Anyone Have Experience Marketing Using Door Hangers?

[MarkyMarkNC]

I was curious if anybody on here has used door hangers as a marketing tool, and if so, if they thought they were an effective one.

I am starting up a business that is selling a safety related product to home owners. I was considering doing most of my advertising using direct mail and my website, but this seems like it might be a viable option as well. The cost seems to be in the same ballpark if not a bit cheaper than direct mail.

[FireFold-Jennie]

FireFold is trying to branch out to our local community and we thought hanging door hangers would be a quick and easy way to do this. However, I was wanting to get some feedback from others who have done this. Did you get any results? What kind of limitations did you have when placing them in certain communities?

[Logan]

Hi Mark & Jenny, I've merged your two threads together since they are recent, similar and we haven't had any responses.

Personally, I do not have any direct experiences, but if it were me I would test it and see what results you get from a decent sample. Another consideration, that I have heard positive experiences from others, is using a coupon book that is distributed in your area (top = valpak) or consider grocery store checkout receipt advertising on the back. As with anything, start small and test it

I'd also like to hear from anyone with direct experiences, using door hangers as a successful local marketing tactic. what's your offer? how many contacts/conversion ratio? anything?

I do know valpak as company does fairly well - something must be working there

[cqa2005]

Originally Posted by MarkyMarkNC

I was curious if anybody on here has used door hangers as a marketing tool, and if so, if they thought they were an effective one.

I am starting up a business that is selling a safety related product to home owners. I was considering doing most of my advertising using direct mail and my website, but this seems like it might be a viable option as well. The cost seems to be in the same ballpark if not a bit cheaper than direct mail.

I don't recommend this (even though we print them) because of distribution issues. Who's going to hang them? Sometimes you pay someone to this and they end up in a dumpster.

[MarkyMarkNC]

I don't recommend this (even though we print them) because of distribution issues. Who's going to hang them? Sometimes you pay someone to this and they end up in a dumpster.

Yeah, that was one of the drawbacks I saw as well, the fact that you might be going on someones word on whether they delivered them or not. Of course with direct mail, you are going on the mailers word on whether or not their list is truly targeted as well. Or for that matter whether or not they even mailed them!!

What I am thinking of doing now is printing some up, and then just hitting a dozen or so houses nearby existing customers after we finish up each job. Maybe have a reference to the neighbor who's house we have just completed if they want to talk to them for a recommendation. Should only take an extra ten minutes per job. I'll report back to the forum as soon as I get some results.

[Ravedesigns]

MArk, definitely cover the neighbors when you're in an area doing a job. I'm amazed at how many local service people DON'T do this kind of thing and boy are they missing out on some good, inexpensive advertising.

Also, I don't have first hand experience with this, but if you want to go the flyer distribution route...see if you can find someone to share the costs with you if you deliver their flyer at the same time as yours. At the very least you could cover your printing costs, and you may even be able to cover your distribution costs as well.

Along those lines - what other businesses could you partner with to help distribute your message? Maybe you could get a childrens furniture store to pass out your flyers in their store - or have a local carpet cleaner leave your flyer behind after making a sales call? The more targeted your efforts the better, but your costs are so low here it wouldn't hurt anyway.

HTH,

Steve

[mktgbiz]

I've built a number of businesses using door hangers and highly recommend them. Cost for 1000 should be right around $50.00

It's about two things:
1). Continually putting them out.
2). The heading on the flyer or door hanger. (Never put your really cool business name at the top of the flyers, always put a heading, a title that grabs peoples attention and offers them something for acting).


Yep, defintely like using flyers (door hangers).


BTW, I never actually used the type with a cut in the paper to fit around the door knob. I always used 8.5 x 11 sheets of paper folded in half.

Keep us posted.

[birthmarked]

I think they work, but it depends on whether or not they actually grab people's attention with a good design and clear message, or look like your average junk mail door hanger. I worked in-house for a church for a while and did a few door hangers for them that got pretty good response.

There is a lot to be said about:

1. The Offer (who is this appealing to? Are you in the right neighborhood?)
2. The Design (does the piece command attention, is it memorable or unique?)
3. The Call to Action (what are you asking them to do? who do they call?)

If you can get all of these things right, you should get a decent response.
You may consider having some kids from your neighborhood or local college do the work, too. Even your local church youth-group or something. Teenagers are always looking to make a few bucks.

Good luck!

[PrintHi-Res.com]

Door hangers, if implemented strategically, are a great way to get your ad out of the junk mail and into the hands of your future customers.

The best advice is to know who your customer is and where your customers come from. This will help you develop a canvasing area for your door hangers.

As for distribution, make sure if you are hiring a distribution company to distribute the hangers, use a company that offers real time on-line GPS tracking to make sure your hangers are being delivered and not thrown in the dumpster.

I also highly suggest that you also canvas the area on the delivery days. Make sure that the areas you requested delivery to actually have the hangers on the doors. Also, try to avoid distribution in areas that have a lot of apartment bldgs and college dorms. Many times, these types of bldgs have locked entrances and your hangers will end up on the floor of the bldg entrance.

GOOD LUCK!

PrintHi-Res.com
Your printing and marketing service provider

[proprint1]

I do a lot of door hangers for many clients. I have printed them on card stock & cheapest paper you could find. I have done them using beautiful graphics & I have done them for a client from their word document.
There are few secrets in making a door hanger work & here they are.
1- make sure they are printed on a heavy card stock.
why? because most of the cheap ones, printed on light paper are blown away before people see them & they become neighbors trash.
2- Offer something for free.
why? the homeowner knows that you are a small local business & not a fortune 500 company. So here is your advantage over the big guys. Deal with the clients one on one & offer them someting worth their time.
3- Repeat. No matter how often I say this. the 1st 2 times they see your post card or door hanger. It's trown in the trash. By the 3rd time, they know that you are not a fly by night business. The third one they keep in that drawer where all flyers go to die, you know the one? but if your offer is good & the drawer has few of your door hangers in it, chances are that they will come back from where no flyer has come before and then they will get you a new client.