-profit organisations and politicians all use them for marketing.
It’s easy to see why. Not only are they an affordable way of getting key messages to your audience, they can target specific demographics and are easy to read.
Here are just a few examples of how flyers can be used:
- Coffee shops hand out flyers in busy areas to divert people in their direction. Include information like location and discounts.
- Hairdressers offering new services often use flyers to give the recipient a special introductory offer.
- Tattoo artists use promotional materials such as flyers to not only promote their shop and offers, but also to showcase their art.
- Local politicians often use flyers to clearly communicate their policies and show voters they are active in the community.
- Personal trainers use flyers to promote a new programme, boot camps or to advertise their qualifications and services.
A well-designed leaflet is invaluable when promoting your business. If you invest time in the planning the content and design, you’ll ensure the flyer is visually-stunning and has high readability.
Flyers
Investing in a high-quality, professionally designed flyer or leaflet can make all the difference between gaining a new customer or losing one. Unprofessional looking flyers and leaflets which are overloaded with information, badly designed or unreflective of your branding can have a negative effect on your company.
Spending time and money on professional printing can enhance your image and build confidence that you’re the right choice for your customers.
Many people will pick up a flyers and leaflet that comes through their door and discard them after a quick glance.
That means, you have a relatively short window in which to grab their attention. Don’t use your business name or product category as the headline. Instead, create a tagline that generates some interest.
Find out what’s important to your customers and incorporate that into your leading line. Catchy headlines work, but they need to relate to your business and the content presented in the rest of the design. Additionally, discounts or sales work well at enticing the reader to pause and read your leaflet or flyer in more detail.
Language is a powerful tool. The right copy can be the difference between a sale and a fail.
The language you choose should evoke certain feelings in your audience and communicate how your company is best suited to them.
Whether that’s ordering dinner, purchasing a product, or voting at the next election – use the wording that places you as the solution.
Depending on the content and context of your message, you might want to include attention-grabbing copy such as “exclusive”, “free”, “bargain” or “earn”.
An image says a thousand words, as the old saying goes. Eye-catching visuals are more effective than 500 words of copy.
Studies show that information displayed in images is digested faster by the reader. So, including images and logos in your flyer and leaflet design is important, as it helps break up any text you may have.
Phil Cleaver, Professor of the Creative Industries, says: “We navigate our daily decisions by the symbols (images) that surround us. A symbol can be crucial for representing a set of ideals for people to align themselves to.”
Top tip: Make sure the images are relevant to what is being said, or the brand image you want to portray.
In today’s world, content must be digestible, easy to read and concise.
The same goes for any flyers or leaflets you distribute. Getting your message across in as short a way as possible is your best chance of a successful campaign.
Be authentic – talk only about what you know and believe. “In a crowded marketplace of brands, people place high value on perceived authenticity,” Phil Cleaver explains.