Royal Mail Door to Door leaflet service

[Sil_14]

Hi,

Has anyone ever used Royal Mail Door to Door leaflet service for local advertising? Any pros and cons to share? Thanks in advance

 

[fisicx]

Been a recipient of lots the leaflets. Can’t recall any of them but I do know some people have had some success.

What do you do with all the junk the postie delivers?

 

[Sil_14]

I keep those I’m interested in and bin the rest.

 

[fisicx]

And have you ever used any of the services offered on this you keep?

My point is leaflets are very hit and miss. If you need your gutters cleaning and a leaflet drops though the door for gutter cleaning then it could result in a sale. But if you get one for patio cleaning and you don’t have a patio then it fails.

Bloke who cleans our wheelie bins sellotapes a flyer on the bins near where he is cleaning. Hand deliver and its often far more successful.

 

[Sil_14]

Thanks for your contribution but my request is really about Royal Mail services rather than "leaflet distribution" as a marketing channel.

 

[JEREMY HAWKE]

The whole exercise will give a one percent result so most will end up in the bin but that one per cent might get you enough leads

 

[Sil_14]

The whole exercise will give a one percent result so most will end up in the bin but that one per cent might get you enough leads

Hi, thanks for your reply. I'm aware of the ROI on leaflet distribution and I've always done them myself but a) I'd like to extend the catchment area, b) I don't have access to building blocks. My post is specifically about Royal Mail Services. I run a retail shop btw.

 

[MBE2017]

As mentioned expect 1-3% take up, as for the method, well tried, the PO will actually deliver correctly, much of any success will depend on the offer and how well the leaflet is designed.

Certain industries and services would suit it better than others.

 

[Shopclicks]

I get that your question is specifically about Royal Mail (which I understand is quite expensive and not targeted) but .... Have you considered Facebook/Instagram advertising rather than leaflets?

Facebook Ads are very cheap and you can target locations and interests. You save on design and print costs and you don't waste 95%+ of the paper to the bin. If you used that money and whatever RM are going to charge on targeted FB Ads, you'll reach far more people, repeatedly.

Some will say 'not everyone is on Facebook or Instagram' but it's more than the 5% who might read your leaflet.

 

[MBE2017]

I’m not a Facebook advert person by any means, but you would be able to target the people who see the advert down to area, age group, interests etc.

So as an example if you have a camping shop, you could target your ideal client for that, where a jewellery store would only be shown to different types of client. Well worth looking at.

Personally I have had good results using leaflets over the years, but that was because they were highly targeted, getting a 5-7% return. If I was doing all this again I would look into targeted online ads, and unlike a phone call from a leaflet, you can capture their email etc as well, for future marketing.

Best of luck anyway.

 

[fisicx]

I know two people who used the RM service and it didn’t work for them. It was expensive and untargeted. Leaflets were delivered to those who would never use their services.

As a retail shop you won’t get any benefits. Online marketing will have a far bigger ROI. You could use your existing customers to do all the work for you. For example, they get a discount or loyalty stamp each time they post about an offer on their FB page. Or even better, post on nextdoor.

 

[Sil_14]

Thanks everyone for your input. It will help me to rethink my marketing.

 

[MBE2017]

What sort of store do you operate Sil_14?

 

[Sil_14]

What sort of store do you operate Sil_14?

A wine store in a wealthy area

 

[Shopclicks]

A wine store in a wealthy area

Video posts, Reels & Stories have a far greater reach for less money than an image post.

 

[MBE2017]

A wine store in a wealthy area

I think social marketing would be ideal for yourself, and instant results. You should be able to built a decent brand and list, done correctly. I will let the experts guide you in that matter, best of luck.

 

[Sil_14]

I think social marketing would be ideal for yourself, and instant results. You should be able to built a decent brand and list, done correctly. I will let the experts guide you in that matter, best of luck.

I'm already doing social marketing as well as many other channels. Leaflets are just another marketing channel and one is not exclusive of the other. Social media works well with my younger demographics, but that's not enough. Thanks for your help though.

 

[Shopclicks]

I'm already doing social marketing as well as many other channels.

Are you selling online?

 

[Sil_14]

Are you selling online?

no, in-store only

 

[Shopclicks]

no, in-store only

Local delivery? Is there much in the way of local competition? Is your range unique in any way?

 

[fisicx]

What is this leaflet you plan to deliver offering?

Why would they want to visit your shop and not use their usual method of buying wine?

 

[Sil_14]

Local delivery? Is there much in the way of local competition? Is your range unique in any way?

Yes we do local delivery and our range is unique in the close vicinity. I just don't do e-commerce.

 

[Sil_14]

What is this leaflet you plan to deliver offering?

Why would they want to visit your shop and not use their usual method of buying wine?

It's another way to increase my brand awareness. Why people would change their method of buying wine is something I've established way before signing up a lease. However I'm located in an area with lots of expats, so with people constantly moving in and out means that I have to keep working on our reach, if that makes sense.

 

[Shopclicks]

I just don't do e-commerce

You may well know this but having your range online and selling to a local delivery area can be a good move. Especially if you're trying break buying habits. People like to buy online and they really like to buy wine online. They don't care where it comes from because it all ends up on their doorstep. That's a market you're not tapping at the moment and could be an opportunity.

Every SM post linked to your online store. No roadblocks to the buying process. Don't make people get on the phone during opening hours. Show off the unique range and let them buy when they want to spend money.

 

[MBE2017]

Social media works well with my younger demographics, but that's not enough. Thanks for your help though.

No problem, I’m a silver surfer, been buying from the web from the start of e-commerce, literally buy everything through the web now, maybe your clients are a bit different.

I buy wine off a local wholesaler shop who use Instagram to good effect.

 

[Sil_14]

You may well know this but having your range online and selling to a local delivery area can be a good move. Especially if you're trying break buying habits. People like to buy online and they really like to buy wine online. They don't care where it comes from because it all ends up on their doorstep. That's a market you're not tapping at the moment and could be an opportunity.

Every SM post linked to your online store. No roadblocks to the buying process. Don't make people get on the phone during opening hours. Show off the unique range and let them buy when they want to spend money.

No problem, I’m a silver surfer, been buying from the web from the start of e-commerce, literally buy everything through the web now, maybe your clients are a bit different.

I buy wine off a local wholesaler shop who use Instagram to good effect.

I don't just sell bottles, I also offer services ranging from cellar curation, ordering pre-released wines, sourcing, pairings and so on. We have access to premium wine and spirits that can be hard to get, even online, due to scarcity. That's what differentiate us locally. Wine e-commerce is saturated and I have no aim at trying to compete against. But the services we offer are attractive to local people due to our physical presence. We're dealing with "busy" people and their requests range from dropping a text/email to arrange a selection of wines for a dinner party, asking us to source a specific wine they enjoyed in a restaurant, arranging private/corporate tastings and gifts, all the way to doing a cellar top up in their country home. It's very service oriented and has been working well so far but I just want more of them to continue to grow. Most of them don't do social media, and the reason I know is because I ask. And sometimes, for a specific audience, the old fashioned way works better. Now Royal Mail fees are not cheap and before I consider using them, I wanted to engage with someone who has, so I could ask more specific questions.

 

[fisicx]

Rather than use RM, write to each householder and invite them over for a tour. A few each day for a private showing. Make them feel special.

 

[Sil_14]

Rather than use RM, write to each householder and invite them over for a tour. A few each day for a private showing. Make them feel special.

oh I think you're onto something... I like that idea very much

 

[Shopclicks]

Most of them don't do social media, and the reason I know is because I ask. And sometimes, for a specific audience, the old fashioned way works better.

This is precisely why you would use paid Ads on social media (Facebook because of the demographic). You say most of your customers don't use social media. If you use FB Ads you are getting to a different crowd who do use social media. New prospects who are currently buying elsewhere and don't know where you are or what you do.

Good Luck

 

[MBE2017]

“It's very service oriented and has been working well so far but I just want more of them to continue to grow.”

Many congrats. As Shopclicks has alluded to above, SM used well will attract a new but increased audience, in addition to what you already have. Once you show your expertise, service levels etc, a simple short video reel every few days would establish you as the local wine expert.

You can do so much, and I have only been looking at SM for a particular use for there weeks, and it has out performed every other method by far. Each lead I get would cost £500 plus privately , I just hit 42 in three weeks, and I have not really tried that hard.

Anyway, best wishes.