Marketing dollars are tight. Funny, that seems to be the case in good times and bad. Nevertheless you want to get the most for what you spend. So, do you order full color glossy door hangers or less expensive two color door hangers?

To help decide, consider two factors:

Consideration Number 1: What are you selling?
If you are selling a high end product like jewelry or furniture – or –  a high end service like cosmetic dentistry or major home remodeling, then as they say, “…a picture is worth a thousand words” and a full color glossy door hanger will probably work better.

If you are selling lower priced products or service like fast food or driveway seal coating, then a two color door hanger may work just fine.

Consideration Number 2: Wo are you selling to?

Image is important, especially if your target market is higher income. A full color door hanger may work better in this situation. If your service requires an in home estimate, a photo of you or your employee(s), looking neat and professional, may provide the secure feeling necessary to be invited into your prospects home.

Consideration number 1 & 2 don’t always coincide. For instance, perhaps you are offering a weekly lawn service at a relatively low price, but your target is higher priced homes. A full color door hanger is probably the way to go while the same type of service offered to middle class homes might work with a two color door hanger.

Here’s another idea. Save money by using a two color door hanger to drive prospects to your full color website.

Your the boss. With the information above, you need to make the decision. Have confidence in what you are doing and you’ll get it right!

In a previous post we discussed the importance of making sure your door hanger passes “The Glance Test”. The person who removes the door hanger from the door will glance at it for just a few seconds before deciding to keep it or discard it.

One method used successfully on many door hangers to pass “The Glance Test” is a powerful, comical or interesting headline.

Here are a few examples of Door Hanger Headlines:

RENT MY HUSBAND!
Used by a neighborhood handyman

LET YOUR NEIGHBOR CLEAN YOUR HOUSE!
Used by a cleaning service who was soliciting business in their own neighborhood

FREE LAWN CARE SERVICE!
Pay for 2 cuts at our regular low price and get the 3^rd cut FREE
This offer amounts to a 33% discount – but the word “FREE” is very powerful

LOSE WEIGHT…RESULTS GUARANTEED!
Used by a personal trainer. If you follow his exercise and diet plan.

NEVER PAINT YOUR HOUSE AGAIN!
Painter offers a new process guaranteed to last 50 years or more.

Have you got an example of a headline that works? Please reply to this post with

your door hanger headline idea.

This posting is not to encourage you to become an expert on Photoshop or to become a graphic artist… it’s about being able to tell the person who is designing your door hanger what you want.

There have been thousands of books written on how to design Direct Marketing Material. Remember a door hanger is not a “BROCHURE” it’s a “LURE”. The purpose is to generate a lead or an opportunity to make a sale.

Over the years we have developed 4 key points that have provided the outline for many successful door hanger designs.

Number 1 – “THE GLANCE TEST”

The nice thing about door hangers is that they get noticed. They are hanging on the front door so they are usually removed by the next person who opens the door. You’ve only got a few seconds to grab that persons attention so make sure your door hanger passes “The Glance Test”. Test your design on family and friends. They must be able to determine what the door hanger is about with just a quick glance. Use a large headline or an image (or a combination of both) to get that message across.

Number 2 – “USE A MAGNET”

A magnet is a powerful benefit or a reward. Something strong enough to compel your prospect to respond. It doesn’t always have to be a discount. For example: after Hurricane Wilma hit Florida in 2005, everyone wanted to install standby generators. Because of the demand there was a 3 to 6 month waiting list. We had a customer who advertised “STANDBY GENERATORS INSTALLED IN 30 DAYS OR LESS”. In this case, the benefit of a fast installation was strong enough to “generate” lots of response.

Number 3 – “CALL TO ACTION”

Decide how you want your prospects to respond and make sure the call to action is very prominent. If you have a combination of methods (i.e. PHONE, EMAIL, GO TO A WEBSITE, REGULAR MAIL or COME TO YOUR LOCATION) make sure they are listed in the order you prefer and vary the emphasis according to importance.

Number 4 – “CLAIM TO FAME”

Avoid cliches. Figure out what sets you apart from your competitors and include it on the door hanger. This information is usually less prominent than the other 3 items listed. It’s the “icing on the cake”. If items 1, 2 & 3 have done their job this can be the final response trigger.