The tried and true method of advertising with flyers has been around nearly as long as advertising itself. The act of calling attention to an upcoming event, public notice, promotion or special with a simple one-page flyer attached to a wall, tree, telephone pole or virtually anywhere, is advertising in it’s simplest form. Whether it’s the Sheriff of Nottingham hanging flyers on trees throughout Sherwood Forest in his search for Robin Hood, a local club distributing flyers printed with details about upcoming events or a large chain store including a full-color flyer insert with the daily newspaper – the idea remains the same. Custom flyer printing is an easy, inexpensive promotional tool and a great way to draw the attention of a large number of people.
For the small business owner unable to afford higher priced advertising methods such as television, radio and billboards, a well designed flyer is an excellent alternative and can be just as effective. Fundamentally speaking, a flyer is really no different that a billboard, just on a much smaller scale. Like its larger more visible sibling, the purpose of a flyer is not to tell a story, but rather to get noticed and entice the viewer. Once noticed, a clever “call-to-action” on an impactful flyer will challenge readers to do something further.
Big headlines should be used to get noticed and the most effectively designed flyers use them to highlight the most important information. They should be generally less than a sentence long and need to be clean, crisp and to the point. Putting the headline near the top of the flyer in large letters ensures that it stands out. Also, headlines should be memorable and closely linked to the event or business being promoted. By using phrases such as “Playing LIVE tonight”, “Huge Sale” or “Get Your Custom Business Cards Here” amongst many others, you immediately put yourself into the stream of consciousness for any interested parties.
Pictures should also be used to support your purpose and help grab attention whenever possible. They can be specific to the product or service being promoted or just a great visual that will catch the eye. In either case, pictures are worth 1000 words and they should be used advantageously. Just be careful not to overuse them and hide your headline.
Even the most beautiful billboards are considered unsuccessful if they do not evoke a response in the form of a sale or participation in whatever it is the message is trying to convey. In much the same way, printed flyers need to have a “call-to-action” that hits its mark and prompts the desired action. Also, be sure to include an address, directions, a telephone number, email address or a website for the reader to contact you. Including a coupon on the flyer for FREE admission or a FREE sample is another great way to increase the impact of flyer advertising. By keeping track of the number of redeemed coupons, you can also easily track the success of your printed flyers.
Now that the general format of effective flyer design has been outlined, let’s go back and revisit the example mentioned above with Robin Hood. In your opinion has the Sheriff making good use of his flyer? Let’s take a quick look.
The message is quite clear with a large headline that reads “REWARD” and absolutely grabs your attention. That message is fully supported with a picture of the alleged perpetrator. Furthermore, a top notch “call-to-action” that promises a reward for the capture of Robin Hood, is certain to spur the masses into action. Therefore, by all accounts it is safe to say that even back in the day of fables and fairy tales we can find examples of effective flyer advertising.
Printing Solutions has designed and printed custom flyers for many of its clients. Our experienced team of designers can help create full-color flyers with maximum impact. With our high-quality printing process, our printed flyers can deliver results and help drive business.