5 Signs a “Leaflet Drop” Is NOT Right for You

That’s not meant to be an existential question nor is it meant to sound overtly negative – it’s about setting goals.

Because if you’re looking for a silver bullet or a quick fix, you’re probably not going to find it in any single piece of marketing.

Leaflet drops are a time-tested way of getting your name through the door of hundreds and thousands of people who can buy your products or services. But the question is… are they the right option for you?

Let’s start with the basics.

Well, if you’re looking to get your name in front of a large number of people who could potentially be customers, then yes.

The reality, and one that we’re always upfront and honest about, is that most of your leaflets will end up in the bin.

Think about it, for every piece of mail, leaflet or bit of marketing that comes through your letterbox, how much do you look at and how much do you keep?

Well, the answer is more than you think – 80% of people admit they’ve recently kept a leaflet that’s been posted through the door for future use, according to the Direct Marketing Association.

With more and more of our lives heading down the digital highway, whether that’s banking, bills, statements or pretty much anything (including a lot of marketing), there’s a bit of a gap in the physical marketing sphere.

That gap is being handily filled by savvy local businesses, from takeaways to landscape gardeners, window cleaners and pretty much anything you can think of.

After all, there’s a whole lot of stuff that needs doing in any home.

But once you’ve accepted that a whole load of your leaflets will end up in the bin, you can see the upside – it’s not the leaflets that end up in the bin, it’s the ones that don’t that matter.

I’ll be brutally honest here, there’s no point dipping your toe in the water with a handful of leaflets.

In order for a campaign to be cost-effective, you’re looking at a minimum of 5,000 leaflets…

That’s the sweet spot where the print, design and distribution costs level out because of the volume. And it also means you’re getting a proper distribution out there, which is great because as you know with any marketing, the potential returns are a percentage of what you put in.

As a result, the more you send, the more likely it is to be effective.

That’s the truth with most marketing – it’s not complicated. Even a simple sales message will work if you send it to enough people.

So, sure, you could start with a few leaflets but unless you’re running a lemonade stand outside your front door, you’re probably not going to find any value in that.

So, this is one of the downsides of physical marketing.

Whereas with emails , social media advertising and most digital marketing, you get detailed metrics of who’s read, clicked, taken action and engaged with your content, print doesn’t have the same analytics.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though.

For many, obsessing over metrics that don’t mean a whole lot in the grand scheme of things can be a fruitless exercise. Often time is better spent on working out how to do what you’re doing more effectively.

After all, the only metrics that really matter are how much you’re spending and how much you’re getting back, right?

Sure, tracking the effectiveness of a campaign isn’t straightforward but there are ways you can do it if you want to know how well it’s working.

You could use offer codes, for example, as a way of seeing the response.

But the reality is that as long as you’re busy and revenue (and ideally, profit) is ticking over, then you probably want to keep doing what you’re doing.

Leaflet drops in addition to a well-working business that delivers what it promises are never going to be a bad thing.

Anyone that’s started out as a one-person-band will know that there are two incredibly precious commodities:

Time and money.

For any business, these are the two things you try to maximise in any and every way possible.

Which is why walking the streets, doing a leaflet drop on your own probably isn’t making the most of either of those. After all, the more time you spend on doing a job that’s admin-heavy, the less time you are spending doing what you’re best at.

That’s why leaflet drops can be handled by companies that deal with printing and distribution, so you know it’s happening, when it’s happening, and you don’t have to miss a beat.

As we alluded to earlier, leaflet drops aren’t really something that work best when you’re just dipping your toe in.

If you’re planning on sending out one batch of leaflets and then “waiting to see what happens”, you’re probably never going to be on board with it.

Think of it as a commitment to expanding your reach, your recognition and your trustworthiness and you’ll be on the right track.

And let’s face it, the reality is that people will often only take action when they really need to…

I’m not rushing to get my gutters cleaned until they’re overflowing in November when the trees have shed their leaves… then I’m straight on the phone to get it sorted.

It’s the same with so many things – which makes it crucial that you’re there at the right time.

And what’s the best way to ensure you’re there at the right time? Always be there.

It’s worth referencing at some point in this section that this doesn’t mean new creative each time, in fact, sending the same piece of comms (unless time specific) more than once can help to further build brand awareness due to it’s repetition.