Handbill and coupon advertising is one of the most effective ways to market your company and your products or services. Handbills and coupons can be even more effective in times of economic strife as consumers look for discounts. However, handbill and coupon advertising is not just about giving out discounts: The goal is to make people aware of your company and entice them to buy.

Coupon advertising companies vary in reputation as well as cost and many require up-front contracts. A three-month minimum is somewhat standard, but it varies. There's room to negotiate about almost every aspect of the handbill or coupon. Here are some tips for handbill and coupon advertising for beginners:

1. Consider doing handbill advertisement if your business is very social. This works well when marketing nightclubs, concerts or other local events, like grand openings.

2. Check out the coupon advertisements in your area. These may include coupon books, newspaper inserts and direct mail.

3. Do some coupon marketing online. This is a really good idea for anyone with a website or online presence.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Try your hand at handbill marketing

Traditionally, handbills are pieces of paper that are handed directly to potential customers, but the modern meaning has grown to encompass doorhangers and other types of flyers. These are great marketing tools for spreading the word about a new business or a sale. The downside is that they often get thrown away, as they can easily be perceived as junk. The trick to it is making the design sufficiently attention-grabbing but not over-the-top (i.e., watch the exclamation points and the color of the handbill itself). Handbills come in a variety of shapes, sizes and types of paper, so always consider the look your company is trying to achieve.

I recommend: Nationwide Direct Marketing has some samples of effective doorhangers. Play around with the design tool at Next Day Flyers.

Do some coupon advertising in local media

Coupons are popular among consumers because they're free and offer discounts on their favorite items. In addition, coupons can entice customers to try an item they've never tried before, and even if they don't buy, the coupon will have at least put your company's name on their radar. Your coupon can simply advertise your business or it can offer a discount on one of your products or services; it can even point customers to your website to check out your offerings. Choosing the media that contains your coupon is a huge consideration. For example, advertising your steakhouse in a coupon book placed in vegetarian supermarkets would be a waste of money.

I recommend: Consider placing an ad in the popular annual book from Entertainment Publications. Read through the article at CMS to find out more about successful coupon campaigns.

Place some coupon ads online to catch Web surfers

Online coupons come with lots of pros and cons. First off, you can design almost anything using HTML code, so you have a lot of room for creativity. Also, the coupon can be found by anyone since it's available on the World Wide Web. The downside is that some consumers either can't print the coupons for lack of a printer, or they're just too lazy to take the time to do it. Offering coupon codes as an alternative to printable coupons can side-step this problem if you own an online marketplace (as opposed to just a bricks and mortar shop).

I recommend: Consider submitting your ad to Coupon Craze so local consumers can find your discounts. RetailMeNot.com can help you in your local market as well as if you sell things through an online store.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Before you start a handbill advertising campaign, carefully consider the area you're targeting. There may be laws regarding handbill ads.

Handbill and coupon advertising are usually cheap forms of advertising, but service businesses pose a unique problem when it comes to marketing: most only serve one local area and owners can't afford to take out expensive ads.

The solution is to use these cheaper ads to your best advantage. They provide a more personal communication and that's what your goal is. When you sell a service, as opposed to a product, customers have to be able to trust you, and using local handbill and coupon advertising can be a winning marketing plan.

1. Consider the fact that handbill advertisement usually involves handing a flyer to someone in person. You can start a business relationship on the right foot by presenting yourself well.

2. Putting out coupon ads not only advertises your name and business, but offers a discount to customers to get them in the door. Once you have a chance to win them over, sweep them off their feet and you have a repeat customer.

3. Online coupon advertisements can be used to target a specific market or, if you can provide services to more than just your local area, the whole world.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Do some legwork using handbill advertising

Handbills are any kind of literature that is handed out (thus, the term 'handbill'). These can be quarter sheet flyers, tri-fold brochures and even door hangers. Door hangers are sturdy strips of paper with perforated tops you can punch out to hang the ad on people's doors. It can be hard work to go from house to house, but you're guaranteed that your intended customers will see your ad.

I recommend: Get flyers made up quickly using Next Day Flyers. Give door hangers a try with custom printed door hangers in three different sizes from SOS Products.

Try out coupon book advertising in your local market

Coupon books are great tools for getting your name out there. Even if you're already established, anyone looking for a deal is going to pick up one of these coupon books. Most of these books are reasonably priced, but you should try to shop around to get the best bang for your buck.

I recommend: Sign up to advertise with the Entertainment Book from Entertainment Publications; this is a great book displaying ads from local businesses. Try a different kind of coupon book: Valpak Cooperative Direct Mail. You've seen the blue packets that come in your mail; they have numerous coupons contained inside, mostly for local businesses. Valpak is a large company but can still keep their prices affordable.

Give your company great exposure by using online coupon advertising

If you have a service that can be marketed nationwide, or even worldwide, putting ads online is one of your best bets. Nowadays, people find what they need on the Internet and if your ad is strategically placed on a website they're viewing, you may end up having a potential customer visiting your website.

I recommend: Check out the options offered at BidVertiser.com; you design your ad and only pay when someone clicks on it. If you've got some decent cash flow, check out banner ads from AdReady.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Some coupon advertising companies may be willing to barter with you. That's the great thing about owning a service business. Try to negotiate a one month trial ad in, say, a local coupon book, in exchange for a comparable value of services from you.
• •  A word of warning if you want to do online advertising: stay away from pop-up ads, as well as pop-unders. These types of ads generally annoy people and the user closes them very quickly.

In the old days, a literal paper handbill was one of the most effective forms of advertising. These days, the world of handbill and coupon advertising is bigger than ever with marketing expanding onto the web. Coupons can be online or offline in many different formats, and businesses are scrambling to keep up with innovative marketing methods that reap customers. Knowing about some of the common terms for handbill and coupon advertising can help business leaders make the most of their advertising dollars.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Target audience

Your coupon and handbill advertising should be directed toward a specific market or target audience. A target audience is a specific type of person that you want to get your message. Without this, you're spreading a message too thin and diluting its impact.

I recommend: Find out more about identifying a target audience from Tapper Web Consulting. See more on target audiences for coupons or flyers at Small Business Newz.

Door hangers

Door hangers are printed handbills or flyers that hang on a doorknob. Businesses distribute these throughout neighborhoods for various reasons as part of advertising campaigns.

I recommend: See details on door hangers, with visuals for identifying what these promotional items look like, at sites like DoorHangers Etc.

Face values

Every coupon has a face value - a face value is the amount of money that the coupon will actually save the user. Setting these at the right amount is critical for effective coupon campaigns. Too much of a discount and you lose money; too small of a discount and the coupons don't get used.

I recommend: See more on setting coupon face values at Coupon Info Now.

Redemption rate

The redemption rate is the percentage of coupons that actually get used. This statistic is useful for future planning.

I recommend: See more on redemption rates at revenuetoday.com.

Local ordinance

A local ordinance is a law that affects a small jurisdiction. Some communities have local ordinances against some types of print advertising. Check out any local ordinance that may be on the books before starting a print handbill campaign.

I recommend: See more on the definition of an ordinance at Your Dictionary.

Quarter sheet flyers

Quarter sheet flyers are a great way to advertise for events and other purposes without cutting down a lot of trees. Quarter sheet flyers are the size of one-quarter sheet of paper.

I recommend: See tips on creating flyers, quarter sheet and otherwise, at About.com.