Verve Designs
TAFNO Extensionize
Seen a few threads recently asking what they ought to put on a leaflet. However, without us knowing too much about your business it's tricky for us to give specific advice.
So, thought I'd post this up. This is an article from a newsletter I sent out recently to my clients. I did a fair bit of research (as it's a question a lot of my clients ask me) - and lot of this made sense.
A key piece of content marketing material is an eye-catching, service-selling leaflet.
Dont be fooled however, into thinking that because its only a small leaflet that it doesnt deserve the same care and attention as your website, Facebook page, or any other weapon in your marketing arsenal.
First of all, let's remind ourselves about why we want to write a good leaflet in the first place. A great leaflet can...
Grab the attention of potential customers
Sell the benefits of your business
Make someone keep hold of it- and possibly show others.
Make someone buy from you
However, a poorly written or put together leaflet can:
Go completely ignored
Bore your audience
Not inform an audience about your business benefits
Make you look unprofessional
So, to improve your chances of your leaflet being kept in a warm pocket rather than a kitchen bin, here are some simple tips to bear in mind.
Know what you like
Go to the nearest shop, salon, train station, pub or café and youll see thousands of different leaflets. If youre taking the time to write a leaflet, its worth checking out the competition. Which ones catch your eye? Which ones hit your blind spot? Make a pile of the good versus the bad and try to identify the trends.
Chances are the good leaflets:
Have an interesting design (not necessarily elaborate)
Are easy to read
Use language that appeals to you
Are clear in what they offer
And the pile of bad leaflets:
Look dull and /or are boring to read
Are unclear, or have too much information
Insult / patronise or annoy you
Sound insincere
Have grammatical or spelling errors (I know this is enough to send some people into a rage)
So once you have the good the bad and the ugly examples, its time to start drafting your own.
Start with a hungry headline
Your headline is always the most important words you write when advertising.
Thats because whilst 8 out of 10 people will read your headline, only 2 out of 10 people will read the rest. And that means if your headline fails to bite, the rest of your message is lost.
Headlines that leave readers hungry for more will-
Hone in on your biggest benefit.
Focuses on something that really matters to your target audience.
Builds desire to discover more.
So dont just settle for the first idea that pops into your mind. Your headline deserves more attention that that. Instead brainstorm ideas and take the time needed to ensure you opt for the right opening. It will make the difference between a success and a flop.
Write to your audience
This might sound a little obvious, but the main thing to remember when composing any content marketing material is that, its not about you.
It might be about your business, but its not actually about you, its about your audience. Its about their problems, their needs, their dreams. Before writing your leaflet, take some time to think about who will be reading it and who you are trying to appeal to.
By thinking like your potential customer you can answer their questions with your leaflet rather than hoping that the information you include will be of interest to them.
Take some time to ask yourself these questions:
Who do you want to appeal to?
What are they interested in?
What questions might they have?
What do they want to achieve?
What problems do they have?
How can you solve their problems?
Focus on benefits NOT features
A common mistake is to focus on features in your advertising.
On the surface it makes sense after all youre telling customers what they are going to get. However people rarely make buying decisions based on need (apart from the essentials of course). Instead we buy because we want. And its product / service benefits which elicit the emotions that draw out the I need that now feeling.
To achieve that you need to work out how your product or service enhances your customers lives.
Take some time out to work out what you are really selling And then weave that into your sales message.
Answer these two pressing questions
Potential customers are cynical and tough. And they want to know two things. And to have any chance of persuading them you need to answer these two pressing questions:
Whats In It For Me?
Why should I pick you over everyone else?
In truth thats all customers want to know.
And if you cant answer these questions youre going to struggle to attract attention and capture the interest.
The answer will often be found in your Unique Selling Point. And whilst tempting, dont make the mistake of making your advert all about price.
You see, if price is the only thing you can compete on beware, someone can (and will) always undercut you. Instead focus on the aspect of your business that only you provide, then craft a message that attracts customers based on that.
Focus on persuasion
One of the biggest (and most common) mistakes with leaflet writing is focusing on information instead of persuasion. Don't bore your audience with reams of useless information, instead focus on snappy sentences which will persuade the audience to use you.
Ask your audience to do something
Your call to action is copywriting jargon for what you want readers to do next? Every piece of persuasive writing MUST have a call to action.
Skip it and youll leave your audience hanging and miss out on sales. But its obvious I hear you cry. And here youll be right. But its obvious to you because you know your business inside out and upside down. However its not obvious to a reader who may have simply glanced at your leaflet and half-heartedly scanned your offer.
So remember this rule. If you want people to respond, youve got to ask them and when you do you need to be clear, specific and straightforward
So, thought I'd post this up. This is an article from a newsletter I sent out recently to my clients. I did a fair bit of research (as it's a question a lot of my clients ask me) - and lot of this made sense.
A key piece of content marketing material is an eye-catching, service-selling leaflet.
Dont be fooled however, into thinking that because its only a small leaflet that it doesnt deserve the same care and attention as your website, Facebook page, or any other weapon in your marketing arsenal.
First of all, let's remind ourselves about why we want to write a good leaflet in the first place. A great leaflet can...
Grab the attention of potential customers
Sell the benefits of your business
Make someone keep hold of it- and possibly show others.
Make someone buy from you
However, a poorly written or put together leaflet can:
Go completely ignored
Bore your audience
Not inform an audience about your business benefits
Make you look unprofessional
So, to improve your chances of your leaflet being kept in a warm pocket rather than a kitchen bin, here are some simple tips to bear in mind.
Know what you like
Go to the nearest shop, salon, train station, pub or café and youll see thousands of different leaflets. If youre taking the time to write a leaflet, its worth checking out the competition. Which ones catch your eye? Which ones hit your blind spot? Make a pile of the good versus the bad and try to identify the trends.
Chances are the good leaflets:
Have an interesting design (not necessarily elaborate)
Are easy to read
Use language that appeals to you
Are clear in what they offer
And the pile of bad leaflets:
Look dull and /or are boring to read
Are unclear, or have too much information
Insult / patronise or annoy you
Sound insincere
Have grammatical or spelling errors (I know this is enough to send some people into a rage)
So once you have the good the bad and the ugly examples, its time to start drafting your own.
Start with a hungry headline
Your headline is always the most important words you write when advertising.
Thats because whilst 8 out of 10 people will read your headline, only 2 out of 10 people will read the rest. And that means if your headline fails to bite, the rest of your message is lost.
Headlines that leave readers hungry for more will-
Hone in on your biggest benefit.
Focuses on something that really matters to your target audience.
Builds desire to discover more.
So dont just settle for the first idea that pops into your mind. Your headline deserves more attention that that. Instead brainstorm ideas and take the time needed to ensure you opt for the right opening. It will make the difference between a success and a flop.
Write to your audience
This might sound a little obvious, but the main thing to remember when composing any content marketing material is that, its not about you.
It might be about your business, but its not actually about you, its about your audience. Its about their problems, their needs, their dreams. Before writing your leaflet, take some time to think about who will be reading it and who you are trying to appeal to.
By thinking like your potential customer you can answer their questions with your leaflet rather than hoping that the information you include will be of interest to them.
Take some time to ask yourself these questions:
Who do you want to appeal to?
What are they interested in?
What questions might they have?
What do they want to achieve?
What problems do they have?
How can you solve their problems?
Focus on benefits NOT features
A common mistake is to focus on features in your advertising.
On the surface it makes sense after all youre telling customers what they are going to get. However people rarely make buying decisions based on need (apart from the essentials of course). Instead we buy because we want. And its product / service benefits which elicit the emotions that draw out the I need that now feeling.
To achieve that you need to work out how your product or service enhances your customers lives.
Take some time out to work out what you are really selling And then weave that into your sales message.
Answer these two pressing questions
Potential customers are cynical and tough. And they want to know two things. And to have any chance of persuading them you need to answer these two pressing questions:
Whats In It For Me?
Why should I pick you over everyone else?
In truth thats all customers want to know.
And if you cant answer these questions youre going to struggle to attract attention and capture the interest.
The answer will often be found in your Unique Selling Point. And whilst tempting, dont make the mistake of making your advert all about price.
You see, if price is the only thing you can compete on beware, someone can (and will) always undercut you. Instead focus on the aspect of your business that only you provide, then craft a message that attracts customers based on that.
Focus on persuasion
One of the biggest (and most common) mistakes with leaflet writing is focusing on information instead of persuasion. Don't bore your audience with reams of useless information, instead focus on snappy sentences which will persuade the audience to use you.
Ask your audience to do something
Your call to action is copywriting jargon for what you want readers to do next? Every piece of persuasive writing MUST have a call to action.
Skip it and youll leave your audience hanging and miss out on sales. But its obvious I hear you cry. And here youll be right. But its obvious to you because you know your business inside out and upside down. However its not obvious to a reader who may have simply glanced at your leaflet and half-heartedly scanned your offer.
So remember this rule. If you want people to respond, youve got to ask them and when you do you need to be clear, specific and straightforward
Last edited:
