Newspaper leafleting campaign |
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 Leafleting through newspapers is probably the simplest and cheapest form of direct marketing. However it is true to say that leafleting through newspapers has a poor reputation. Most of the leaflets that fall out of newspapers are thrown away without actually being read. This problem can be overcome with careful thought, planning and preparation.
Companies like Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Homebase, and Robert Dyas use newspaper inserts on a regular basis because they generate business and sales. A carefully targeted leaflet campaign can bring new business to companies with small marketing budgets too.
It is feasible to distribute 5000, full-colour leaflets to 5000 households, targeted in a specific location, through a local newspaper for less than £300. This works out at £0.06p per leaflet.
Here is a guide to organizing a leaflet drop through a newspaper and how to avoid a large amount of wastage.
Set your objectives
You may want your campaign to generate sales, launch a product or service or build a database of leads.
Allocate a budget
How many leaflets can you afford to design, print and distribute? Set yourself a budget and stick to it.
Create an action plan
How many leaflets do you want to distribute? When and how often will they be distributed?
Homebase will often use leaflet campaigns through newspapers the week before a bank holiday, promoting their gardening products, because they know that on bank holidays most of us will want to spend time working in our gardens. Supermarkets will often run weekly leaflet campaigns through newspapers in the lead-up to Christmas to generate sales of food, drink and gifts.
Identify your target audience
Who are your current customers and where do they live? Do you need to identify and target new customers? Distribution agencies use data that is collected from the national census and other sources. They use this data to help you target your distribution. It is possible to distribute to households within a certain street or to households that fit into a certain income bracket. The demographic information available through distribution agencies is endless and will dramatically increase the success of your campaign.
In theory, if you are able to identify an area within a town, where you currently have existing customers, then those people who live in that same location, who are not yet customers, will have a similar demographic profile to your existing customers, and therefore, are a ‘hot target’.
Select your targeting method
Distribution through newspapers can be done in two ways:
- Newshare – your leaflets are distributed alongside the free local newspaper. This is the most flexible and widely-used method.
- Paid for – your leaflets are inserted into ‘paid for’ newspapers on a local and regional basis. This method is best used in rural areas where there is no free newspaper distribution.
Produce effective leaflets
Your leaflet needs to be eye-catching and professionally printed. A sales campaign will be more cost-effective than an awareness campaign. Create an incentive and a call to action on your leaflet. Offer a discount available for a short period of time.
Check the distribution
Contact friends, family members and customers who fall within your distribution area to see if they received a copy of your leaflet. Distribution agencies are bound by legislation to carry-out the services that they offer and, as a result, many have a follow-up procedure if you feel that your leaflets were not distributed as you had agreed.
Analyze and measure your response
If the test that you have carried out on a small scale has been successful, consider rolling out your leaflet campaign more frequently and on a bigger scale. Don’t forget to include it as a part of your annual marketing activity.
The response rate of a leaflet campaign can be drastically improved if the leaflet is supported with an advert within the newspaper itself. However this can often double the cost of running your campaign and you may decide to run two leaflet campaigns back to back instead.
Apple Pie can give more help and advice on running a leaflet campaign though a newspaper. Call 01962 732392 for an informal discussion.
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