Batch delivery also known as Newshare or Royal Mail Door to Door is residential household delivery of unaddressed leaflets or booklets combined with a Local Newspaper or delivered with post by the Royal Mail.
Both these methods suffer serious disadvantages over the much more effective dedicated leaflet distribution systems as offered by DOR-2-DOR. More than one problem exists with Newshare i.e. placing your leaflets for delivery with the free local newspaper.
The first of these problems is the fact that you have a high chance of the leaflet being placed inside and sometimes actually in the centre of the newspaper. This means that if the newspaper isn’t opened your leaflet will never be seen and even if the newspaper is picked up quite often the household will simply shake the paper over the recycling bin and therefore immediately discarding anything inside.
Secondly the Free newspaper coverage has shrunk significantly over the last few years and has now diminished to a fraction of their former coverage. This means that your leaflets can only go to the households where the newspaper goes and this will considerably restrict your opportunities for exposure of your offerings.
Thirdly you are at the behest of the paper boys and girls who are contracted to deliver the free newspaper primarily, to actually place your leaflet with the newspaper. The newspaper will be delivered but can you always be sure you leaflet will go as well?
Similar problems exist with the Royal Mail Door to Door service.
The Royal Mail is delivering normal post i.e. letters from friends, family, utility bills, banks and other business associated material. Alongside the post sometimes on the same day every week the postman will also be carrying unaddressed leaflets. Currently the Royal Mails agreement with the unions restricts the number of unaddressed leaflets delivered to 6 and normally these would be delivered at the same time. The leaflets are mainly from national organisations but the Royal Mail will normally deliver for any business (subject to a minimum charge of £500). This bundle of leaflets can often take the form of a large (A2 format) Hillary’s Blinds or similar company which is then folded down to A4 and other leaflets from charities or home improvement companies tucked inside.
It is an important aspect of the way the Royal Mail leaflets are pre-collated at the sorting office into a nice neat bundle that can easily be discarded by the householder without inspecting. Individual leaflet distribution as perfected by DOR-2-DOR involves the leaflets being kept separate for maximum impact on the door mat.
In addition with the Royal Mail if a property doesn’t have any normal post to be delivered on the day the leaflets are being delivered then that property will not get any unaddressed leaflets. Even if that property gets a letter the next day it may not get any leaflets if the Postman is not now carrying them.
Saturation is therefore a big problem with Royal Mail Door to Door – according to research carried out for the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) by The Front Door (a marketing research company and member of the DMA) in the 5 year period from 2005 to 2010 average saturation of deliveries in the drop area of only 84.4%. This means on a distribution of 10,000 homes 1,560 won’t get one.
The lesson therefore for maximum results a dedication Leaflet Distribution solution is the answer. Avoid batching your leaflets with the free newspaper or the Post.
