I'm thinking of doing a leaflet drop in my local area, say a 1-5 mile radius. What worries me is that I don't as yet have a website, and from a personal point of view, I always check out and use local trades with an inviting website - I know this sounds very hypocritical, as it has more substance.
Also, what size leaflet to use is another puzzling question - as I throw most things I receive in the bin. So maybe a smaller postcard size may be better than the standard A5 leaflet, as people may put it on a notice board for when they need my services in the future.
Sorry for such basic questions, but I want to get it right before spending any money.
Has anybody done a leaftlet drop? I'm sure some of you have - any opinions would be great.
To be honest, unless it's a service I need, or think I may need in a short time, I bin leaflets too, or I'd be drowning under them.
I think the way to avoid this is to give the recipient something useful on the leaflet that they'll want to keep, not just how wonderful you are (and I'm sure you are). I'm thinking a list of important dates for the forthcoming year, when their self assessment should be in by for example. People need a reason to keep these on their notice board, make sure you give them one.
I agree with you about the website, why not pull together a business card website, or a few pages using a simple template which you can update later.
I haven't done a leaflet drop but I have advertised in our monthly local directory which is distributed free to all homes (5500) in a cluster of villages, I took a quarter column for 3 months which cost £115 (probably a bit more than printing flyers) it generated more business than the cost though as I think more people flick through these and spot the ads of interest. I don't know where in the country you are but I think these directories are produced all over.
In my opinion you do need some sort of internet presence, these days.
Its really easy to set one up and there are lots of cheap/ free options out there, to get you started, if you are in a hurry. I also think owning an internet domain name for your business is vital as well.
However, as Kris says, you can (and to be honest, must) upgrade your site to something professional looking as soon as time/ resources allow.
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.................just an ICB student, at the moment.
I think I will look at a cheap website solution before designing and sending out the leaflets. I keep seeing the 1 & 1 adverts on TV and it does look easy - so i'll start there I think.
I;m the same as Sheila, I advertised in a local business mag and got nearly all my work from it. I don't have a website and to be honest its not been a problem not having one, I also think it depends where you live, I live where there are loads of small business and alot of self-employed one man bands, so work especially the last year hasn't been a problem. One the recession hit I lost a couple but it wasn't too bad. Have to say when I did advertise it took a while to get that first phone call, then there was a steady stream of them. I don't advertise now as I've got enough as I am in with a few Accounts' practices as well which makes a difference.
Scour your local accountants and get your foot in the door, they generally don't want to do the bookkeeping! Good luck with it all.
I've used leaflets to advertise other services. In my experience, post-cards are best, especially if one side has a list of useful information. People are more inclined to file it for possible future reference. Target an area small enough that you can drop leaflets every six weeks, rather than hitting a larger area less often. Keep dropping the leaflets when you're busy - not just when the market is dead - or you'll look desperate. Concentrate on an area where you already have a presence. Leaflets aren't effective for cultivating a new area. Whether you use leaflets or newspaper ads, you won't see the real benefit until you've been advertising consistanty for about a year. That's when you start becoming a familiar name and people stop assuming you're a fly-by-night outfit. That's why it's best to use leaflets, newspaper ads, signage and anything else you can think of in one neighbourhood, rather than spreading yourself across a larger area. It's all about repetition and establishing a presence. I wouldn't wait until you have a web site. That will just delay your efforts. Start establishing a presence as early as you can. If you get a web site, get it listed on as many local directories as you can.
