A Lesson from The Big Guys

Studying what successful businesses do will teach you lessons on how to improve your own company.

Late last year, after observing my wife sift through a stack of flyers, I asked her if most people she knows do the same thing. Her answer was; “Yes. Everyone I know at least skims through the flyers they’re interested in.”

That got me thinking. If so many of the big guys are putting out flyers so often, they must work. They have to be effective in order for them to spend the money they do through that marketing medium.

Now I know what you’re thinking. Flyers? Really? That so old school, not to mention too expensive for my little retail store. I thought you were all about newer forms of advertising. Are you really talking about flyers? Well, in this case, yes.

So I gathered some further information (costs, etc), I studied numerous flyers from a number of different large retailers and with the help of my purchasers, we put together a list of promotional items for the spring season. And ‘Voila’, we had our flyer campaign for spring. Our campaign is made up of four flyers in all, 42 items per flyer. And even though this is a big old school, we are quite excited about it. We’re not positive if it will work or not, but we’re excited about it just the same.

Our new flyer campaign is as an example to demonstrate how every company must always keep their mind open to new ideas at all times. Flyers are certainly not new, however in the independent retail industry it is. In fact it is somewhat revolutionary for a small independent retailer to release custom printed flyers, just like the large box stores. Mind you, we are adding a personal touch to ours, with a letter from me, how to tips, and a schedule of events going on at the store. So it’s going to be a cross between a traditional flyer (full of hard sales & promotions) and a newsletter. We are doing this by simply redirecting part of our budget from other forms of advertising, into these flyers.

Whether it is flyers, radio or social media advertising, I urge all of you to open your minds. Open your minds to new ideas, and never be afraid to learn, especially from the most successful businesses, even if they are the evil box stores.