Business Flyer Templates

Whether you own a small business or are designing for a large company, flyers can be used as part of your overall marketing strategy to help promote your products or services, build brand awareness and gain new customers. Business flyers are also a great way to advertise an event or cause, but producing them can be daunting if design is not your thing. Don’t worry, you don’t need to be a Photoshop guru or know anything about PSD files. Our free business flyer templates are editable in Word, and can be easily printed and distributed, all without the need for a professional!

What Is a Business Flyer?

Business flyers (also known as marketing flyers or promotional flyers) are a form of print marketing designed to generate buzz around a particular product, event or business promotion. Flyers provide a tangible way to get in front of and connect with potential customers. In a world dominated by digital and online marketing, this can give you a point of difference, especially if you are a local business owner. Statistics published by the Data & Marketing Association state that 57% of mail volume is attributed to direct mail pieces, and that 2.5 billion coupons were redeemed in 2015. These figures show that flyers, if used in a targeted way, are highly effective in influencing consumer behavior. Just as business flyers are an effective way to promote your enterprise to consumers, a corporate flyer is a great way to tell employees about an office announcement, work party or upcoming seminar. As well as piquing interest within the workplace, you can also use flyers to introduce your business and its services to potential clients. Our free corporate flyer template can help get you started.

Advantages of Creating Business Flyers

You may be weighing up your options as to how best to market your products or services. For any marketing campaign to be successful, you need to consider aspects such as budget, target audience and timing, to name a few. To help you decide whether or not flyers are right for your business, here are some of their advantages. Business flyers are:

• Low cost

  – Flyers are relatively inexpensive to produce and, if you make use of free business flyer templates, you also avoid having to pay for a graphic designer. Of course, print costs will depend on the color content as well as the paper quality and finish. Should you decide to use a professional print company, you may be able to get a discount if you order your flyers either in large quantities or alongside other print materials such as business cards or brochures.

• Informative

  – Usually A4 or A5 in size, flyers give you ample space to include all the required information. Other print media, such as newspaper ads or postcards, don’t offer the same amount of room so key text may need to be left off. If you use a template with an effective layout, a business flyer enables you to tell a compelling “story”, starting with a striking headline and ending with a persuasive call to action. More about those later.

• Easily digestible

  – Unlike brochures, which are often trifold, the information on a flyer can be read at a glance and instantly grabs the reader’s attention. Whether it be bold colors, large fonts or eye-catching images, a business flyer highlights only the key information that a potential customer needs when deciding if they wish to do business with you.

• Targeted

  – One of the best aspects of using flyers as part of your marketing campaign is the ability to target them at the right audience. If you have a shopfront, you can give out flyers in the local vicinity. If you own a resume writing business, handing out flyers at universities or career conventions is likely to be the most effective way of gaining new customers. No matter what business you’re trying to promote, you can maintain control of where and when you distribute flyers and to whom.

• Effective when combined with other marketing tools

  – You don’t have to use flyers in isolation. They are easy to integrate into an overall marketing campaign and use in combination with other print or online tools. Could you reference your business’ social media accounts on the flyer or use a digital version of the flyer and distribute it to your newsletter mailing list? There are many ways to combine marketing forces. You just need to decide what will help you reach your end goal.

How To Create a Business Flyer

For a professional flyer that showcases your business in the best possible way, you need to consider the design, content and final touches prior to flyer printing. Below is more information about each of these aspects.

Design

A flyer’s visual impact is key to capturing the reader’s attention. Statistic Brain reports that the average attention span is about 8 seconds, so you don’t have much time before the reader moves on. Here are the main features to consider when creating a business flyer design that stands out from the crowd:

• Layout

  – Whichever paper size you decide to go with, make sure that your flyer is on one page and that all components — text, visuals and white space — fit without the page becoming overcrowded. What is white space? Despite the name, white space doesn’t necessarily need to be white. It just refers to the area that separates text and images, and prevents the document from looking cluttered.

• Images

  – An image that has been carefully selected and placed can make all the difference if you want to create an eye-catching flyer. One option is to browse stock image sites that provide low-cost, royalty-free high quality photos, illustrations and other design elements. Another option is to source free image files via sites such as pixabay, but be aware that the choice of images will be much more limited. With this in mind, ensure that any visuals you choose are relevant to the message you’re trying to convey.

• Color

  – It’s well documented that color, particularly when used in marketing, can influence consumers in how they feel, think and behave. Color psychologist, Angela Wright, refers to the psychological properties of color and how each hue reflects a particular mood and emotion. Go bold and create excitement by using red, or evoke trust and professionalism with blue tones. For younger audiences, consider fun, informal and optimistic oranges and yellows in your flyer design. Take a look at The Logo Company’s Color Emotion Guide to see how other companies have used color as part of their branding.

• Fonts

  – Don’t waste awesome text by using an awful font. Choose one that can be easily read from a distance and isn’t too small (14pt should be the minimum). Another tip is to create interest with font variety but to use no more than two on a flyer. Perhaps use a bold, attention-grabbing font for the headline and opt for something more subtle for the remaining text.

• Logo

  – Increase your brand recognition by using your logo on every piece of marketing material, including on flyers. A logo is one way of visually demonstrating the look and feel of your business. They are most effective if they are instantly recognizable and accurately represent what the business stands for. Make sure to insert it in a place that doesn’t dominate the flyer but can be seen at a glance.

• Social media

  – Often free, there’s no excuse not to use social media to connect with your customer base. When creating your flyer, insert your social media handles, and encourage readers to follow you on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or whichever social media platforms you use.

Content

It is an often-repeated phrase, but “content is king”. Striking visuals will catch a reader’s attention but, without proper information, your flyer becomes ineffective. Here are the aspects to consider when creating great content:

• Headline

  – This is your first chance to make an impact with text so hook the reader in with an emotive headline. Pose a question, tell the reader you can solve their problem or offer something irresistible. Examples of headline openers include: We Can Help You…, Why Not…, Free Bonus Offer.

• Key message

  – What is it that makes your product/service/event exciting? Whatever your intended message, make it clear, concise and relevant to your target audience. Whom do you want to connect with? Why should they care about your business? How can you help solve their problems? Consider a local barber and an ecommerce store specializing in baby gifts. The target audience and key messages for these two businesses are likely to be very different.

• Call to action

  – Always let the reader know what you want them to do once they’ve looked through all the flyer information. Do you want them to register for an event, visit your website or redeem a coupon code? Tell them using active language, and keep it brief. Create a sense of urgency and entice the reader to act sooner rather than later by using time-sensitive offers: book by [x] date for discount, register for pre-sale to receive a free ticket. Don’t forget to include your business’ contact information to help the reader make the next step.

Final Touches

You’ve created an awesome-looking flyer and you’re keen to get it out there for potential customers to see. Not just yet! This is the time to make sure that the following final touches have been thought about and actioned because they could make all the difference:

• Paper Quality

  – Having a winning combination of killer design and persuasive text is vital, but it’s only part of the process of creating a professional flyer. The final aspect to consider is the choice of paper. A high-quality paper type with a glossy finish will stand out from other flyers that have been printed on thin, scratchy paper. Whatever you decide, remember that your flyer may be the first and only opportunity to advertise your business to a potential customer, so make it count.

• Accuracy

  – It may seem obvious, but it is amazing how many document reprints occur due to spelling and grammatical errors. Before hitting the print button or sending your flyer to be professionally printed, make sure you proofread the content. This simple step will help you avoid additional unnecessary costs and embarrassment when you realize that the 2000 flyers you’ve already distributed have words missing or contain incorrect contact information. You could even print a few copies on your desktop printer first to test how the flyer looks when displayed at the intended place of distribution. That way, you can make changes to the document before wasting a whole lot of paper, money and time.

How To Distribute Your Flyer

Once you have printed out your flyers, it’s time to distribute them. You may already know where is best to promote your flyers based on your target audience. If you’re not sure how to distribute them, there are plenty of options. Here are just a few:

• Display them in-store
• Hand them out at trade shows or conventions
• Publish them on your website
• Send them out via email

You have defined your target audience and selected your distribution channel. The final thing to bear in mind is timing. Is your key message or promotion seasonal? If you’re offering a Winter special, it is wise to distribute your flyers during the transition from Autumn to Winter. Carefully considering all the distribution options in advance will ensure you get your flyer in front of the right people, in the right place and at the right time.