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Everyone knows that email and paid ads are a great way to market your business - but testing print marketing could lead to just as big of a win… if not bigger.
And if you’re looking for ways to market Christmas light installation to your current lawn care clients, you can’t overlook direct mail and door hangers.
The fact is, your clients already know who you are and love the services you provide.
Therefore, all it should take to convert or upsell them into Christmas light clients is a small nudge.
And strategically placed door hangers and flyers are a great way to provide that small nudge.
Here are eight tips to help you get the most out of your door hanger and flyer efforts.
1. Don’t Copy Your Competition
Be original!
Instead of copying your competitors, you’ll want to distinguish your business from them. Create your own positioning, offers, designs, and slogan.
Your competitors may not know what they’re doing, so why risk copying them?
After all, you want to show your potential clients why YOU are the right choice to install their Christmas lights.
Explain the value you’re bringing to your services. Also, prove to them why they can’t get that value anywhere else.
Every door hanger has four main key components:
- An immediate call-to-action
- A believable deadline
- A compelling offer
- A great headline
Make your Christmas light installation business irreplaceable and use that positioning in your flyers, door hangers, and other marketing materials.
2. Anticipate Your Clients’ Needs
When do your clients want their lights put up/taken down?
Do they typically only rim the roof?
Or, do they want additional items like larger trees and bushes?
Will you also install lawn ornaments?
What about bows and wreaths?
… These are just a few of the answers you need to know. These are the major selling points for your clients.
If you can anticipate your clients’ needs, you’re going to be able to sell your services way more easily.
Once you know what your clients want, you’ll know things like:
- When you should be conducting 9-arounds to send out your flyers and door hangers
- What offers are most enticing to your Christmas light clients
3. Make Your Door Hangers and Flyers Indisposable
Just like everything else in life, there’s a balance that comes with designing your door hangers and flyers.
The sad fact is that door hangers and flyers can end up in the trash without ever getting read.
But you have an advantage. Most of the people you’re marketing to are already clients… or they’re neighbors of your clients. You just have to convince them to purchase this additional service you’re now offering.
Your clients are already WAY more likely to read your marketing materials because they know and love you. So it’s your job not to disappoint them.
But just remember, even though you have the upper hand, your clients are busy, too… especially around the holidays.
Worst case scenario, they’re still just going to glance at the headline. As a result, if the headline isn’t right, they’re not going to continue reading… and your print marketing will end up in the closest trash can.
To avoid this, every aspect of your flyers and door hangers must either:
- Tell your clients how to sign up for your Christmas light installation
- Or
- Keep your clients reading until they get to the part about how they can sign up for your Christmas light installation
As you begin writing the copy, remember these four things:
- Use the “Value First” perspective (AKA teach them something)
- Use creative tactics
- Be personable
- Be friendly
Utilize every piece of knowledge you have on your clients and marketing tactics to create indisposable print marketing pieces that end up on the fridge (rather than the trash).
4. Balance Your Designs Between “Pretty” & “Functional”
What good does “a work of art do you”, if your clients can’t read it?
Absolutely none.
In other words, if you choose a beautifully spectacular font and design… but it’s not easily legible, then your door hanger or flyer isn’t going to do you one bit of good.
On the other hand, if you choose a boring font and design that’s easily legible… but “unfun” to look at, then your door hanger or flyer still isn’t going to do you a bit of good.
Consequently, you should find the proper balance between something that’s “pretty”, but still “functional”.
Here’s what you should do:
- Don’t use too many stock photos (Clients prefer to see your work!)
- Don’t sacrifice useful information for the sake of “art”
- Use high-quality paper (glossy, when possible)
- Stay away from fancy fonts (keep it consistent)
- Get to the point… fast
- Print in color
The best way to find your perfect balance is to test your marketing materials and see what works best for you. Be sure you’re tracking which ones work and don’t work (by the way, you can easily track this within Service Autopilot).
5. “Make an Offer They Can’t Refuse”
Picture this…
It’s a cold winter evening. There’s an ice-cold bite in the air, and the wind brings chills to your body every time it thrashes against your clothes.
You’re with your family walking through your neighborhood, looking at Christmas lights.
There’s a group of carolers singing that bring cheer to all around you. You and your family are leaping for joy at the sheer thought of Christmas.
… All of a sudden, there’s a food truck parked at the end of the street. He’s selling hot chocolate. You can’t resist. So you buy hot chocolate for everyone.
This is “an offer you can’t refuse”.
Now, you need to find out what you can do to replicate this kind of offer in your own business.
Here are a few tips to creating your own perfect offer:
- Provide the offer at the right time (like a cup of hot chocolate on a cold night)
- Promise something juicy (i.e. “hassle-free Christmas light installation”)
- Make your offer an invitation, not a pitch (no one likes hardsells)
Your offer should speak to a need or want that your client may not even know about yet. Put yourself in their shoes and see what comes to your mind.
6. Create a Sense of Urgency
Not as many clients are going to act as quickly on your offer if they don’t feel a sense of urgency.
When you give your clients a deadline, the perceived value of your offer and services skyrockets. This is because it encourages them to buy now… rather than later.
These are a few examples of creating a sense of urgency:
- “Act now! This offer expires November 30!”
- “Our schedule is filling up fast. Only 5 spots left!”
- “Due to our full schedule, we’ll only be in your neighborhood through next week. Call us now to book your appointment before it’s too late!”
When you create a sense of urgency, your clients are way more inclined to call you when they receive their flyers or door hangers.
7. Provide a Clear Call-to-Action
If you don’t include a Call-to-Action in your flyers and door hangers, there’s not even a point in handing them out.
Your Call-to-Action tells your clients the very next action you want them to take after they receive your offer.
In other words, you’re telling them what to do.
For example, you might tell them to ask you for a quote, or call you today, or act now.
No matter what action you tell them to take, your Call-to-Action should encourage your clients to take action right now.
Just keep your Calls-to-Action simple and straight to the point.
Since your clients have taken the time to read your materials, they’re already over halfway there to buying your Christmas light installation service. You just need to get them to take the next step.
Print Marketing Can Be Your Business’ Best Friend
Print Marketing is still very much alive, and it can be an extremely effective marketing strategy for your business. You just need to know how to utilize this powerful marketing tactic.
While these strategies are going to help you find the answers you need for successful print marketing, you’ll still need to find what works best for you and your business through trial and error.
But if you follow the tips in this article, you’re going to be maximizing your print marketing Christmas light strategy like a pro in no time.
BONUS: We’ve created free Christmas light door hanger and flyer templates you can take directly to your local print shop for easy customization. Download them here.
Related: How to Make Money with Christmas Light Installation
Originally published Dec 3, 2019 7:00 AM
