Give someone reading your flyer an easy way to act: a page with the offer, a number to call or a code to bring to the counter. Then keep a record of the enquiries or sales that follow. A short address and an optional QR code can connect the paper in their hand to the details they need on a phone.
Build one clear route
Give the printed piece one job
Choose a main action: view the event details, request a quote, book an appointment or redeem an offer. Keep the business name, offer and important dates readable without scanning. See print marketing for local businesses for format and proofing decisions.
Send people to the matching page
The page should repeat the offer and explain the terms, location or service area, availability and next step. A generic homepage makes people search again. Use a page that works on a phone, with a visible call or booking option and only the form fields you need.
Provide another way to respond
Print a readable short web address alongside the code. Where appropriate, include a phone number, address or instruction to bring the flyer. Someone without a suitable phone should still understand the offer and how to reach you.
Keep control of the destination
A short address on your own domain can redirect to the offer page. Ask whoever maintains the website to set it up and test it. If you use a QR provider or external short-link service, check whether the link depends on a subscription, what happens when a plan ends and whether you can change its destination.
Keep the destination available after distribution. Printed material can remain in circulation after the offer ends; show a clear expired-offer message and a useful current contact route rather than silently sending people to a different deal.
Give each piece a way to be recognised
Use distinct addresses or codes when you need to compare placements, such as a chamber event handout and an in-store postcard. Keep a record of which code belongs to which piece and when it was distributed. A code customers mention at checkout, recorded by staff once per transaction, can be enough for a small test.
If you already use Google Analytics, ask your website maintainer to add campaign labels, called UTM parameters, to the destination link. They describe where the link appeared, the type of channel and the promotion. Google's Campaign URL Builder helps create the link; its guide to campaign labels explains the fields and where to find the results.
For example, a chamber handout could use utm_source=chamber_event, utm_medium=print and utm_campaign=weekday_lunch. Keep that long link behind the QR code or short address, and test that it still works through any redirect. Follow Google's guidance to keep personal information out of campaign links: names and email addresses do not belong in these labels.
A link label tells you which link someone used; it cannot show every influence on their decision. People can forward it, scan twice or buy without visiting the page. Keep visits separate from enquiries and purchases, and record the completed action through your booking system, checkout or staff tally.
Check the whole journey before printing
- Scan the code on an actual-size proof using more than one phone; check readability in the intended setting.
- Type the short address by hand and confirm it reaches the right page.
- Check the offer, dates and terms match across the flyer, website and social post.
- Submit a test enquiry or booking and confirm that the responsible person receives it.
- Test the phone number and explain the campaign code to staff who will take responses.
A neighbourhood café example
This is a hypothetical promotion with made-up figures to show the calculation, not a forecast or a report of campaign results.
Suppose a café promotes a weekday lunch offer on a flyer, a matching web page and a social post. It agrees handout placement with nearby businesses. The flyer has its own short address and redemption code; the social post uses a different link and code. Staff record each redeemed code once per transaction.
Assume the print portion costs $120 for design, printing and distribution, and records 30 transactions using the flyer code. Its cost per recorded redemption is $120 ÷ 30 = $4. Next, check what those sales leave after costs.
If each transaction brings in $10 after the offer discount, the recorded revenue is $300. If ingredients, packaging and other costs of supplying those orders total $180, that leaves $120 before marketing. Subtract the $120 campaign cost and nothing remains toward rent, other fixed costs or profit.
Some customers may already have planned to visit. Others may see both the flyer and social post, share a code or return without using it. Record what you can, recognise these limits and avoid treating every redemption as a new sale caused by print.
Make the next test answer a question
Use the results to choose a practical next step. If people visited but did not enquire, check the page and booking process. If enquiries went unanswered, fix the follow-up. If the offer left too little after costs, change the offer before paying to distribute it again.
Write that change and the next review date into your marketing plan. For help with the page, email and social posts supporting the offer, use our digital marketing guide.