First a question - should we keep using leaflets?
Having written a (hopefully useful) article about creating leaflets and posters and then all the info below about what to do with them, this question has to be asked.
I used to give out 1000s of leaflets to schools and to the local area, but for the last year, I’ve been trying mainly electronic methods – so asking the schools to email instead and doing Facebook advertising to the local area. I have to say that our numbers have still gone up in the last year despite this. So I think the end is nearing for paper leaflets in bulk.
However, posters still remain useful and we still give out leaflets to kids that we physically see – so kids who come to coaching, either at the club or at a school. And there are events like schools fairs where you may have a stand and need hard copies to give out
So here are ways you might still use leaflets...............
- Put the posters and leaflets around your venue
- Get leaflets delivered with your local newspapers. For example, my local newsagent delivers 1200 for £65.
- Pay a teenager to deliver them for you. This could be a teenager in your tennis programme, or the son or daughter of a friend. Important: If you do this, approach the parent, not the teenager. If everything is done through the parent, there should be no problem. Also, check with your local education authority into the rules on employing children.
- Approach other companies who deliver publications in your area. For a small price, they may be happy to deliver your leaflet along with their publication.
2020 adendum – I would do Facebook advertising instead of 2,3 & 4 now.
- Put posters / flyers in local shops, coffee shops, libraries – anywhere you can think of.
- If you coach in a place where there is lots of foot traffic, invest in a sandwich board and put your poster on it. I’ve had great success with this.
- Likewise, if you have somewhere that you can put up a large vinyl banner.
- Give out flyers to all the people in your tennis programme.
- Ask parents to give flyers to their friends or get them given out at school.
Getting Your Leaflets Into Schools
The best way to get schools to promote your programme is to have a ‘schools programme’, which we cover in part 7. If you are already working with the school, providing sessions at the school or at your venue for them, they will be open in most cases to giving out your leaflets, putting up posters, emailing the parents, putting your info into school newsletters etc.
It is possible with schools that you don’t regularly work with, but you’ll usually need to offer them something. A great thing to offer is a voucher or two for coaching or tennis camps. Schools often need raffle prizes. You could offer some free sessions at the school, but that’s a big outlay for you so you may ask that they give out your leaflets 3 times per year to all students in return.
Secret Tip
We are emailed by schools regularly asking for raffle prizes. Without fail, I give them vouchers for tennis camp mornings - usually 3 vouchers, worth about £60 total. I save the email chain - then, in the future, when I want to ask that school to give out leaflets or similar, I reply to THAT email chain to ask them. This means that they see the email thread where we have given them the voucher. How can they not say yes? In addition to the 10-12 schools in or programme, this method has resulted in another 5 or 6 who will always help us when we ask. That is a LOT of parents.
If you give leaflets to schools, organise them first
Make it as easy as possible for the school. Put the leaflets into class packs (30 in the UK). Find out how many classes there are in the school. Then the school has an easy job of giving one pack to each class for the teacher to hand out.