Benefits of leaflet distribution and how to get the best results from leaflet drops
The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) found that 48% of consumers respond to an item or leaflet delivered through their letterbox.
In February 2010, the British Marketing Survey found that leaflets and flyers through the door received the highest reponse of all advertising channels, including newspapers, television and email.
The fact leaflet distribution is one of the most cost effective forms of advertising is no secret.
Leaflet distribution is quickly becoming main-stream due to it's ability to build brand recognition at an affordable cost. Now more than ever companies are being careful with their marketing budgets. I want the best results from my marketing spend and I'm sure if you're reading this, you do too. Distributing leaflets is increasingly being seen as the best way to get your message directly into homes and businesses. It doesn't require the high costs of radio and tv advertising and is a more direct form of marketing than newspaper and magazine advertising.
So, we know leaflet distribution is a successful cost effective way of marketing your business. Below are additional tips and advice to ensure your leaflet marketing campaign is as successful as possible.
Selecting the type of leaflet distribution drop
The main choices for leaflet distribution are solus, share-plan and infill.
Solus is your leaflet or flyer distributed to homes and businesses on its own. This is widely regarded as the best option due to maximum exposure. Most companies promote solus drops as a superior service. Your leaflet is the only thing going through the door so that gets you maximum exposure right? The majority of home owners are usually out during the day, when they arrive home they will be find a pile of letters and leaflets delivered via the postman mixed in with leaflets, menus, magazines and other things that have been distributed through their door by various companies that day. They won't care what came through their letterbox seperately, it's all in one pile. Solus drops are more expensive than both share-plan and infill drops. We charge £75.00 per thousand delivered.
Share-plan drops involve your leaflet or flyer being distributed alongside other leaflets from non-competing businesses that also want to target a similar area/audience. Share-plan drops are a much more cost effective way of getting your message through the doors of homes and businesses. We charge £30 per thousand delivered. The only downside to share-plan leaflet distribution drops is you usually have to fit in with distribution areas and timescales that are already booked in in advance. If you choose to book an area for a share-plan drop there is usually several weeks lead time so be sure to contact your chosen distribution company in advance to ensure everything runs smoothly. This is especially important if your leaflet or flyer has a date specific promotion.
Infill drops usually involve your leaflet distribution company storing your leaflets, using them to fill any spare spaces in share-plan rounds. This is usually the cheapest and most cost effective form of leaflet distribution, the only downsides being the drops are usually carried out over a long period of time in pre-planned areas which means yours leaflets and flyers cannot be time or geographically sensitive. You are benefitting from the low cost by making life easier for your distribution company when they are planning leaflet drops.
Be consistent with your leaflet drops
Leafleting is an excellent way to build brand recognition over a period of time. You wont become a millionaire from one leaflet drop but if you carry out leaflet drops regularly you will find it will help generate a regular stream of enquiries and income. Your potential customer will probably not require your services or products the first time your leaflet drops through the door. It's possible they may not take advantage of the generous offer or coupon on your second leaflet and when the third leaflet drops through their letterbox they still may not require what you are offering. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you need to deliver 3 leaflets before you get any enquiries. Many of my clients receive a great response to their first leaflet campaign which covers the cost of their design, printing and distribution and gives them a nice healthy profit. Once they see the returns they are usually back in touch to book up their next leaflet campaign. The point I was trying to make is, by regularly dropping leaflets through doors you will be building brand recognition. When your potential customers do require your particular products or services they will think of you first because your leaflets and flyers have consistently landed in their homes. Psychologists have shown that familiarity also induces liking. Market your company effectively with reliable leaflet distribution and you may find even people who have never done business with you but have constantly encountered your leaflets become willing to recommend you, even when they have no personal knowledge of your products and services. I know this is true because I have done it myself, when someone asked if i knew where they could get a dog bike trailer I immediately remembered a flyer that I constantly get through my door and sent that person to their website. I haven't even been on the website myself!! mainly because I dont have a dog so my need for dog based products is well.. non-existant. Thanks to that particular company's persistance with leaflet drops they got an order.
Leaflet design and printing
For many companies design is the last thing to be considered when organising a leaflet drop. In fact it should be your priority. I have redesigned leaflets for companies and have seen first hand how it increases their feedback, sometimes dramatically. There is a lot of advertising pushed in front of people's faces, your leaflet or flyer needs to be a little bit special to stand out from all the rest. Make it memorable and it will enhance your leaflet marketing compaign. It may even help reduce your marketing spend. This is where talented designers are worth their weight in gold. Give a designer your project brief and you and your leaflet marketing campaign will benefit from their knowledge, skills and talent.
Some people swear by printing your leaflet on thick card to ensure it is durable and is less likely to be creased or bent when being delivered. They also believe a thicker quality leaflet denotes quality so a potential customer is much more likely to hold on to it. I agree with this however our customers that use thinner leaflets and flyers also get great returns not far short of the returns seen by customers using thicker leaflets. If your budget is limited I would concentrate on hitting more homes more often rather than spending more on getting your leaflets printed on thicker card.
To book a leaflet drop in Leicester or for advice on how to get the most from your investment in leaflet distribution contact me below or connect with me for updates and more information.
