In 2022, businesses like yours have been focused on reaching the greatest number of customers possible while keeping overheads low. For many business owners, the hit-and-miss aspect of digital marketing results means that they are, instead, choosing leaflet distribution in order to reach their customers where they live – quite literally.
While leaflet distribution is incredibly effective, it does take some finessing, and one of the most common questions we’re asked here at DOR-2-DOR is how to choose the best area for a campaign.
In this article, we’ll share our tips on how to maximise your leaflet drop campaign by getting your locations right.
Hello, is it me you’re looking for?
As with digital advertising, the scattergun approach rarely works when it comes to leaflet distribution, so your first task is to think about who it is that you’re targeting. For example, young professionals, parents or senior citizens.
You may also want to think about income and disposable income – i.e. how much money your target audience is likely to have spare. Once you have this information locked down, you can then build a profile of your ideal customer in order to create a foundation for your campaign.
Town and country
Next up, you’ll need to have a look at the general area that you want to target, and this depends greatly on the type of business that you’re running.
For example, if you have a brick-and-mortar business such as a restaurant or a shop, then, in all likelihood, you’re looking at an area of no more than a few miles, particularly at a time when fuel and energy costs are sky-high.
If, however, you have a mobile business, perhaps an interior design company, then your overall area will equate to how far you are prepared to travel to a customer’s home or premises.
From door to door
Now that you’ve locked down your catchment area, it’s time to zero in. Every town and city tends to be made up of different areas, which can differ widely in socio-economic ways. This means that you need to pinpoint the regions in which your customers are likely to live.
For example, sticking with our interior design company, you’ll be looking for areas where homes are largely owned by their residents rather than rented properties in which tenants will not be investing in home improvements.
You’ll also be looking at the overall affluence of the different regions by examining factors such as unemployment, property prices, percentage of student accommodation and the percentage of council-owned properties in the area.
Finally, you’ll want to check demographics for age as you need to bear in mind the fact that some age groups, for example, senior citizens, may not have the same kind of disposable income as a professional couple in their forties.
Laser-targeting
Once you have zeroed in on your ideal locations, you’re in a good place to start thinking about your campaign. With our modern location targetting, you can even narrow your targets down to our bespoke street-level distribution zones within postcodes.
For your leaflet distribution campaign, this means that you’re minimising waste by making sure that your leaflets are only going to those households which might reasonably be interested in your services and have the means to afford them.
Types of leaflet distribution
As well as choosing the right recipients for your leaflets, it’s important to know what kind of campaigns are available. At DOR-2-DOR, we don’t believe that leaflet distribution is ‘one size fits all’, so we offer a wide range of options as follows:
It’s great that you’ve got your locations nailed, but not all flyer drops are created equal, so, in this section, we’ll take you through the different kinds of distribution available to you:
Shared leaflet distribution: The most popular option for small businesses, this method means that your leaflet will be delivered at the same time as those from other businesses in the area. While this is an effective and low-cost way of distributing your leaflets, it may not be ideal if your business has a lot of competition in a particular location.
Solus leaflet distribution: With this option, yours will be the only leaflet which is delivered during a particular distribution cycle. The benefit here is, of course, that there’s no chance of your customer being tempted away by a competing business as their attention will be laser-focused on yours. Although this is the most effective type of leaflet distribution, its exclusive nature does mean that it tends to be a little more expensive.
Hand-to-hand distribution: You’ll no doubt be familiar with this one if you’re in the habit of visiting high streets and shopping centres. With this method, promotional staff take to the streets to physically hand your leaflets to potential customers. This is particularly effective if you have, let’s say, a high street business and the leaflets are being handed out very close to your business address. While this can be extremely effective, you do run the risk of busy shoppers simply dropping your leaflet into the nearest bin if it doesn’t immediately grab their attention.
Deciding on the type of distribution depends on your requirements and budget, and at DOR-2-DOR, we’re always on hand to advise on the best type of campaign for your business.
Tips for putting together a great leaflet
- Use a strong, unique image – don’t be tempted by stock images which will have been used by lots of other businesses
- Use bold colours
- Focus on one product or service rather than confusing the reader with different messaging
- Keep your design clear and uncluttered
- Use clear language – don’t try to be too clever
- Choose a killer call to action which clearly tells the reader what you want them to do next, i.e., visit a website, sign a petition or make a phone call
- Place the most important information in the top right of the leaflet
A bright, clean and appealing leaflet, printed on good quality paper, is essential for grabbing attention and also presenting a professional image for your business. For this reason, putting together a leaflet campaign should never be rushed and, for the best results, should be undertaken by a professional agency such as DOR-2-DOR.
Leave it to the pros
When it comes to putting together a leaflet and then distributing it, many businesses are tempted to save money by doing this themselves. While this is, of course, possible, it’s generally not advisable. A successful leaflet distribution campaign involves bringing a number of factors together, and this can be complex and time-consuming.
At DOR-2-DOR, we have the experience and expertise to make sure that your leaflets reach the right audience – with the right messaging – every time. As well as distribution, we can help you to design a leaflet which will really convert. Get in touch today to find out how we can help you to reach more customers.
