How To Write an Effective Flyer: Design Tips And Tricks

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Do you think that flyers no longer bring any results and nobody uses them now? Do you follow your direct competitors, and they don't use such an option of promotion?

You will have to change your mind about flyers if you want to get the old-new tool for attracting your target audience and promoting your business. 

In this article, we'll uncover why flyers are still an effective marketing tool and what you need to know to write and design a quality flyer

After taking one more look at this marketing option, you will be more likely to decide that your business needs a flyer and proceed with creating it. 

Why do flyers still work?

Many business owners mistakenly believe that flyers no longer work in the digital age. But in fact, digitalization has the opposite effect. Grabbing attention with a paper flyer is much easier than using an email.

The key functions and rules for effective flyers creation

Why?

Here are some key reasons: 

  • Modern users are inundated with emails. Just try to remember, how many promo offers do you receive per day on your email and via social media? According to statistics, each user gets 121 emails per day.
  • Minimal competition. Online ads and messages have supplanted the old format and today it can be used as an advantage to stand out from the competition. For modern users who still find printed flyers, this form may be more acceptable and familiar. You can also position flyers as an old school tool if you have an appropriate audience.
  • The ability to provide information at the right time. The likelihood that your email will be opened may be low due to various reasons, but when a person receives a flyer with the right design, it is more likely to be used immediately.
  • Possibility to share a flyer with a key audience. For example, if you want to advertise a student cafe, sharing flyers near the university will win the attention of your target audience.

With the correct flyer development, you can stand out among your key competitors. Recently, a lot of innovative solutions have appeared that replace old tools that brought good results earlier. Flyers were bringing crazy results 20-30 years ago, but the era of digitization changed the rules, like many things.

However, this does not mean that after a few decades, flyers will not bring the same results as early. To promote an individual business, sharing flyers can still be effective, and above you have discovered weighty reasons why.

How To Write an Effective Flyer

Let's take a look at the key functions of flyers before we get started with learning practical tips to help you with their design. 

The key functions and rules for effective flyers creation

The main purpose and function of the flyer are to attract attention. The secondary purpose of each flyer is to sell through unique offerings or event details. Therefore, a modern flyer should not only look like a bright postcard but also be a sales tool too.

When creating a flyer, you need to create a unique selling proposition in a laconic form and design it in such a way that will make your user read every line and proceed to the action you need.

Flyer Design Tips And Tricks

The starting point in flyer creation

To create a flyer for your business, you need to find out the following points before starting the design: 

  • The purpose of the flyer.
  • The target audience.
  • The message you want to deliver to the user.

Understanding these aspects will enable you to develop an effective strategy and apply the right design. Once you have a concept and you know who should get your flyer, then you will be able to choose the right design and get the desired action from the receiver.

So, what do you need to know to create an effective flyer? There are some tips to help you create a great flyer design. With the right design, you can turn a piece of paper into an effective sales tool. The following tips will help you to think carefully about the strategy of creating a flyer as a powerful marketing tool.

Prioritize functions over the form

Before you embark on the embodiment of your creativity and the design trends, you need to return to reality. The primary goal of your flyer design is not to create a design masterpiece. Why?

For example, if you are selling computer equipment, then the flyer should not only be attractive from a visual point of view but also must be informative. It is vital to convey the information clearly and concisely while convincing the reader to visit your store or website.

So, prioritizing function over form is the first place to start before designing your flyer. Of course, the design will play an important role, but if you focus solely on design, then most likely you will achieve the function of attracting attention, but will not bring the buyer to a sale.

If you are unsure of your writing skills, then hire a writing agency. This will allow you to work out the design without worrying about content, as professionals know how a few words can make your flyers turn into a powerful sales tool.

Create a call to action

When it comes to creating a flyer, it's significant to keep in mind the need for a call to action. Even if you're creating an extremely informative flyer, there should be a call to action too. You can evaluate the effectiveness of a flyer by looking at the results it will bring.

call to actions

Accordingly, if you do not create a call to action, then there will be no results. Keep your message concise and clear. If you are creating a flyer to attract new visitors to yoga classes, then you need to indicate something like “Join us” or “We are waiting for you”.

Be consistent with the design

Consistency in design is what makes your flyer recognizable. What is it about? Consistency in design helps build your brand awareness. Therefore, you should pay attention to this point when developing a design for your flyer.

For instance, you can use your brand's color scheme or adopt some key design points of your website. You can use your business logo too. The main thing is not to forget that the flyer must attract attention and bring the consumer to a certain action.

Don't use a lot of color to draw attention

A beginner may have dissonance after such a headline because it would seem like a logical solution to attract attention with the help of color. To create an attractive flyer, you don't need to complicate the design with vivid colors. It is considered optimal to use 2-3 colors that will complement and contrast each other.

Use the color spectrum to help you choose the optimal set of colors for your flyer.

As you can imagine, using orange, pink and yellow may not be the best set of colors as it will be complicated to highlight vital elements with such colors. But for example, you can consider such a set of colors like white, green, and red. Green can be used as the background color, and red and white can be used for the font.

For instance, you can highlight the key heading in red. And use white for the main text.

Choose the right font style

When choosing a font for your flyer, keep in mind that using more than three different fonts is not a good idea. The optimal approach is using 2-3 fonts that will not stand out from each other. That is, when using several types of fonts, pick up those that have the same style so that the text is perceived seamlessly.

Use shapes to highlight vital points

Shapes are a great design element for drawing attention to important information.

Use shapes to highlight vital points for flyer

For example, this can be done using a semi-transparent circle or square. You can also use not only shapes but also lines to highlight the key points. Such elements instantly make the reader pay attention to the words that are highlighted by the shapes.

But here, it is important to be careful and highlight only the key information in order not to shade the main text. Otherwise, users can read only those phrases highlighted with shapes and not pay attention to the rest of the text.

Use white space and balance

White space is vital both when creating a website and flyers. Without it, it can be very difficult for users to concentrate. And when it comes to a flyer, it can simply go to the trash can. White space will accentuate all of your elements and content.

According to the design rules, each element must balance with the other. For example, if you have large graphic elements, you have to balance them with small text. This can remove the feeling of suppression by such an element of the entire design. 

What tools can you use to create flyers?

If you have no design experience or are on a tight budget, then you can try creating an effective flyer for your business yourself. In this case, there is no need to use any specialized tools. Below you will find a list of simple but effective online tools that can be useful to you in this matter: 

  • Canva. If you don't have graphic design skills, then you can feel free to use this tool that allows you to create your flyer for free. What's more, this editor offers you a variety of templates that you can easily optimize for your brand style. It only takes 10 minutes to figure out how to use this editor and start creating flyers.
  • Hemingway Editor. The text of your flyers is as essential as its design. When creating a flyer, there is a need to prepare meaningful and concise content. Creating flyer text can be a real challenge, so if you want to improve the quality of your flyer text, use Hemingway Editor. It will allow you to get rid of unnecessary words, make it more readable and better digestible.

With the help of these two tools and the tips above, you can create an effective flyer that will start working the way your business needs it. Therefore, even with a limited budget, you can create a quality flyer. 

Flyers creation checklist

It's time to summarize everything that is outlined in this article. Consider the following checklist during the design phase to maintain a balance between design and functionality:  

  • Keep your information short. The user's attention span is very short, so unnecessary words and the lack of direct informational content are the path to failure.
  • Provide contact details and other important information that your potential buyers may need. If you are creating a flyer for an event, then make sure you provide your readers with complete information.
  • Use the correct font for your text. When creating your flyer design, pay attention to the fact that some content should be prioritized. This means that it needs to be emphasized. Your design should underline the text, not the other way around. With this approach, you can not only correctly attract attention, but also encourage the user to the actions you need.
  • Determine the budget for creating a flyer. Be smart with your marketing investments, and keep in mind that you have to pay not only for design and content writing but also for publishing and sharing.
  • Duplicate your branding design. If you have logos or your own corporate identity, then it is worth reflecting on it in your flyer. This will increase your brand awareness and generate loyalty.
  • If you don't have a budget for professional services or design skills, you can always try making a flyer yourself. Use tools like Canva and Hemingway App. With a little of your time, you can create a quality flyer.

Wrapping up

Use these tips to create a flyer that can be a good secret tool for your business. Why a secret tool? Because this is not a trend today, which means you have a chance to stand out from the crowd!

About the author 

Peter Keszegh

Most people write this part in the third person but I won't. You're at the right place if you want to start or grow your online business. When I'm not busy scaling up my own or other people' businesses, you'll find me trying out new things and discovering new places. Connect with me on Facebook, just let me know how I can help.

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