These days communication is instant, emails fly through cyberspace to land in the recipient’s inbox a few seconds later, compared to the time consuming action of sending a letter in the post. Are letters still a viable form of communication for business?

Absolutely! Communication via email is extremely popular but now our inboxes are brimming to capacity, we skim our eyes down the “new” messages sometimes not even opening the new message, or they land in junk mail, are deleted without being read or just lost in the vastness of the world wide web.

The act of physically receiving a letter, opening it, unfolding and then reading is now a rather romantic act. Letterhead presents a professional visual identity for your business. It is the most important representing document for your company not just a means of correspondence but also a physical representation of your business and services in front of your existing and potential customers, employees, as well as a legal document for your business.

What to include in your letterhead

• Company name
• Logo and slogan
• Address (important if you want to receive something back)
• Phone number
• Email address
• Website

Like it or not, people judge you. If your letters look sloppy, they will assume your work is too. If your logo looks dated, they will figure your business is out of touch. If your stationery is home made, they will worry that your business is your hobby and you are not serious. Badly designed stationery may cost you a lot more than well designed and well created stuff.

With just a few simple tweaks, your stationery can become an active part of your marketing, rather than an overhead. Here are some useful design tips to keep in mind.

• Increase traffic to your website by prominently showing your web address
• A colourful reverse will make your letters more memorable
• Your letterhead should be simple and uncluttered.
• Your logo should be prodominant
• Leave plenty of room for writing
• Important to keep in mind that letterhead paper stocks are uncoated (matt) papers and colours may appear duller than coated (glossy) papers
• Click here for 83 “eye-popping” letterhead designs

Other Uses
All our papers are laser and inkjet guaranteed, although we recommend you try a few samples on your own printer before you order…just in case it is a fussy feeder or a picky printer.

• Newsletters
• Takeaway Menus
• Flyers
• Letters
• Invoices
• Quotes
• Proposals
• Pricelists
• Application forms
• Uncoated paper is great for writing on
• Order forms
• Business proposals
• HR issues
• Written references

Check out our offer of the month for 25% off letterheads plus free A6 notepads

Notepads Ideas

• Calendars
• To do lists
• Crossword puzzles
• Sudoku
• Your contact details
• Useful numbers
• Your logo
• Sketch pads
• Giveaways

Firstly, is a flyer junk mail or is it information to assist the client?

A recent survey in the UK, the British Marketing Survey 2010, found that “door to door leaflet marketing beats all other advertising channels.”

Flyers are particularly great for local marketing as you can target specific areas and demographics.  It gives your company profile and presence.

People are inspired by physical printed marketing and are less likely to throw them away.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when designing, printing and distributing your flyers:

Design and Print

Consider the following:

1. Images – select carefully
2. Use of Colour
3. Attention grapping headline  – you could ask a question, or hone in on a current issue…
4. Know your audience
5. Focus on the important messages – don’t be tempted to clutter the flyer with everything
6. Giveaway some key information – so the reader feels they need to keep the flyer, and point them to where they can find out more, ie. phone, email, website, facebook, QR Code
7. Remember that the flyer is less likely to be thrown away if it looks and feels professional, so seek some graphic design advice
8. Professionally printed – the better quality of the print, the more likely the recipient is to keep it

Delivery

Timing – unless the receiver of the flyer is ready to purchase your product or utilise your services, you have not delivered the flyer at the right time.  People will only buy when they are ready to, not when you are ready to sell. 

So… the key is to regularly put your marketing message in front of them – to create familiarity; they will remember you when they are ready to.

Targeting – target your campaign to your market – remember quality is better than quantity; coupled with regularity.

Testing – consider testing a couple of different offers at different times, to different locations – this could be good research on what works.

Delivery – these are some ways to deliver your flyers to your potential customers:

1. Mail out to your database
2. Use a company like Reach Media to distribute
3. Pay some people to letterbox deliver in selected areas
4. Be careful of placing under car window wipers

For more advice, check out our April article and take advantage of our July Winter Sale - 50% off when you get 1,000 or 2,000 DLE Premium Leaflets!