Running a Successful Door Hanger Campaign

Door hangers are an excellent marketing tool. Many business owners dismiss the value of door hangers, underestimating the impact they can have. However, door hangers are – quite literally – in a unique position. Their surprising location catches potential customers off guard, and requires that they actively handle the material. By breaking your audience's routine, you help your company and product stand out in people's minds. Here are some tips to help you make the most of this opportunity:

Know Your Audience
The first step toward creating a successful marketing campaign is understanding whom you're trying to reach. Figure out what kind of people are most in need of your services, and try to think about your business from their perspective. What are they most interested in? Some audiences may be swayed by great deals – others could be more interested in luxury and status. Take a look at what your business offers and decide how that fits into your potential audience.

Once you've figured out the "who," you need to figure out where your prospective customers are, and what they'll respond to. An easy way to get started is income. Make income range a part of your audience analysis, and use city data to figure out where people in that range live. You now know the areas that you should canvas. This is only one piece of the puzzle, of course, but a thorough analysis of the people you're targeting should guide you in the steps going forward.

Go Simple
Door hangers are a quick, simple marketing moment. That's why it's important that your message be short and to the point. As Intuit.com points out, this is not the time for writing out your company's story or listing off every benefit your company offers. Instead, include bold calls to action that inspire the reader to want to learn more. Your door hanger should include your company's name, what it does, and one or two other elements that draw the reader in. These elements can be anything from testimonials to coupons, but make sure they're worth the space they're taking up. Limit additional elements to prevent the door hanger from looking too busy or cluttered, which will detract from the main message.

Offer Incentives
Whatever your call to action, there should be a clear reason the reader wants to follow through. One simple way to do this that can work for most businesses is including some type of coupon or discount. You can adjust this offer to suit your business – for example, a straightforward coupon would likely work well for a restaurant, but other companies might be able to offer something more nuanced. If your company provides a service like lawn care, you could include a coupon for a free consultation. This kind of incentive offers the extra benefit of being a "foot in the door" to building a stronger B2C or B2B relationship.

Distribute
When it comes to actually get your door hangers into your customers' hands, you have a couple of options. You can do it alone, or have your employees help you canvas a neighborhood. The advantage of this method is that you may get the chance to actually put in face time with potential customers, since they may come to the door as you're there. This is the perfect opportunity to give your pitch in person and make a great impression. However, this method does take a lot of time. If you're too busy to dedicate an afternoon or even a whole day to going door to door, you can also hire an outside company to distribute them on your behalf.