MLM Blog: 7 Reasons Why Handing out MLM Postcards and Flyers Does Not Work

I have been in the home-based business profession for quite some time, so I am constantly on the lookout for new and effective ways to promote my products and services. I recently walked out to my mailbox and found a flyer for some new diet product stuffed into the box. I started laughing as I pulled it out, as I remembered when I first started out in this profession. In the beginning, I was just like the poor soul that stuffed that flyer into my mailbox. My MLM network marketing strategy at the time was to distribute 5,000 flyers and postcards into the world and see what happened. I quickly learned why this strategy did not work well not just for myself but for people in my group and others in the MLM Network marketing profession.

If you think you can get your business off of the ground simply by handing out flyers to random strangers, then think again.

Here are some reasons you need to come up with a better plan:

1. People throw them away:

What do you do with flyers you are handed on the street or that pop up in your mailbox? Exactly. Most people throw these items away without even reading them. If you are lucky they will glance at the flyer or postcard before throwing it in the garbage (or back in your face) but most of the time they will not.

2. You are not targeting your market:

If you are just handing out flyers to random people then you are not targeting a specific market. These people are not qualified buyers and you will have no idea whether they are even interested in your product. Un-targeted marketing like bulk mail simply does not work.

3. Flyers simply do not work:

MLM Drop Cards Flyers Postcards Send Out Cards

A successful mass marketing campaign is one that gets at least a 5% response rate. Even targeted marketing campaigns are lucky to get 5%, which means that untargeted marketing programs are lucky to get half of that. If you hand out 5,000 flyers you will be lucky to get one response.

4. Your sponsor might not be honest:

Just because your sponsor claims that he or she was successful with this flyer doesn’t mean that it is true. They might claim a 10% response, but that is probably not true.

5. In my humble opinion, they’re a waste of money:

If you are printing thousands of color flyers and postcards you will spend a lot of money. If you only get a small response rate from thousands of expensive flyers then it is a complete waste of money.

6. It’s a waste of time:

It will take you hours to hand out enough flyers or postcards to get a reasonable response. You could probably find a more effective and useful way to spend your time than walking around suburban streets putting flyers into mailboxes.

how-to-generate-mlm-network-marketing-leads

7. They give a bad first impression:

Just like telemarketers, businesses that use flyers and postcards give a bad first impression of your business. Even if the person is interested in your product they probably won’t buy if from a flyer. You never get a second chance to undo the damage of this first impression.

The Bottom Line:

You need to build relationships with people if you want them to join your business.  The business of MLM Network Marketing is a business of value.  The key is to provide as much value as you possibly can with your prospects.  Help them get what they want, and in turn, they will help you get what you want.

Are you looking to generate quality leads for your business?  I have a solution for you!  Click here to learn how to generate quality leads!

Let’s turn it over to you!

Have you had success passing out flyers at the mall or leaving them on car windshields?  I would love to hear your comments and if you had any success or not, please feel free to share!

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15 responses to “MLM Blog: 7 Reasons Why Handing out MLM Postcards and Flyers Does Not Work”

  1. I definitely have to agree with you Nate. I never had any success passing out fliers. I had more success from just talking to people and using bandit signs. They were sure a waste of time and money, but nothing beats getting knowledge from the experience. Thanks for sharing!

  2. Adam Payne says:

    Agreed! I have never used them but I cannot imagine what self-respecting person would pick one up and think “Mmm, I’ll join this business.”

    Thanks Nate.

  3. I think the jury is still out on this topic – I’ve known, or come to know, quite a few very successful marketers using the flyers/cards/mail methods.

    Although I’m not sure starting out it’s the most cost effective, but one can also consider sites like Fiverr.com and other outsourcing.

    Great post – thanks for sharing

    • Nate Leung says:

      Hi Catherine,

      I definitely would love to hear more about the success that marketers are having. The only thing I can think of that would be effective is having the person who picks up the flyer go to a capture page, and opt-in their information for a “make money from home” opportunity. That would be an effective method to create or piqué interest on the flyer without telling too much and then let the autoresponder campaign do most of the leg work.

      Yes, I agree with you, cost effective may not be too good and you’re also trading time to pass out these flyers.

      Great feedback Catherine. Glad to see you here. 🙂

  4. Flyers and postcards seem to be a shot in the dark approach Nate. You can get more done in less time, targeting your prospects effectively, by using SEO or solo ads.

    The goal is to work SMART, not HARD, and although some see success with postcards and flyers many more folks see greater succeed in half the time using online methods.

    Thanks Nate!

    • Nate Leung says:

      I agree, working smarter is the way to go and there are better and more effective ways of getting your message across. Thanks Ryan!

  5. Sigrid McNab says:

    Ha ha Nate, I think most of us have gone through process. Lesson learned!

  6. Kit Elliott says:

    I love this method, but the smart marketer does it two ways:

    #1) Mailing House and Mailing Lists = Let them do all the work and target the right people.

    #2) ROI = Make sure you have a good return of investment with each signup. That means your network marketing company can’t be a matrix or a 1 to 2 percent bonus plan that never pay out.

    You must be able to calculate the income and get the ROI when doing this… THEN IT’S EFFECTIVE!

    I have built huge downlines with old fashioned postcards!

    Just my 2 cents…

    Kit Elliott

  7. Matthew Yaden says:

    What is your take on flyers for event based businesses? We run professional wrestling events 3 to 5 times per month and I’m trying to find the most effective way to bring awareness to potential fans. I’ve had little success with flyers and posters around town but wonder if it’s due to the inability to get enough out to see a return.

    Thank you!

    • Nate Leung says:

      Hi Matthew,

      If you’re starting off and running a local event. Flyers are good to an extent in the beginning. There comes a point where you’ll want to start to grow your audience and scale.

      I would also recommend doing some form of advertising online (ie Facebook ads), and attract the people that have an interest in the professional wrestling niche. Although, professional wrestling and network marketing are two different industries, the message is the same and that is promotion.

      Go broad with your marketing, and start to see the type of results from your marketing when the people start showing to your events.

      If the people who come to your events enjoyed the show that you put on, I would recommend asking them if they would be willing to spread the word locally and if you have a Facebook fan page, ask them to ‘like’ the fanpage. As long as your spread the word, online or off-line, your events will start to grow. Hope that helps!

  8. Ryan says:

    I need help starting my network marketing buisness

  9. Nathan Velasquez says:

    I use bandit signs, color flyers posters and postercards successfully targeted to affluent professionals,employers and high traffic areas…ROI is high and retention is high due to the high quality of product…

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