Distributing business cards instead of flyers

Have any of you tried to deliver business cards door to door instead of flyers. I think an advantage of that is that householders may hold onto your business card longer than flyers which may quickly be thrown out. A case in point: I used to cut grass and shovel snow while in highschool. I gave business cards out then in the area where I lived. To this day, I still get calls from people who want their grass cut even though I stopped over 10 years ago.

So my question is have any of you distributed business cards house to house in a campaign. And have you had success?

MikeP

When we are doing our d-2-d compaigns, we don’t ring door bells or knock on doors because if you do that in this area, you must have a permit. So we just put our materials in the crack between the door and the frame. We slide in a flyer (what type depends on what we can actually see they might need. for example if their roof is dirty, we give a roof washing flier, if their sidewalk or house is dirty–we put on a softwash or power washing flier). We always also put on a business card.

I think that if you do both, they might have more of a chance of calling. The flier stimulates them to see or to find the problems they have, and my gut feeling is that the card will stick around like you said and be a reminder when they need the number to call.

Thanks for your detailed response to my two questions. I don’t ring bells or knock on doors. But I do introduce myself to the householder when they are out in their front yard or porch.

I would like to hear more feedback from others too.

It is important to understand that a business card is identification and not an advertisement. (unless it has a built in offer)

When I deliver flyers or postcards they have a purpose as they are mini salesmen for my company. Even if we junk up a business card with micro print to try and make it an ad, it is still going to fail.

You are finding solace in them keeping the card to maybe call someday. I don’t even understand that type of thinking. Maybe they received the card (i.e. it did not blow away, etc) Maybe they will find the card 1 month or 5 years from now at the right time (it is small and easy to lose). Most importantly why would they save the card and why would they call? Just because?

I don’t have time to knock on doors or walk down streets looking for someone outside. I’ll blanket an area with ads and fill my schedule while typing replies like this one.

It is not very expensive nor very hard to advertise smartly. Why do anything else? (in my opinion)

I am looking at blanketing an area. And I leave flyers at every house. If I happen to find someone on their porch I will speak to them about my company.

I’m hoping for better response to my flyers. I only received one call so far after leaving several hundred flyers. Although it’s only been around a week since I delivered my first flyers. And I did deliver some business cards too.

I did not know you did residential Mike

You can use just a flyer, a flyer with a business card, a business card with a special on the backside. Either the customer will call the second they receive it or they will hold on to it till they do need your service or they will just trash it.

I would go with the flyer with a business card. If they are interested in your services right away, they have a flyer with a special offer with an expiration date on it to give them a reason to call now. If they do not need your services right away then the flier will most likely get thrown out because it won’t be used before it expires. But that would be okay because then they have your business card in their file to call you later.

Whether it turns into business now or business later it is still business.

That pretty much summarizes my points, even though I didn’t say it that clearly.

I think, like others have said that a flyer along with a business card might do the trick for quick sale and the sale down the road. I’ve never tried this approach but am certainly considering it for the future. Business cards are relatively cheap so tossing them in with the flyer’s no big deal.

You get the score, I’ll take the assist. :slight_smile:

Deal.

Hey BTW I am almost certain that I got the UNT job. Might be calling you for an extra hand towards the middle of June!

I recently started laminating my business cards. That way they are less likely to be thrown out. I picked up a laminator machine for about $40.00 on ebay and a package of 400 laminating sheets for abou I think $10.00. My kids loved laminating a box of 400 business cards. People seem very impressed to receive a durable card.