There are many reasons why leaflet marketing in the UK is still worth it in 2025. According to the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), 80% of top advertisers use leaflet distribution services to advertise their business, creating a market that is now worth over £1 billion.
However, before you start making leaflets a core part of your strategy, it’s important to get the basics under wraps. A well-designed, thought-out leaflet can capture the attention of your target market and convey your brand messaging clearly.
The result? An engaged target audience that is more likely to put their trust in your business.
Before you start creating your leaflet…
Before you start experimenting on Canva or jotting down content ideas, it’s best to take a step back and really think about why you’ve decided to use leaflet marketing and what you’d like it to achieve.
What are your goals for leaflet marketing?
For instance, you may use leaflet marketing to promote a new product or service, announce a special offer, or get your brand recognised more in your local area. This will help guide your content, making any messaging more succinct and clear to any readers.
Who is your target audience?
Another important factor is your target audience. Remember that your website audience may not be the same as your leaflet audience. For example, those on your website may already be interested or actively looking for your services, whereas leaflet marketing target audiences are all about planting a seed.
If you’re not sure who your target audience is, take a moment to write down a few demographics such as age, location, interests, budget, and needs. Even if you don’t notice at first, this practice will help guide your content, making it more engaging for the people you want to target.
What key information should a leaflet include?
Leaflets come in all different shapes and styles — but there are a few important pieces of information that all leaflets should have.
- Company name and logo: Make sure your brand is instantly visible and recognisable for anyone reading the leaflet. Make sure your logo is clear and unfuzzy for a professional look. Most businesses position their logo on the top-middle of the page, but you can also place it in the top-right or top-left.
- Headline: What is the main message you want to communicate? For example, our headline might be ‘Your local team of leaflet distributors in Essex’ if you’re using a leaflet for brand awareness. If you’re a local takeaway running a promotion, you could say, ‘LIMITED TIME OFF — 50% OFF ALL PIZZAS EVERY MONDAY’.
- Core message: This can be any information that is clear, concise — and most importantly — relevant to the purpose of your leaflet. For example, we would include information about our local distribution areas, why we differ from other Essex leaflet distributors, and transparent pricing.
- Call-to-action (CTA): This is an action-driven statement which directs the reader on what to do next, like ‘Call us today!’, ‘Follow us on Instagram’, or ‘Claim your discount now’.
- Contact information: The biggest non-negotiable for your leaflet. By having your contact information on your leaflet, you can ensure that readers can get in touch with you if they’d like to learn more about your products or services. Depending on the nature of your business, you may wish to add a phone number, email address, website URL, or physical address.
- Visuals: It’s important to have a balance of content, graphics/images, and white space on your leaflet. White space isn’t a bad thing! Leaflets full of content or vice versa can come across as quite busy and cluttered, possibly deterring potential customers from engaging with it. Pexels, Unsplash, and Canva are great places to find graphics and images that align with your branding.
Bonus: If you’d like to track the success of your leaflet, why not add a unique promo code, a custom landing page, or a trackable QR code so you can see just how many people engaged with your leaflet? This is a great analytic to have, as it can help guide and improve any future leaflets you create.
How can I make sure my leaflet messaging is clear?
Arguably, the most important part of any leaflet is its message and its success in relaying this message. With this in mind, these few leaflet content tricks would be a great place to start:
- Keep it simple: Use straightforward language, avoid any specialist business jargon, and write your content tailored to a complete beginner in your field or service.
- Use bullet points: Make your content easier for the reader to process with bullet points. They are great for breaking down information and making your leaflet easy to scan for key information.
- Include subheadings: Got a lot to say? Keep your content neatly structured by using subheadings. They can act as a map of sorts, guiding the reader on where to look for information most relevant to their needs.
- Benefits > features: You might know the ins and outs of your product or service, but is that really what your target audience wants to know? Focus on the benefits of your product or service over its features to show how your business can benefit the reader.
Upgrade your business with professional leaflet distribution in Essex
At Essex Leaflet Angel, our leaflet distribution services help small businesses and sole traders reach local customers.
Take a look at our distribution areas, fill in our simple contact form, or give our friendly team a ring on 01702 780 027 for more information.