Print Media for MLM Marketing - Part 2

Case study continued from Part 1

Every new distributor that registered onto our system ordered and received a Starter Pack that contained the following:

Moving Media
We purchased a large format printer and used it to create advertising that could be placed on the rear window or doors of each distributor’s car. We used a product called contra-vision which allows the driver to see out the rear window unimpeded but provides a clear view of the advert from outside. The media shipped with an instruction video explaining how to apply the advert and the distributors did the application themselves. Each print was personalised and contained the distributor's replicated website address and their phone number. The size of the advert was 3’x 2’. 

We also created car door magnets that could be moved from car to car as needed. These were 2’ x 2’.

Now I know this does not sound very impressive but shortly before I sold Acorn Kids, we had over 2,000 cars driving around like moving billboards, calling on young mothers to become a full-time moms with a part-time business. I added up the total advertising area and we had over 12,000 square feet of moving media! 

Let’s compare this to billboard advertising. An average billboard is 280 square feet and costs between $10,000 and $150,000 per month depending on location. 12,000 square feet equates to 42 billboards. If we work on just $10K per billboard then the advertising value was over $400,000 per month. I can assure you that this alone had a massive impact on our recruiting efforts.

Brochures
Each distributor received a pack of 100 brochures in their Starter Kit. They could easily purchase more brochures through the Acorn Kids online store in packs of 100. The brochures were professionally designed to explain the products and the business. Most of our distributors used this to present the business opportunity and to invite people to their workshops. Over a 5 year period we printed more than 3 million brochures. Most of these brochures found their way into a customer’s hands. I am not sure how to quantify the value of the brochures but, for argument sake, let’s say they generated $1 worth of advertising each. That equates to an advertising spend of over $50,000 per month. What compounds the impact is that each brochure landed up in the hands of the perfect potential client. It was hand-delivered to hand-picked moms with the perfect profile. They had young children and they were looking for an opportunity. 

As a company, we would have been hard-pressed to deliver 50,000 brochures to such a targeted audience, but 2,000 distributors simply need to deliver 25 brochures each. Yes, we needed to train our distributors on the best way to offer the brochure and on how to follow up, but I assure you that the impact on sales and recruits was massive. 

Tear-offs
We provided each distributor with a pack of 100 x A5 tear-offs. These are small posters with a key message and perforated tabs along the bottom for their phone number. If a person is interested they simply tear off the number and contact the distributor. These were placed on community boards, bus stops, in daycare centres, kindergartens, libraries and anywhere else the distributors could think of.  As a matter of fact, the country was almost wallpapered with these posters. I will never forget going to a public toilet and finding the tear-off placed on the back of the toilet door! What was even more exciting was that most of the “contact me” numbers were removed. Over a 5 year period, we distributed more than 3 million tear-offs. Again, let’s say that each poster was worth just $1 in advertising spend - the result would be advertising worth $50,000 per month.

Posters
Each distributor also received 10 x A2 posters as part of their Starter Kit. These were used in schools, kindergartens, community centers and other places where large numbers of young moms congregated. We produced 500,000 posters and, again, there were few eligible places that did not have our posters in prime position. If we consider the advertising value of each poster to be just $5, then the monthly contribution our posters made to our advertising budget was $40,000 per month. 

"Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark.  You know what you are doing but nobody else does" - Stuart H. Britt