Door Hanger Tips & Ideas!

Door Hanger Advertising Ideas For A Lawn Service

The success of a door hanger distribution campaign is determined by a number of factors, starting with having a clear objective for the campaign.  Once you have defined the goal of the campaign, the door hanger must be designed to motivate the prospect to respond to your call to action, for example, call on the phone, go to a website, go to your nursery, etc. We call this motivating offer “A Magnet”.

Here are a few Ideas and Magnets that have been used successfully by our clients. Use one or a combination, but don’t over crowd the postcard with too much information. The postcard must pass “The Glance Test”, which means the reader will know what the card is about with just a passing glance. This can make the difference between getting noticed or being tossed out as junk mail.

1. Concentrate Your Customers – Save Time, Save Gas, Cut More Lawns!
   Distribute door hangers in the neighborhoods where you have the highest concentration of customers.  It’s probably better to have a smaller distribution area that you cover more frequently. Research has shown that it often takes 4 or 5 solicitations to get a prospect to respond.
2. Are You Happy?
   If you are looking for new customers they fall into two categories: 1- Those that cut their own lawns and 2- Those that already have a lawn service. Go after group 2 with this message on your door hanger: “ARE YOU HAPPY WITH YOUR LAWN SERVICE?  OUR CUSTOMERS ARE!  READ WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY: ” Written testimonials (a sentence or two) work great. If you can include photos of some of your customers and their lawns, even better.
3. FREE Lawn Service!
   You are probably thinking “…that’s easy for you to say”.  Try this offer: FREE LAWN SERVICE (Headline) and then a disclaimer – For new customers. Get 2 cuts at our regular low price and your 3rd cut is Free! That works out to a 33% discount. Plus, after 3 cuts in a row, it is probably safe to say you’ve got a new regular customer.
4. Need A Tune-Up?
   We thought this was a unique idea. Offer an on site lawn mower tune up service. In the process you will identify prospects that do their own lawn. This group can be targeted for additional services like landscaping, fertilization, spring and fall clean-ups, etc. And remember, just because they have a lawn mower does not mean they love doing the lawn. Tempt them with a special offer.
5. Be Flexible On Pricing
   Offer one time pricing as well as contracts. By the way, if you are selling contracts, don’t call it a contract, call it a “Savings Package”.
6. It’s All About You!
   Do you have a small operation? Try this headline to emphasize your personal service: “I Own The Company, I Cut The Lawns, I Guarantee Your Satisfaction!” Include your photo and you will have a very powerful message on your postcard.
7. Promote Your Website On Your Door Hanger
   Don’t have one? You should. And it should contain more than just a laundry list of your services. Photographs of your work, testimonials, gardening tips, monthly specials on seasonal flowers and services and more.  The website should have plenty of good content that can be used to sell new clients and keep the ones you have.
8. 5 To The Left & 5 To The Right
   Here’s an easy and effective way to enhance your distribution efforts. Everytime you cut a lawn, hang door hangers on  five homes on either side of the job your doing. Cut 5 homes a day and that’s 50 door hangers distributed, 250 in a week! In fact you might consider designing a door hanger for just that distribution plan. Use a title like “WE CUT YOUR NEIGHBOR’S LAWN TODAY AT ___________________ Would you like a FREE Estimate? We Have A Special Friends & Neighbors Rate For You!” Leave a blank line and fill in the actual address of the job you completed.

Door Hanger Advertising Ideas For Political Campaigns

Door Hanger Distribution is one of the best ways to deliver a message to voters. Over the years we’ve designed hundreds of door hanger distribution campaigns that have helped candidates become winners! Here are few factors that should be kept in mind.

1. Clarify The Goals Of The Door Hanger Campaign
   For example:
   - Introduce the candidate if he is not well known
   - Talk about the most important issues
   - Ask for contributions
   - Ask for volunteers
   - Expose competitor’s weaknesses
   - Invite voters to a town hall meeting
2. Use Full Color Door Hangers With Lots Of Photos
   It’s true, a picture is worth a 1000 words, or more! But, don’t just use a head shot of the candidate that looks like it came from a drivers license. If the candidate is for Education, get a photo of him at a school with kids. If he’s pro-business, get a picture at a Chamber of Commerce Meeting. If he’s for moral values, a shot with the family on Sunday talking to the Pastor. You get the idea.
3. Use The Door Hanger To Drive Voters To The Candidates Website
   Make sure there is lots of good content about the issues and the candidate. Don’t disappoint web visitors. Your website doesn’t have to be “Madison Avenue”. It can even have a “home-made” look, but it most deliver on content and be worth the voters time.
4. Send An Invitation To “Ask The Candidate”!
   Not always possible, but if you can manage it, get a cell phone and dedicate the phone number to taking calls from voters. Invite them to “ask the candidate”, “express their views” or just “sound off”. You can limit calling to specific times during the day or week.
5. Target Residential Communities With A Club House
   Target communities with a club house. Contact the homeowner or condo association and ask if you can use the facilities for a mini town hall meeting exclusively for their residents. Then promote it with door hangers.
   

Door Hanger Advertising Ideas For Restauants

The success of a door hanger distribution campaign is determined by a number of factors, starting with having a clear objective for the campaign.  Once you have defined the goal of the campaign, the door hanger must be designed to motivate the prospect to respond to your call to action, for example, come to the restaurant, go to a website, order over the phone, etc. We call this motivating offer “A Magnet”.

Here are a few Ideas and Magnets that have been used successfully by our restaurant clients. Use one or a combination, but don’t over crowd the postcard with too much information. The door hanger must pass “The Glance Test”, which means the reader will know what the card is about with just a passing glance. This can make the difference between getting noticed or being tossed out as junk advertising.

1. Increase Lunch Business
Distribute to local businesses and offer a lunch special.  Use a radius from your location, a half mile to a mile. For this campaign, it is better to have a smaller distribution area and to distribute more often.

Your magnet doesn’t have to be a discount. Take a lesson from the national chains like Subway’s $5 Footlong or McDonalds Value Menu. Feature value packed lunch specials, that are served up quickly and taste a lot better than the  ”fast food” competition.

A word of caution, don’t try to combine this idea with a dinner promotion. In most cases, workers who are around during the day probably live in a different part of town and won’t be prospects for evening business. Don’t clutter up the card. Stay focused on lunch.

2. Build An “Earlybird” Crowd
Is there a senior community near your location? They like to eat early and save money. You want to fill seats between the lunch and dinner hours. Sounds like you may have something in common! Once you get them into the restaurant, keep them coming back with a frequent diner punch card.

3. If You Show Them, They Will Come!
How many nearby residents have never been inside your restaurant? How many drive by without ever stopping? Show them what you are all about with a full color door hanger. Start with a photo of the exterior that prospects will recognize from their daily travels. Then, include photos of the interior, your customers, your staff, you and especially your food. Include a partial menu of your best dishes. Finally, include a personal invitation with a special offer. Tell the prospect to ask for the owner or manager when they arrive, and then roll out the red carpet.

4. Build Your Delivery Business Door hangers are an effective and affordable way to keep in front of potential delivery customers. Once again a smaller area, with frequent distribution will yield the best results. Experiment with different offers and track response carefully. Repeat your best offers, get rid of the ones that don’t work and keep adding new ones. Once you have fine tuned your door hanger, your campaign won’t cost you money, it will make you money every time you distribute. At that point, it’s time to expand that delivery area.

Make sure you include a menu with a “Bounce Back” coupon with every delivery order. Give them an incentive to order again, sooner rather than later.

5. Give A Really Big Discount
In this economy everyone is looking for a deal. So give them one. Just make it valid only on the days or hours that you need to increase business. Don’t measure the success of your campaign on this one discounted transaction. If you make a new customer as a result of this promotion, you’ll see benefits all year long. And don’t forget about the value of “word of mouth”. So be aggressive and make them an offer they can’t refuse.

6. Secret Recipe Revealed!
If you have a dish that you are really proud of, publish the recipe with some photos of the preparation on your door hanger. The Olive Garden does this all the time in their TV Advertising. They make the food the star of the show (which it should be). Don’t worry about potential customers staying home and cooking instead of going out to eat at your restaurant. Most couples today have too little time and energy to cook a special dinner at home. But if you are worried, you could leave out part of the recipe (only kidding).

7. Use A Discount Coupon On Your Postcard To Test New Menu Items
Want to add a new item to the menu, but you’re not sure how it will go over? Include a coupon with a discounted price on your door hanger, to jump start the introduction.

Door Hanger Advertising Ideas for Realtors

The success of a door hanger distribution campaign is determined by a number of factors, starting with having a clear objective for the campaign. Once you have defined the goal of the campaign, the door hanger must be designed to motivate the prospect to respond to your call to action, for example, come to your office, go to a website or call on the phone.  We call this motivating offer “A Magnet”.

Here are a few Ideas and Magnets that have been used successfully by our clients. Use one or a combination, but do not over crowd the postcard with too much information. The door hanger must pass “The Glance Test”, which means the reader will know what the door hanger is about with just a passing glance. This can make the difference between getting noticed or being tossed out as junk advertising.

1. It is all about you!
   When you are advertising your services, it is not the time to be modest. Selling Real Estate is a one on one,  personal service. Include your photo and a brief resume. If you are new to the business, do not try to conceal it, let folks know that you are building a reputation and will work harder to get results. Include memberships in community organizations or church groups. If you live in the neighborhood you are targeting, be sure to mention it.
2. Farm Area: It’s Not The Size But The Frequency That Counts
   Door Hangers are an effective and affordable way to keep in front of new listing prospects. A smaller distribution area scheduled on a frequent basis will yield the best results. Remember, your name needs to be “top of mind” when the decision to sell is made. The only way to do that is to distribute on a regular basis.  Be consistent and over time, the listings will come. Once you’ve built momentum, it’s time to expand that farm area.
3. Develop A Market Plan for New Listings And Give It A Name
   Sure, most listings sell through the MLS. What other marketing activities do you include with your listing service? Open house, lawn signs, newspaper advertising, website, door hangers, etc. Make a list and present it as a results oriented marketing package. Make it even more special by giving it a name i.e. “The Exclusive, Bill Sullivan, Residential Real Estate, Marketing Plan”.
4. Use A Slogan To Help People Remember Your Name
   Sometimes it may seem corny, but it works. i.e. “Selling Your Home? If You’re In A Hurry, Call Billy Murray!”
5. The FREE Market Analysis Offer
   Everyone uses this offer, but perhaps a little rewording can make it more appealing, by targeting curiosity: “Find Out How Much You Neighbors House Sold For….You May Be Surprised!”
6. List The Houses You’ve Sold Recently. Don’t Have Any? You Can Still Make A List.
   Put together a list of houses that have sold recently, including prices and a brief description. If they are not your listings, put a small disclaimer at the bottom “complied from MLS data base”.
7. Can You Offer A Discount Brokerage Fee? People Love To Save.
   If your broker allows, you might consider offering a discounted brokerage fee and advertise: “Full Service At A Lower Fee”!

Like it or not, you are competing with Disney World and McDonalds!

Even if you are not in the restaurant or amusement park business, Disney World and McDonalds are marketing giants that have affected the way entrepreneurs promote their businesses. 

When you visit Disney World, you expect the restrooms to be clean and the employees (or “cast” as they like to be called) to be smiling and helpful. You know that if you go into just about any McDonalds worldwide, their award winning French Fries will taste the same as all of their other locations.

Consumers have grown to expect excellence from theses and other world class operations like Wal-Mart and Netflix. Therefore, you can’t get away with using slogans in your advertising that have become cliche. “Lowest Prices”, “Personalized Service”, and “Best Selection” and so on, don’t have the same impact on prospects as in the past.

Consumers take those things for granted. They expect a business to deliver on the basics, and if they don’t get what’s expected, they will take their business somewhere else.

Answer this question: “Why should a prospect do business with me instead of my competition who is offering a similar product or service?” You should be able to answer this question in a brief sentence or two. And here is the real challenge – the answer must be compelling enough to attract more customers than your competition.

In marketing terms, your answer is called “A Value Proposition”. Develop a good one and then use it on your door hanger advertising campaign!

Using Door Hanger Advertising For Your Lawn Service

Spring is almost here and many of our regular lawn service customers are getting ready to distribute door hangers in their local neighborhoods. Door Hanger Advertising is a great method to use for growing your lawn care business. If you are considering door hanger distribution, here are a few things you should consider.

1- Divide Your Market Into Groups

Group A: Homes in the neighborhood that already have a lawn service. Within this group are: 

• Customers that are happy with their lawn service
• Customers that are unhappy with their lawn service
• Customers that consider their lawn service “just ok”, or nothing special

Group B: Homes that do not have a lawn service. Within this group are:

• Potential customers that think they can’t afford a lawn service 
• Potential customers that no longer want to mow their own lawn due to age or health
• Potential customers that might need work done occasionally

2 – Create A Special Offer For Each Group

When creating a special offer, be aggressive. It’s hard to get potential customers to change their habits. Whether you are trying to get them to fire their current lawn company and hire yours, or to stop doing the work themselves, you’ve got to give them a strong enough incentive to get them out of their “comfort zone”.

Here is an example of a strong offer that has been used successfully by lawn services. Headline – “NEW CUSTOMER INVITATION: FREE LAWN SERVICE! Details in smaller type – Pay For 2 Cuts At Our Regular Low Price and Your 3rd Cut Is FREE!” 

That works out to be a 33% discount on the first three cuts. After 3 cuts, if they like your work, you’ve probably got a regular customer.

Don’t make the mistake of evaluating the success of your door hanger advertising campaign by considering only the first purchase a customer makes. Look at the lifetime value of a customer. Here is a link to an easy to use calculator that can help you determine the lifetime value of a customer. 

Remember that the purpose of your door hanger is to generate a lead. You’ve still got to make the sale. So be prepared. Answer the phone live if you can and if you must use a recorded message, let the caller know that you will return the call quickly (the quicker the better).

Don’t worry about having the lowest prices and don’t get annoyed if the prospect seems to focus on price. The reason most callers start off with price questions is because they don’t know enough about the lawn service business to ask other questions. So, be prepared to defend your prices by describing the differences between you and your competitors.

When you give a price, look for a reaction from the prospect. Some potential clients may be embarrassed to question your prices. This is a “hidden objection” that you can dispose of by addressing it head on. For example you might say, “if you are shopping for price, you will find that the rates of most of the qualified lawn service companies in town are within a few dollars of each other. We not the highest or the lowest, however our service is way above average. Here’s why…..”

Keep close track of which offers are working best and then fine tune your door hanger before mailing again. Door Hanger Advertising is an on-going process. You’ve got to distribute, track response, fine tune and then distibute again. After awhile your response rates will become predictable and your business will be growing along the way.

Sign Up For Our “Bulk Mail Boot Camp” – It’s FREE!

Want to learn more about direct mail advertising? Sign up for our new “Bulk Mail Boot Camp” – it’s FREE. The course consists of 5 videos (each is about 3 minutes long), and includes all the basic training you’ll need to launch a successful campaign.

You receive one video per day for 5 days. Here’s what is covered:

• Day 1 – How Much Should You Spend On Your Direct Mail Campaign?
• Day 2 – How To Design Your Postcard
• Day 3 – Creating A Mailing List Using Neighborhood Saturation
• Day 4 – Creating A More Targeted Mailing List
• Day 5 – Response Rates and Results

Several hundred have already “Graduated” from the course since it was introduced in mid February 2010 and the reviews have been very positive. To find out more or to sign up CLICK HERE. 

How Much Would You Pay For A New Customer?

What if there was a store that sold customers? No, not a store that sells to customers, I mean a store where small businesses could go and purchase new customers. And let’s say that store has all types of customers on the shelves, like in real life, difficult customers, cheap customers, average customers and even best customers.

Let’s deal with factor one first. How much would you pay for a new customer? Isn’t the amount you would pay for anything determined by the value of the product or service. The same rule should apply to customers. So before we ask the question, how much are you willing to pay for a new customer, let’s ask how much is a new customer really worth. Here’s one method you can use.

Small Business Example: ABC Dry Cleaners

Work out the numbers for your business and go on a shopping spree! Buy as many new customers as you can. But wait minute, you might have a limited amount of cash on hand. Furthermore, your cash flow may not allow you to wait up to two years to recover the profit. That brings us to factor number two: your budget. The most important thing to consider here is being consistent. You can start with a small budget and expand it as cash flow permits. Determine a budget that you are comfortable with and then stick with it.

Don’t despair, you can get new customers with advertising. But you’ve got to pick an advertising method that is measurable. Door hanger distribution is very measurable and it is cost effective. You can even target the type of customer your looking for (your definition of the best customer), by picking neighborhoods based on home values and proximity to your business.

Keep close track of the results of your door hanger distribution efforts. Then compute your cost per customer: Cost of the distribution divided by the number of customers generated. By fine tuning your door hanger design and special offers you can increase the response rate and lower your cost per customer.

Advertising isn’t easy, but if you know the cost to generate a new customer and the value of that customer, you will be well on your way to running successful advertising campaigns.

Vacation Rewards Program: Great Way To Get New Customers

Door hangers are an affordable and effective way to reach clients in your neighborhood. Getting door hangers distributed on a regular basis is half the battle. But even if you hang them on every front door in town, your door hanger still needs to attract attention and then motivate your prospect to contact you. You need a strong offer to get the best results. How about this headline: FREE VACATION with Any Purchase!

Would a free vacation to Disney World, Las Vegas or San Francisco attract new customers? You bet it would. With our new program, now any size firm can afford to launch a Vacation Rewards Program for their business. A free vacation is a great sales incentive. In addition to attracting new clients, it can be used to build loyalty with existing clients. You can also reward customers who send referrals. It can even be used to motivate inactive customers.

With our Vacation Rewards Program, you can present your customer with a travel certificate for hotel accommodations for up to 2 to 6 nights. The only charges your client will pay are hotel taxes and small housekeeping fee (both are usually less than $29 per room, per night). Participating hotels include selected properties operated by Holiday Inn, Howard Johnson, Quality Inn, Travelodge, Radisson and others. The cost for each voucher is less than $4 although they have an actual value of $600 or more. By the way, there are no blackout dates.

Seem too good to be true? Well, this is not a sales gimmick. You clients won’t have to sit through a high pressure time share sales pitch. They will be treated just like any other guest paying full price. So how do we do it? This program is administered by a company that is a professional hotel booking agent. They have been filling unused hotel rooms for over 24 years and can provide a list of satisfied repeat clients as references. Hotel Rooms are subsidized by theme parks and local tourist economies to increase traffic. Everyone wins, your client, the hotel, local attractions, restaurants, but most of all your business will benefit, because you’ll be adding new satisfied customers to your client list.

The program is valid for 12 months from the date your company enrolls. There is a one time fee of just $395 for 100 Vacation Certificates and personalize thank you letters. Complete instructions and promotional ideas are included with the package. You are not involved in the reservation process. All you have to do is present the certificate to your customer. The Certificate has compete booking instructions including a telephone number and website that are available 24/7.

Your clients will love the gift of a free vacation and you can generate more sales without discounting your product or service. Your cost is less than $4 per sale which is probably a lot less than the cost of discounts you may have offered in the past.

If you would like to find out more about this exciting program visit our new website http://vacationrewardsprogram.com/

Big Promotional Possibilities With Small Cards

In today’s economy, businesses are cautious about spending money on advertising and marketing. Here’s an idea that is both affordable and effective: Small Card Marketing.

So why use small cards instead of a larger flyer?

In this case, smaller is better.  Small Marketing Cards are the same size as a business card (3.5” x  2”). Prospects will tend to hold on to them because they fit into wallets, shirt pockets and purses. Furthermore, their stylish design, quality card stock and glossy UV finish give them a valuable appearance that gets attention and  more retention.

What will fit on Small Marketing Cards?

A lot more than you think. How about a mini menu? By the way, menus aren’t just for restaurants, if you’ve got a price list, it’s a menu. Realtors can use Small Marketing Cards as a mini listing card showing photos and features of a property for sale. They can be used as a “frequent buyer” punch card at the point of sale or a coupon card to attract new customers. The only limit is your imagination. Our marketing team will help you fine tune your ideas.

What about Small Marketing Card distribution?

Point of sale distribution is easy. Just give every customer a Small Marketing Card before they leave your place of business. Other promotions will require a bit more creativity. 

INVENTORY YOUR RESOURCES:

• How many employees and family members are available to hand out Small Marketing Cards?
• How about your business neighbors? Offer them a cross promotion opportunity – they display your Small Marketing Cards on their counter and you display theirs.
• Participate in networking clubs, organizations (i.e. chamber of commerce) and attend business card exchanges.
• Ask the owners of the establishments that you do business with (dry cleaner, florist, sub shop, your favorite pizza place, etc.) to display your Small Marketing Cards. Most will be happy to reward your patronage.
• Include Small Marketing Cards in all your correspondence, billing, shipments and packages that you send out.
• Don’t forget your most enthusiastic distribution person – yourself! Get in the habit of carrying and giving out Small Marketing Cards at every opportunity.

Set A Goal

Set a goal. Even a modest one of just a 100 Small Marketing Cards a week will bring results. Then try to increase that goal each week. Remember, the more Small Marketing Cards you put in circulation the better you’ll do. Be consistent and you’ll see a steady stream of new business.

Increase Results By Running Several Promotions Simultaneously
Small Card Marketing is so inexpensive, you can even afford to run several promotions simultaneously. Run a client Birthday Promotion with Small Marketing Cards and give them out all year long. It will only cost you $16.50 per month. Combine that with a Frequent Buyer Punch Card and a stylish Coupon Card to attract new customers and you’ll have a pretty comprehensive marketing campaign in place for less than $50 a month. By the way, Small Card Marketing is a great way to test promotional ideas before spending a lot more on traditional marketing methods.

Ready To Get Started With Small Card Marketing?

Have questions? Ready to get started?  Fill out the simple form on the home page at www.SmallCardMarketing.com and a member of our marketing team will contact you the next business day.