Doorhanger FAQs

1. What does 85 cents/piece price cover?
It includes help with a concept, the design of the doorhanger, full color printing on 80 lb. card stock and door-to-door distribution of the printed doorhangers in your designated area. In other words, the full service from concept through to distribution. Assistance with choosing target areas and demographics is also included. We have a minimum of 5,000 distribution in a single drop.

2. Can we request distribution to homes only (i.e. not apartments, only houses)?
Yes, it is possible to specify distribution to homes only. Provided that by going to homes only we are covering about 80% of the residents in the area chosen for distribution, then this works and is included in the price. If the area chosen is predominantly apartments, then there will be a different cost for doing homes only. (See also question 3.)

3. Can we do apartments only?
If the area chosen for distribution consists predominantly of apartments, then we can distribute to apartments only at the same cost. So we can do either homes only or apartments only for the same basic cost if the area is predominantly of that type. If by doing only homes or only apartments we need to go out much further in terms of distribution distance then there might be some change in the cost. (See also question 2.)

4. How do we decide on areas and maps?
If you already have ideas about distribution areas, you can specify your requirements. But if not or in addition we also have powerful mapping and demographic tools that can help you determine the exact area to target and the demography within the areas selected. There is no extra charge for this service.

5. Do you have distribution coverage in my area?
We have full coverage in many areas in the United States.

6. What are your minimum quantities for printing and distribution?
The typical minimum quantity for any job is 5,000 pieces in a single printing and a single drop.

7. Do you do distribution-only if we have our own material we want distributed?
Yes we do. We can distribute doorhangers that you have had printed elsewhere. We also distribute other types of promotional materials such as flyers, post-it notes or anything else. The usual cost for distributing materials provided by you is 25¢ per piece but it can go up and down depending on other factors. If the item needs to go in a plastic bag (a calendar, booklet or anything that needs to be in plastic) we charge an extra 2¢ per piece to put it in the plastic bag for you.

8. What is the size and specification of your door hanger?
The doorhangers we print are 4 1/4” x 11”, full color both sides, 80 lb. card stock. They have a hole 1” in diameter centered near the top of the doorhanger for the door handle, and a slit from the hole to the side of the door hanger. The bottom of the hole is 1 1/2” from the top of the doorhanger.

9. What are your turnaround times?
Standard turnaround time from concept to distribution is 1-2 weeks. If you need a special, short turnaround time we can usually accommodate you and there may be additional charges. So if you are really in a hurry and are willing to pay a premium for the rush, we will do our best to help.

10. How do you guarantee delivery?
All distribution is done by adult, experienced, supervised crews. In addition, independent verification is also carried out and reports submitted. We have a zero tolerance policy for unethical practices, and individuals working on distribution projects are fully aware of this.

11. How is the distribution actually done?
The doorhangers or other items are delivered to each door in the area specified. For every distribution of 1000 pieces it takes 8-9 man-hours on average. There’s a crew of 5 or 6 people if the project is for 5,000 pcs and needs to be completed in 1 day.

12. What is the response I can expect from my campaign?
This is a difficult question for any marketing campaign because there are many variables, such as the nature of your business, seasonality, the area targeted and so on. What we can promise is that we’ll do the best job from our side in terms of concept, design, helping you with demographics and actual fulfillment and distribution of your doorhanger. We can add that we have a high percentage of repeat business.

13. What is the maximum distribution you can do in a day?
The distribution amount is in direct ratio to the number of the crew we employ for a particular job. It takes 5 or 6 people a day to distribute 5000 pieces. We could do up to about 20,000 in a day if we employed 20-25 people.

14. What works better, a direct-to-door campaign or direct mail?
This depends a good deal on the nature of your business and the aims of the campaign. If you sell pizzas, then direct-to-door works best. If you are a dentist or a lawyer, then the direct mail solution has a certain sophistication to it which is more appropriate. Many of our clients have tried both and then gravitated towards concentrating on the one which got the best response.

15. Do you use any technologies such as GPS for tracking?
We give our supervisors GPS sets so that we can report on their work.

16. Where can you NOT deliver?
We can deliver to most areas, but rural low-density areas could be a problem. We sometimes cannot deliver to gated communities and areas where we cannot get access. However, most of the time there is no problem delivering to your specified area.

17. Do you distribute flyers and post-it notes?
Yes we do. See question #7 above. We also distribute other products such as flyers, booklets and so on. If there’s a need to use a plastic bag we’ll use one and charge 2¢ extra. We do not, however, at this time produce materials for direct-to-door distribution other than the specified doorhangers.

18. What are the Do’s and Don’ts in direct to door advertising?
The answer to this question could fill a book. But here are a few points to keep in mind.
• Do have a strong offer. You’re spending a lot of money on the campaign, don’t ruin it by trying to cut costs on the offer you are making.
• Do keep your offer very clear. Be focused on your market segment or demographic segment.
• Do have a well-designed, easy to understand piece which is not cluttered or confusing.
• Do repeat your communication frequently with your intended public. Repetition is important if you want to build up clientele.
• Do be honest in your advertising. You can trick people once but they won’t come back and you will ruin your word of mouth which in the end is your best advertising.
Do proof read the proof we send you. If you made an error in the original information you sent us (wrong phone number or web site, for example) it will be repeated in the final piece. So carefully check what we send you.
Don′t just put out a general statement that you exist. This is response oriented marketing and should have a clear call to action (“Call now for your free….” or some such direction).
• Don′t put out a general branding type of ad designed to make people aware that you are there and then complain that you didn’t get an immediate response.
• Don′t have unrealistic expectations. Advertising takes time to build.
• Don′t overspend your budget. Plan for continued advertising over a period of time.
• Don′t blow it all in one blast.
• Don′t rush your project. Plan adequately. If you try to rush it all through you will end up with a less attractive and compelling piece, typos, etc.
• Don′t get dismayed if you receive one or two complaints. There’ll always be some, usually the first couple of phone calls you receive.

19. I am ready! What should I do next and what are the steps that finally lead to the actual distribution of my doorhangers?
• Give some thought to the offer you want to make to your customers and what you want to say. Then send us an e-mail at info@markots.com with a description of what you want on the front and back of your doorhanger and send any graphics or text files you want us to use for the design process.
• We will get started on the design. We will use any images that we need to from our library at no cost to you.
• We’ll send you a proof and make changes until you’re happy with it.
• Once the creative is approved and payment is processed, we’ll proceed with production.
• We’ll work with you on scheduling a distribution date.