Starting a business is fraught with challenges, but perhaps one of the greatest is building an audience from scratch. Sure, you may have a truly transformational product or service, but if you aren’t driving customers toward it, your start-up is unlikely to succeed.
While email marketing and social media platforms may seem like obvious choices to promote your business, the fierce competition in these crowded spaces means your messages must compete against thousands of adverts all vying for the attention of your prospective customers.
Meanwhile, leaflet marketing helps you cut through the noise and advertise your new business to local customers:
Read by 78% of recipients
Kept in the home for 38 days on average
Responsible for a rise in new customers in 90% of campaigns
When done well, this channel is a great addition to any small business’s marketing plan. So, to help you make the most of this tried-and-tested medium, here we break down how leaflet distribution works, why it’s perfect for start-ups, and how to use leaflet marketing to maximise the launch of your business.
What is leaflet distribution?
Leaflet distribution, sometimes referred to as door-drops, is a well-established marketing channel that local businesses have used for centuries to reach and engage potential customers in their target audience.
Whether you’re an up-and-coming estate agency, a new local charity finding its footing, or any other type of business, there are four options you have when it comes to getting your messages heard.
The flexibility that leaflet marketing offers is not only great for small business owners with a wide range of goals, it also means it is accessible to a range of budgets.
Are leaflets effective for new businesses?
Cost-effectiveness is not the main reason why successful businesses use door drops to promote their business locally – it is because this method delivers real results.
Leaflets are highly engaging
At the beginning of your journey as a new company, people won’t know who you are, or what you offer. High-quality leaflet campaigns inspire as many as 79% of recipients to engage with your mail – reading it, keeping it, or passing it on to a friend.
As you can imagine, this kind of exposure is invaluable early on, and can sow the seed for sales later down the line.
Tangible mail persuades people to buy
In order to thrive, you need customers willing to part ways with their cash. This is easier said than done, and physical mail excels at this too.
According to recent data, 48% of readers who receive a leaflet through their letterbox either visit the store being advertised, ask for more information about the offer, or make a purchase – all important objectives for your small business.
Print appeals to the wider public
You don’t want to alienate potential customers before you’ve had a chance to grow. That’s why door drops are so valuable to new organisations.
How to launch your new business with leaflets
Set goals for your campaigns
As a company fresh on the scene, your resources may be limited. To measure your success and ensure the time and money you’re investing into leaflet marketing is paying off, it’s first important to set clear goals for your campaign.
Start by looking at what milestones your business has to achieve, and aligning them with your marketing objectives. Once you have an idea in mind, develop them into SMART goals – aims that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timely.
Understand your target audience
A campaign that knows its audience is incredibly valuable, and what separates the best marketing from the rest.
However, identifying who to target is easier said than done if you’re a start-up. If you don’t have any existing customer insights to draw from, you should:
Analyse your competitors to understand who they are targeting
Make educated assumptions about who your ideal buyer is
Talk to initial customers to test your presumptions and gain new insight
Conduct market research in your local area
Optimise the design of your leaflet
Once you’ve determined what goal your leaflet campaign must achieve and the audience to target, you next need to design a leaflet capable of standing out to potential customers and turning your business idea into a fully-fledged local enterprise.
Send out your leaflets at the right time
The delivery of your leaflets can be a make or break moment for your campaign, so take a great deal of care when it comes to making this vital decision.
While there’s no universal rule for the ‘best times’ to send your collateral, most businesses avoid scheduling leaflets to arrive on Fridays or over the weekend, as people often don’t want to open or read mail when they’re in ‘weekend mode’.
There are exceptions to this line of thinking, though. If you’re a restaurant or takeaway for example, you can find great success sending your collateral towards the end of the week when customers are most likely to be interested in your offerings.
Consider when your audience is likely to find your offer most valuable, and schedule it to arrive then. Test your assumptions, and continue experimenting to discover when your audience is most receptive.
Measure the impact of your campaign
As a new business, you need to know what activities have the greatest impact, so you can invest your time and resources into the tasks that matter. To measure the performance of your leaflet marketing campaigns, you can take several approaches.
Discover the smartest way to get your leaflets seen and heard
As a new company, you're probably well aware of the crucial role local advertising plays in your ongoing success. Yet balancing this with the myriad other tasks on your to-do list in the early days can be quite the struggle.
Don’t leave the enormous potential of leaflet marketing on the table. Work with a leaflet printing and distribution partner you trust to get the intricate details of your campaigns sorted, so you can start attracting people to your start-up.
At London Leaflets, our more than 25 years of experience support your campaigns from start to finish, providing you with the most reliable and accurate planning, leaflet and distribution service to reach any doormat inside the M25.
Get advice on planning an effective marketing strategy for your campaigns
Use our web-based mapping software to target audiences with unrivalled accuracy
Choose from four distinct leaflet distribution services to suit your goals and budgets
Print your leaflets efficiently and cost-effectively, to an exceptional standard, at any scale
Trust our full-time uniformed, GPS-tracked team to handle your deliveries for total peace of mind
Ready to get the word out about your exciting new business? Let us help your door drops reach the right people, on a timeframe and budget that suits you. Get in touch today to discuss your next campaign.
