Your new leaflets have arrived. Now give them a job to do. A carefully chosen audience, a clear next step and a simple record of results will help you get more from a batch of 500 than distributing them without a plan.
Decide what success looks like
Choose one main goal: enquiries for a particular service, bookings for an appointment, visits to your shop or requests for a quote. Trying to promote everything at once can make the next step unclear.
Write down who you want to reach and why they would care. A leaflet for local treatment bookings needs a different distribution plan from one promoting business design services.
Set a manageable target based on your own experience. There is no response rate that every leaflet campaign should achieve. Your audience, offer, location and follow-up all matter.
Give people a clear reason to respond
Make the benefit easy to understand. Explain what you offer, who it helps and what someone should do next. A clear service description, useful package or timely reminder can work without a discount.
If you use an offer, check that the price still leaves enough profit. Include any conditions and a genuine end date where applicable. Make sure the website or booking page shows the same details.
Before distributing, check the phone number, email address, spelling and prices. Scan the printed QR code on more than one phone. A code should open the most useful page, with a website address printed alongside it.
Split your 500 into batches you can learn from
Here is an example allocation to adapt to your business, rather than a promise of results:
- 100 for a first test in a carefully chosen local area.
- 150 for distribution through complementary businesses, with their permission.
- 100 to give to suitable customers after a conversation, appointment or purchase.
- 100 for a second targeted area, event or group.
- 50 held back for follow-up and the channel showing the strongest early results.
Agree where partner businesses will display your leaflets and when you will check back. A leaflet hidden behind a counter is unlikely to get noticed. Keep a record of how many actually reach people, rather than counting those left in a pile.
For the first test, choose a period long enough for customers to respond before judging it. A purchase with a longer decision process may need more time than an appointment offer.
Make each leaflet part of a conversation
When handing one over, give a short reason to keep it: “This has the details of our service and a link to book when you’re ready.” A relevant conversation gives the leaflet context.
Use suitable places where your audience already spends time. Ask before leaving material at a salon, café, shop, gym or workplace, and respect any requests not to receive leaflets.
Support the same message on your website, social media and WhatsApp Status. People may see the leaflet first and look you up later, so make your name and offer easy to recognise.
Track enquiries and paying customers
Use a simple campaign code such as LEAFLET, a dedicated landing page or a trackable QR link. To compare distribution channels, use different codes or keep a record of when and where each batch went out.
Ask new customers how they heard about you and record their answers. QR scans show interest, but a scan is not a booking or a sale. Some customers will respond by telephone without scanning anything.
Record distribution date, channel, quantity, enquiries, paying customers and sales. Where possible, record the contribution from those sales too: the money left after the direct costs of supplying them, before the campaign cost.
Work out whether the campaign paid for itself
Illustrative example only: suppose design, printing, delivery and distribution cost £100 in total. Each new purchase leaves £25 after the direct costs of providing it. Four purchases cover the £100 campaign cost.
If eight new customers buy, their total contribution is £200. Subtract the £100 campaign cost and the campaign leaves £100. The campaign ROI is (£200 − £100) ÷ £100 × 100 = 100%.
Use your actual costs, including paid distribution and any discount given. If you distribute yourself, consider the value of your time. Use contribution rather than total sales revenue, otherwise the return can look better than it is.
Repeat purchases may increase the eventual return, but count them when they happen rather than assuming every new customer will come back.
Review before you reorder
Compare channels by customers gained and campaign cost, as well as enquiries. A channel producing fewer enquiries may still bring better customers.
If people enquire but do not buy, review the offer, price, information and response process. If few people enquire, check audience fit, visibility and the call to action. Change one main thing at a time so you can learn what helped.
Need help with your leaflet campaign?
Verve Designs can help with leaflet design, leaflet printing, a QR code and matching promotional graphics. Tell Carl who you want to reach, what you want them to do and where you plan to distribute your leaflets.