So, it’s time to take an existing, less-than fabulous business flyer and rip it apart. Let’s see what’s working and what’s not. Then let’s see where we can make it better.
Here’s our trusty example.
Go Green bags are strong, reusable shopping bags which are made from recyclable plastic. They encourage consumers to be more proactive about environmental issues, and are intended to replace the one-time use of regular plastic carrier bags which are an ecological disaster.
The target markets for the flyer are vendors at farmers’ markets and owners of small stores. The aim is to persuade them to buy a minimum quantity of Go Green bags printed with a company logo, which they could then either sell to their customers, or give away to them.
I’ll be talking about how to improve the headline in How to Write an Eyeball-Stopping Headline.
Right now it’s time to deal with the rest of the text. The first paragraph reads more like a lecture than a call to action, and it doesn’t even answer the question in the headline.
We are culturally addicted to plastic carrier bags. With almost every purchase we make, we bring home a plastic carrier bag; not only the inevitable supermarket bag, (probably the greatest source), but also the bag from the dress shop or the little bag containing a single tube of toothpaste from the local corner shop. Why do we do this?
Honestly, would that inspire you to read on? You probably wouldn’t even finish the paragraph.
When you’re writing anything for your business, keep your audience front and center. It’s not about you. It’s about them.
In this case, the vendors in the farmers’ markets are thinking one thing:
What’s In It For Me!
So tell them! Try this as a beginning instead. It’s rough and ready, but it’s a better direction to work from.
Help the Environment – Be Seen with Green!
Go Green recyclable shopping bags are a great way to show your customers you care about the environment as much as they do.
- Lighten the global litter load
- Show your customers you care about the environment
- Increase customer loyalty
- Make more sales
- [add more benefits as needed]
Go Green bags are heavy duty, yet easy to carry, and gentler on the hands than regular carrier bags.
More and more consumers are looking for ways to improve the environment and you can help them by supporting the use of reusable, recyclable shopping bags.
The next few paragraphs might have the following structure:
[Subheading] Reduce Reuse Recycle – Reinvest in Your Business
Talk about the need to reduce litter, especially from non biodegradable plastics such as those used in the carrier bags. Make the case for Go Green bags, both as an environmental obligation and as a way to increase profits.
[Subheading] Be Seen in Green
Main features of the Go Green shopping bag in bullet form e.g.
- Easy to carry
- Recyclable
- Printed with your logo
- Bag dimensions
- Estimated bag life
- [add more features as needed]
Keep in mind that this flyer is aimed at small businesses – not consumers, so write abut the features that would interest them, rather than the end user.
[Subheading] Testimonials
Add a couple of quotes from more-than-satisfied buyers. The quotes should indicate how offering Go Green bags has been good for business as well as good for the environment.
[Subheading] Special Offer
Add an irresistible offer here. What would make a small store owner say “I have to have some of those bags.”?
[Subheading] How to Order
Again, use bullets to make the order process easy to understand at a glance e.g.
- Minimum order
- Delivery
- Payment details
- Contact information to place order e.g. phone and website details
- Call to Action
The contact information needs to be much easier to notice. Right now, it’s hidden away at the bottom of the flyer. A little graphic design finesse should fix that.
What’s missing from the current version of the Go Green flyer are structure and passion: the first to give the flyer a coherent framework and focus, and the second to ignite the imagination.
With a little work, this flyer could be getting its message across much more effectively and start generating some real business buzz about going green.
