Advertising leaflet: how to distribute it effectively?

A communication medium par excellence, the advertising leaflet is often intended for mass distribution at trade fairs or as part of a street marketing operation. Economical, practical and effective, the leaflet is suitable for all uses and can be personalised according to your needs. Let's find out together how to design the ideal leaflet and, above all, how to distribute it effectively.

The leaflet, a powerful marketing tool

The leaflet is a communication medium with a powerful impact for a reasonable budget, which explains its success with professionals. The printing of advertising leaflets is quick and inexpensive. All these reasons make it a must for companies wishing to promote their products and services. As it can be designed with several parts, it offers a larger communication surface than its cousin, the flyer.

The aim of the advertising leaflet is to create interaction between the prospect and the company. To maximise its impact, it is important to take care of its design and content. The objective is to design a leaflet with original content that will leave a lasting impression on prospects.

Don't overload the advertising leaflet, as this could undermine its effectiveness, preferring a clean design and keeping only the essentials, i.e. your offer and the company's details. Play with the different sections to design the message that will be revealed progressively as the leaflet is opened. Play with it, tease it out, tell a story through the folds, encouraging the leaflet to be opened completely.

You can also insert a promo code or QR code specific to the leaflet, allowing you to measure the impact of its distribution and the return on investment.

10 tips for successful distribution

With the rise of street marketing, printing advertising leaflets has become essential. It allows you to reach a maximum number of prospects at a lower cost. It is obviously imperative to control its distribution to ensure the profitability of the advertising campaign. 

These 10 tips should help you to successfully distribute your advertising flyers and reach your target audience in a relevant way:

Design an attractive leaflet: to avoid passers-by throwing away your leaflets without even reading them, opt for original advertising leaflet printing. Try to come up with a bold design, with eye-catching colours and an unconventional format for example.

•       Propose an attractive commercial offer: to stand out from the competition and reach the maximum number of prospects, don't hesitate to propose a commercial offer that encourages people to buy. This can be a promotional code, a discount valid on presentation of the leaflet in shop, a scratch box with a gift to be picked up in the shop, a QR code referring to important information, a new product, etc.
•       Combine the leaflet with other communication tools: printing an advertising leaflet can be combined with the use of a 2 or 3-part sales brochure and a landing page dedicated to the operation on your website. To create a reminder, use the messages and graphic codes of your operation relayed on the leaflet. To maximise the impact of your operation, don't forget to mention your social networks and your professional website on the advertising leaflet. This will be an opportunity to recruit new subscribers to your newsletter or new followers and thus continue the exchange with them after the operation.
•       Choose Copymage for the design of your advertisingprints: whether it concerns the design or printing of advertising leaflets or A5 or A6 flyers, we can produce all types of advertising prints required for your communication campaign. We also offer a range of fully customisable products with original finishes. Do not hesitate to contact our team to discuss your printing projects.
•       Choosing the right time to distribute your leaflets: there is no best time as such, as it depends on your target group and their consumption habits, transport, etc. If you are targeting people on their way to work, distribute the leaflets during the week and give preference to peak hours when there is a large flow of people. Favour a distribution in the late afternoon rather than at the beginning of the day, people will potentially be less in a hurry and therefore less inclined to refuse your flyer. Our final tip is to avoid distributing your leaflets in the same areas as your competitors to avoid unproductive head-on competition.
•   Choose the right place for distribution: after printing the advertising leaflet, consider handing it out to create a real interaction with your prospects on the street. You can also leave them on the counter in your shop, nicely arranged in a display case or on the table in your reception area, etc. A great classic that still works: put them on the windshields of cars. Finally, think about putting them in letterboxes or asking local shopkeepers to leave them near their checkouts.
•       Choosing the right provider if you are outsourcing distribution: this is a criterion that some companies leave to the last minute, but it is of crucial importance. The attitude of the people distributing your leaflets plays a major role in the image your prospects will have of your company. Being smiley, pleasant and professional is a must. Ideally, the people handing out the leaflet should be dressed in your company's colours or, if applicable, wear a company costume or disguise for a guaranteed fun and impactful effect.
•    Distribute the right number of advertising leaflets: when printing advertising leaflets, make sure that you have enough stock. When distributing, make sure that the number of leaflets is distributed by distribution area according to their level of use.

The regulation of advertising leaflets

Before distributing your advertising flyers, remember that there are strict regulations concerning street marketing operations,

According to article 2 paragraph 2 of the Toubon law n°94-665 of 4 August 1994 and the decree n° 95-240 of 3 March 1995, all information presented on the leaflet must be in French. If you fail to comply with this rule, you are liable to a fine of €750.

According to article 3 of the law of 29 July 1881, all your advertising material must mention the name and address of your printer. If you fail to do so, you risk a fine of €3,750.

According to article R.123-237 and R. 123-238 of the Commercial Code, you must include all information about your company in your advertising materials:

•       The name of your company and its contact details,
•       The address of the registered office,
•       The company name and the company form,
•       The SIREN number as well as the registration number in the Trade and Companies Register (RCS) and the city of registration.

If you break the rule, you are liable to a fine of €750.

According to article L.541-10-1 of the Environmental Code, you must insert the words "Do not throw on the public highway" when printing advertising flyers. If you fail to comply with this rule, you risk a fine of 750 €.

Finally, if you use quotations, illustrations or photographs of others when printing an advertising leaflet, then you must mention :

•       The name of the author,
•       The name of the work.

This list is not exhaustive and it is worthwhile to find out in advance from the relevant officials before distributing your marketing and advertising materials.