The season of the snowplow flier

It must be December. Sure enough, yesterday I found the fifth single-page flier promoting various snow removal services just in time for the first flakes of the season. That wasn't too surprising considering that here in the New England, it's pretty common to receive at least a few offers to move the white stuff and save my aching back. The one thing that did surprise me about the flier is that it caught my eye (unlike the few that arrived before this one). It had three critical elements - color, an offer, and a picture of a hefty plow on the front of a nice looking truck.

Now, I try to keep an open mind when I periodically receive marketing fliers - it's my first nature to cast a critical eye on everything from the font to the design because that's my background.

But, the fact of the matter is that by taking a few extra minutes here and there, entrepreneurs such as the snow removal service can create something that is engaging and differentiating from the competition.
First, this flier contained colored text and pictures - instantly eye-catching. Second, this flier highlighted a no-gimmick opportunity to enjoy a complimentary snow removal anytime early this winter to prove the merits of the service and reliability of the driver (nice touch - how many times have you seen this??). And the picture of the plow featured a brand new truck with a huge plow - sure, it could be a picture randomly grabbed off the Internet, but it made me think that no blizzard would keep this truck from making it to my house, even in the worst conditions.

Anyway, I'll tell you what - I am going to take this plow service up on their offer. And who knows, they might just convert me to a customer.

A few keys here:
1) Use color on all your fliers - no matter how insignificant you deem them to be
2) Include a solid, can't-miss offer to the recipient -- in this economy "complimentary" services have high value; let people try your service or product first.
3) Create a "brand" through images -- in this case, the flier communicated reliability and promt service

Thanks for reading!
And until next time....