Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: DanielWelford on February 03, 2007, 05:54:16 pm
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Looking to go into leaflets in a big way (50,000 per month).
Having a leaflet professionally designed, but want to have some idea on potential returns.
I have budgeted for 1 per thousand, but wondering if my expectations are too low.
Dan
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Thoose that have voted 4 +, whats the secret? Half Price Offers?, Who you tarket, layout of flyer?
Dene
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The thing with leaflets is you need to plan the distribution. Use target areas and re-leaflet these areas every few months.
If you just stick one leaflet through a door you'l catch 1 or 2 who are thinking of having cleaning done the rest will go in the bin. If you keep putting through the same letter boxes they will start to recognise the name. This way instead of getting 2 or 3 customers on an estate you could end up with 20.
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well ive done half price leaflets etc for over 12 years and hav never got 4 and more a 1000 ::)
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That is some financial outlay.
I am just coming to the end (well just half way through) just to contradict myself of a 25K leaflet programme for the new year and to be honest so far it has been a waste of money.
However I notice from the different responces from the poll that some get 4 or more responces per thousand.
I just hope you don't feel like me and wished you had kept the money in the bank.
regards
Mark
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mark this is a hard tr ade to get lots of work and u waste lots of money trying to get work in if i got a reg 4 plus a 1000 id be driving round in a very flash motor ::)
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we did 20,000 with not great response :-\
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The secret of getting 4+ per thousand is as I've said before, deliver them yourself. No special offers required but keep the layout of your flyer the same so people get to recognise it. You can change the wording to suit certain times of the year.
Target the same areas every 8 weeks or so. I only deliver 1000 per week (usually 200 per day first thing in the morning). Any new customers I get I always ask them to fill out my customer satisfaction survey which involves them giving me 3 names and addresses of others who "May be interested in our services". I then send a referral letter of to these potential customers and keep the initial customer on my database.
I actually enjoy delivering flyers myself because it keeps me fit and I can pick and choose houses and areas. Trust me it does work but. Be patient and the calls will come.
Sometime ago I gave 1000 flyers to a well distribution company and told them to target a certain area... I got one job. A few months later delivered flyers myself to same area and got 5 jobs. For ages I actually thought that 1 per tonne was the norm. Trust me it isn't.
Best Regards
Will
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What else do you guys do? Letters to letting agencys,pubs etc?
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Letters to properties available to let., tenants moving out need carpets cleaned in their old or new property.
Letters to businesses, care homes, doctors etc. A recent blitz we have done on bookies has worked really well.
Letters to schools offer a donation to their fete or fundraising event for every parent that uses you they put you details and the offer on the invites that the kids take home to mum and dad.
Write to bigger companies, police, sainsburys etc.. Small poster with special offer for their staff ask to put up on notice board in staff room.
Ads in newsagents windows, cheap and work in small numbers
Don’t baffle them with the science simple letter, good offer etc.
The price of second postage is only £0.23 so a 100 letters a week is only £23.00 plus time, printing costs.
you have to stick at it though. If you throw enough mud, some of it will stick.
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The problem with throwing enough mud and hoping it will stick is in this business throwing mud costs so it is important to watch how much you spend and the return you get from the effort.
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Thoose that have voted 4 +, whats the secret? Half Price Offers?, Who you tarket, layout of flyer?
My leaflet stresses the fact that we are a LOCAL, family run business.
It also includes a time limited offer (10% off if you call within 7 days) to encourage people to phone up there and then, rather than put the leaflet to one side and forget about it.
Out of the last 1000 we probably had 7 enquiries of which I quoted about 5 and 4 turned into jobs.
A lot will probably depend on the area that gets leafleted, some are better than others.
To be honest my leaflet isn't that good. I designed it myself using a graphics program off a cover disk. Almost every job we have had the customer has chosen us because we are LOCAL and our leaflet reflects that. People like to employ local businesses wherever they can, rather than large, faceless organisations.
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Its a learning curve. I have a leaflet that I have constantly altered over the years, and I am still not 100% happy with, but getting there. The last 2,000 out brought in 18 jobs over a six week period, with 2 more last month, and I expect them to carry on bringing jobs in over the next year at a lesser rate. All self delivered, one day I booked 3 of those jobs in whilst out delivering them. Simply a case of - right place at the right time, you can never tell. The leaflet is based on explaining what I do, how I do it, and addressing some of the concerns that experience has taught me that people have, with a couple of other additions to create confidence in the mind of the potential customer. No offers or special deals and definetly no prices, just a thought out leaflet that has evolved over the years by trial and error into its present format. The only problem I have is not having enough time to get them out as widespread or as often as I would like.
Dave.
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Ill show you mine if you show me yours Dave!