Door hanger advertising might seem old-fashioned, but they’re back in vogue, like polka dots and skinny jeans. In hard times, companies have to get much marketing bang for their buck. And with door hangers only costing five to 10 cents each, you can contact 1,000 households for $50 to $100. Since many companies don’t use door hangers anymore, it’s not hard to stand out from the competition. But by following the steps presented here, you’ll be sure to get a good ROI.

  1. Use vivid colors to catch people’s attention. Some people don’t use their front doors much – those with garages may not use their front door hardly at all. If your door hanger blends in with their door or house, it could go days without being noticed. Use bright colors for your paper stock like red, yellow or a light green that will stand out against most doors.
  2. Have your door hangers coated with a UV protectant so that they won’t fade in the sun or streak in the rain.
  3. Address your target market’s needs directly. Remember the old marketing adage: a person who buys a drill doesn’t need a drill; he needs a hole! Be sure to sell your product on the door hanger by addressing the target market’s needs, such as a clean carpet, rather than a vacuum.
  4. Print a coupon on the door hanger. This will make your door hanger a keeper. Put a code of some sort on the coupon so that you can track the success of your door hanger campaign.
  5. Use both sides of the door hanger. Put text on both sides or a photo on one side to draw attention. A cute puppy one side will make most people flip the door hanger over to see your dog walking service details on the other side. If you use text on both sides, be sure one side is brightly colored (step 1).
  6. Hang your door hangers in apartment buildings and office buildings (if your product or service warrants those recipients). You’ll be able to reach a maximum number of people without doing much work. If you’re really tight on money, you could leave a door hanger on every other apartment door since the likelihood of another tenant seeing the door hanger on someone’s else door is high.

Be sure you are highly targeting your audience when using door hangers. Don’t leave a grass cutting service door hanger on apartment doors where people aren’t responsible for mowing a lawn. A targeted message in a targeted area is the best way you can stand out from your competitors using door hangers.