Know-How Exchange : Advertising/PR

Its really not the medium but the message. I read every door hanger I get, so the goal is for the message to be read-- but that doesn' t mean I buy every offer. I was introduced to my window and gutter cleaner

Give them a good message and a compelling reason to respond. Doorhangers are only the messenger.

Phil's response regarding target audience, message copy points, offer, and economic environment are on target.

That door hangers as a medium are amateurish is debatable. Door-hangers have grown exponentially in the alternative-media marketing discipline as an approach that is cost-efficient, trackable and effective. Companies such as AT&T, Verizon, Time Warner, Allstate Insurance and a host of Packaged Goods companies use this method quite often to gain customer acquisition; increase store traffic; generate product trial, etc.

What you need to analyze are several factors:
How far geographically from your place of business are you willing to service your audience? For example, a 3-5 mile radius?

Based on your previous customer experience, what sort of household income would you like to target? Household units - single family or multi-dwellings (apartments)? Since your business is house-cleaning, I would assume all household units are targetable.

There's a company in San Antonio, TX - ADS Direct Media - that specializes in this type of activity on a national base, plus Canada. The company will generate geo-demographic targeting maps that will outline for you where your target's ideal/viable audience resides and distribute in these areas only in order to maximize the effort and minimize waste. They also utilize a proprietary GPS system that tracks & verifies distribution of the door-hangers as narrow as the block group level.

When soliciting an estimate, please ensure that the GPS tracking service is included as it is on a request-base only. You can actually see the distribution in real-time (as it happens) from the comfort of your own PC, by simply accessing the company's website once your delivery starts.

Step one: define your audience (by income, by age, by ethnicity, by radius, etc.) your message, your service area.
Step two: get geo-demographic maps that will show you precisely where your target can be found based on elements from step one.

Good luck!
Mayrah

Your message and offer are crucial. Are you a premium provider? If so, you need to have a doorhanger that embodies that image. Are you fast and cheap? Then focus on that, and give people a good offer.

If you hire someone else to distribute door hangers for you, make sure they help you target the right areas, and that they validate their delivery. Many of these companies hire day laborers who are sloppy at best. They need to be supervised, and someone needs to make sure they get where they are supposed to go.

You need to make sure your doorhangers actually get on the doors, all of the doors you pay for, and that they aren't trashed, dropped in the front yard or driveway, and aren't hanging on garage doors, fences or mailboxes. Front yard and driveway drop offs equals trash and will hurt your business reputation. Hanging the doorhangers on garage doors or fences could mean that your potential clients never see them, especially if they are using a garage door opener or other entrance.

If the doorhangers will be delivered in an area you can inspect yourself, I recommend doing so. The company should be able to tell you where they are delivering and when, so you should be able to drive the area and see your advertising during or immediately after their shift.

A typical doorhanger response can vary from .5% to 25%, depending on your industry, message, and offer. Pizza is at the high end, and professional services are closer to the bottom. The higher fee you charge, or the more exclusive your potential clientele, the lower the response.

Of course, the doorhangers job is to get the phone ringing, people coming in your shop, or visiting your website. The rest of the sale is up to you.