Ayup! Optimising your leaflet distribution response rates is a strategy aimed at delivering a healthy ROI. This guide covers up-to-date trends and current best practices. It’s based on twelve years of campaign management and feedback.
How was the response? Always one of the first questions we ask upon completing a door drop. This helps to build a picture of exactly what’s working, and what’s not.
Optimise (and measure) response rates
Before we get started, always make sure you’ve got a way of tracking your response rates. Super important! Otherwise, you’ll have no accurate way of measuring the success of your campaign.
Normally, this would be a QR code to a landing page that’s tracked via website analytics. Alternatively, discount codes that are unique to the flyer or leaflet. Failing that, many businesses still benefit from the old-school technique; mention flyer for [insert offer here].
Door Drops are proving to be more than just traditional print media. They’re a dynamic, measurable marketing tool. With proven reach, strong ROI, and growing traction among key audiences, especially younger consumers who are typically harder to engage, this channel is well-positioned for continued effectiveness.
1. Research
Not all businesses will benefit from a leaflet distribution campaign. In fact, it’s a pretty small, specific list of sectors. If you’re considering your first door drop, ensure it’s a viable form of marketing for your industry.
How? The easiest way is to think about the flyers or leaflets you receive at your home address. They’re normally takeaways, supermarkets, estate agents, events, gyms, pharmacies, etc. Quite specific. Here’s a list of the types of clients we work with the most in Nottingham and Derby:
- Political parties
- Local and parish councils
- Nurseries
- Schools
- Private dentists
- Local events
- Tourism services
- Recruitment agencies
- Gyms and health clubs
- Takeaways and restaurants
- Estate agents
- Planning permission companies
- Pharmacies
2. Online presence
Once you’ve decided a door-to-door campaign is the way to go, make sure you’ve got a solid online presence first. Work with what you’ve got, or what you can achieve before the distribution. As a minimum, this should ideally include a website, Google Business Profile and social media accounts.
Furthermore, you ideally want at least a few online reviews and testimonials. This is known as social proof. It can be via Google, Facebook, Trustpilot, TripAdvisor, etc.
Without all of the above, if a recipient of your flyer looks you up online, it’ll look like you don’t exist. This will inevitably deter most people from contacting you.
Print remains highly trusted and effective — especially when it works alongside digital — often prompting people to go online, book tickets and plan visits.
3. Set your objective
The goals of your campaign should be clear, outlined and targeted. What are we trying to achieve here? Normally, it’s phone calls, emails, sales, website visits or bringing folks into a physical location.
Once you’ve nailed down the true objective, planning your artwork becomes a whole lot easier. Which leads nicely onto…
4. Optimised artwork
The design of your flyer or leaflet is one of the most crucial steps to get right. Remember the saying, first impressions count? It’s never been truer with door drops. You’re up against busy lives and diminishing attention spans. That said, print continues to cut through the noise in a way that can rarely be achieved online.
Keep your artwork clean, uncluttered and highly visual. Avoid lengthy paragraphs and make sure it’s immediately clear what’s on offer. If the budget allows, hire a graphic designer, although tools like Canva make it easy to put together yourself.
As mentioned further up, always include a deal or offer if possible. This is a tried, tested and proven way to increase response rates.
When it comes to obtaining the attention of consumers and, more importantly, holding onto it, recent evidence has shown that print performs well on a number of fronts.
5. Quality Print
The cheapest option is rarely the best option when it comes to printing and paper. It’s often only a little extra for a decent quality stock. 170gsm is the absolutely minimum recommendation for door drops. Any thinner and they become easily crumpled in the letter boxes.
Of course, the higher you go, the better. 250gsm is another popular choice. Premium brands and businesses will even up this to 450gsm.
6. Maximum visibility distribution
You probably don’t need me to tell you that there are a lot of questionable distribution companies out there. A high percentage of our clients at Leaflet Lion have previously been let down.
Plenty of research is the first point of call. Secondly, dive into what they’re charging. Is it enough to pay their staff properly? Usually not. Are they nationwide and outsourcing all the work to cheap, unreliable companies?
Next, look into the plans on offer. Are they going to help or hinder your response rates? Consider a solus (your flyer delivered on its own) or solus+1 (your flyer delivered with one other) drop if possible. Shared drops, where your leaflet is often hidden inside a pizza menu (Royal Mail), won’t give your campaign the visibility it deserves.
7. Measure
Track your responses as your door drop goes out. Measuring the effectiveness of your campaign is how you figure out your ROI. Each business will have their own way of doing this. It could be anything from a spreadsheet to an automated, analytics-based data set.
The important thing is to simply make sure each enquiry or sale is recorded.
A successful door drop campaign doesn’t end at delivery. In order to judge whether a campaign is successful or not, you need to measure results and use your findings to fine tune and improve future campaigns.
8. Budget for repeat drops
Lastly, most effective campaigns rely on repeat drops. Again, this is a proven strategy, often popular with estate agents, takeaways and gyms. Consider budgeting for ongoing deliveries, if possible. Normally, a client will either work their way around several areas before starting over again. Alternatively, some cover the same area on a monthly or bi-monthly basis.