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Flyer and door hanger marketing that you can measure
How local businesses plan, distribute and track flyers and door hangers, from picking streets to knowing which ones called back.
Plan your areas on the route mapFlyers, door hangers or EDDM?
| Hand delivered flyers | Door hangers | EDDM postcards | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who delivers | You, your team or a distributor | You, your team or a distributor | USPS |
| Targeting | Any streets you choose | Any streets you choose | Whole carrier routes |
| Visibility | Mailbox rules apply: never inside mailboxes | High: on the door handle | High: in the mail |
| Proof of delivery | Only with GPS or photos | Only with GPS or photos | Accepted by USPS |
| Best for | Small areas, events, restaurants | Home services, after a nearby job | Larger areas, recurring campaigns |
Mailbox rule: in the US it is illegal to put unstamped flyers inside or on a mailbox. Hand delivered flyers and door hangers go on doors, porches or handles, never the mailbox.
Step 1: pick your areas
Start with where your best customers already are, then expand to similar neighborhoods. Two ways to define areas:
- Carrier routes for EDDM: fixed sets of homes with known counts. Use the EDDM route map.
- Hand drawn zones for door hangers and flyers: a few streets around a recent job, a subdivision, or a neighborhood your team can cover in a shift.
Keep each area a similar size, so results are comparable.
Step 2: design for a response
- One clear offer with a deadline (“$50 off spring tune ups until May 31”).
- A big phone number for people who prefer to call.
- A QR code at least 1 inch square with a line saying what scanning gets them. Check yours with the QR code size checker and run through the pre print checklist.
- Proof: reviews, years in business, a local photo.
Step 3: give every area its own code
Use the same design everywhere and change only the QR code per area. One code for the whole run tells you the total. One code per area tells you which streets worked. Most print shops can print versions in a single run, or you can use numbered QR stickers on a standard flyer.
Step 4: make sure they were delivered
With EDDM, USPS delivers. With hand delivery, flyers sometimes end up in a dumpster. Ask your team to log the route on their phone, or use GPS proof of delivery, so a quiet area means “no interest”, not “nobody delivered”.
Step 5: count jobs per area
Scans show interest. Jobs show money. For each area, track scans, calls that mention the flyer and booked jobs, then calculate ROI: job revenue divided by what that area cost to print and deliver. After 4 weeks, put the next budget into the areas that paid off.
Response rates: set the right expectations
Unaddressed flyers and saturation mail usually get a small response, often around 1 percent or less, with big swings by trade, offer and neighborhood. A single flyer drop is a test. Repeating the drop to your best areas is where flyers make money.
Frequently asked questions
Do flyers still work for local businesses?
Yes, especially for home services, restaurants and real estate, where customers live within a few miles. They work best when repeated in the areas that respond, which means tracking each area separately.
Can I put flyers in mailboxes?
No. In the US only stamped mail may go in or on a mailbox. Put flyers and door hangers on doors or handles, or use EDDM to have USPS deliver them.
Door hangers or flyers: which is better?
Door hangers are more visible and suit home services. Flyers are cheaper per piece. Many businesses test both in similar areas and compare results.
How do I track flyer results?
Use a different QR code per area, keep a big phone number on the flyer, ask callers which flyer they saw, and record booked jobs per area.
How many flyers should I hand out?
Work backwards: jobs you want ÷ expected jobs per flyer. At a 0.25 percent booking rate, 10 jobs needs about 4,000 flyers. Your own per area results will refine the number fast.
Last updated October 29, 2026.
Tools and guides
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