The Internet may be king, but print flyers are still an important marketing medium for many businesses. Case in point, The Dragonfly Lounge.
The Dragonfly Lounge, a small but noticeable esports and hookah lounge located in Kennesaw, Georgia, was opened by Timothy Jacobs in 2020. Since then, Michelle Proffit has played a crucial role in marketing and promoting the lounge. Putting her previous experience in catering with Chellz Cuisine to use, Michelle, who is also the mom of the young entrepreneur, came up with a range of strategies to promote the Dragonfly Lounge to the local community.
Built as a savvy, modern gaming lounge with a club-like feel, the Dragonfly attracts an audience of young adults and college students.
When we asked what her #1 tactic is for marketing the lounge, Michelle had one thing to say: Flyers!
Michelle considers social media a good option for marketing when you have a following already. But when you’re just starting out, the best option is a classic flyer. “I know if I get a flyer at my door, I am definitely going to read it,” she said.
When it comes to creating dynamic promotional flyers, Michelle’s favorite creation tool is PosterMyWall. She describes the experience as, “Phenomenal!” She started with no prior design experience and was able to teach herself everything from scratch really quickly.
Michelle shared the following tips on how to create effective and attractive flyers to promote your business:
Showcase your business’ ambiance in your designs
Michelle’s first piece of advice is to make sure your advertising shows off your space. “People should know where they’re going and what to expect when they get there,” she said.
In her flyers, Michelle always includes an appealing image of the club as the backdrop. When advertising for open mic night, she uses an image of the stage with its curtains drawn, a stool, and a microphone. For a simple hookah night, she includes the image of a hookah set up at a center table in the lounge.
“I avoid using pictures of people and prefer to show off our lounge because we want to attract a diverse audience and show them what to expect.”
Include key information
When your flyer is your primary form of communication, it’s important that it includes all necessary information. Michelle believes that when someone reads your flyer, the goal is to answer all of their questions. The details she includes on her flyers include information about the event itself, dates, times, prices, and details about that day’s special offers.
Mentioning amenities, like parking, can help bring in more customers. “A lot of places charge for parking, so letting customers know we have free parking is a huge draw,” Michelle said.
Maintain brand-consistent color
The right colors can make or break the aesthetic of a flyer. “Having catchy colors on your flyer can attract a lot of people,” Michelle said. She consistently uses The Dragonfly’s signature grey and purple in every flyer and graphic she designs, so customers will associate these colors with the Dragonfly.
“When people see the same colors on a flyer enough times, it trains their brain to think of our brand everytime they see those colors.” The color scheme works well with the sleek, modern vibe of the lounge, and looks great in the engaging, curated flyers Michelle creates.
Distribute strategically
Michelle has become an expert in the art of physically handing out flyers – and starting conversations with the people she hands them to. It’s an opportunity to show that you’re enthusiastic about your business, to answer questions, and make a connection. “If you speak to someone while handing them the flyer, they are more compelled to pass on the information to their family and friends,” she said.
Many of The Dragonfly Lounge’s flyers are printed on thick, postcard quality paper. Michelle has discovered that when a flyer is too thin, people might just throw it away. But if the paper quality is good, they will keep it with them.
Change things up for themed events
While keeping things on brand is important, Michelle does like to change it up a bit when promoting themed events. “We have all sorts of events at The Dragonfly. All-white parties, Super Bowl events, birthdays, business functions, and much more,” Michelle said.
When creating flyers for themed events, she adds popular colors and bright fonts to make the design more appealing. Adding bright colors to a Super Bowl-themed event, or the outline of a movie ticket to a “Netflix and Chill” night, keeps The Dragonfly’s marketing fresh and exciting.
Resize and repurpose your flyers for social media
While Michelle believes flyers are the best way to go, she also has a healthy respect for the power of social media. The Dragonfly Lounge promotes events regularly on Facebook, Instagram, and even Eventbrite – an event management and ticketing platform that helps promote local events.
Posting flyers and promotions on sites like Eventbrite have allowed the Dragonfly’s events to gain significant traction. “All I do is use PosterMyWall’s one-click resize and make a few edits – and my flyer designs are ready to post on Eventbrite,” Michelle said.
The one-click resize allows Michelle to repurpose old content for new events, allowing her to get promotional content ready without starting over.
Another thing Michelle likes about PosterMyWall is that she can make quick changes to her graphics at no cost. “Being able to make changes on the fly has been very useful in COVID-19 times when there is so much uncertainty regarding opening times and events,” she said. In her experience, it’s much harder to keep a website updated than social media.
Looking ahead
As the Dragonfly Lounge continues to grow, Michelle never stops planning for the future. But as far as marketing is concerned, she is adamant about the value of flyers.
“Flyers and word of mouth will always be our primary advertising methods,” Michelle said.
To design your own branded flyers, just like Michelle, try out the flyer generator, available at PosterMyWall.
Qasim is a senior editor at PosterMyWall. Qasim is a reader and writer during and after work, and likes to explore a wide range of topics and niches. Outside of work, he likes to meditate, listen to good music and journal.
