The question of what is the response rate of brochure distribution has to be one of the most frequent questions we receive from potential and existing customers. To put this question in context, it’s like asking a gym instructor, ‘how much weight will I lose by joining the gym?’ There are many factors that determine how much weight you can lose, and the same goes for your response rate from a door-to-door distribution. The following paragraphs will help illustrate how you can maximize your response rate.
What do the statistics say?
The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) has conducted extensive research in an attempt to give you a good idea of what to expect from your brochure distribution campaign: “A key finding is that 89% of consumers recall receiving a snail mail. More than any other marketing channel. And it has a powerful place in people’s lives, with 45% keeping brochures on a bulletin board or in the kitchen drawer. ” This is great news! However, the average response rate is around 1%. So the question is why are people not responding and, more importantly, how can we encourage people to respond?
Which Industries Benefit Most From Brochure Distribution?
According to a DMA article, the retail sector is more successful with 9 out of 10 people happy to receive mail without a retail address. This was closely followed by consumer goods brands, then local restaurants and services. In our experience, our largest volume of clients who repeat very frequently with us due to high ROI are Realtors, Fitness Centers, and Garages (auto dealership showrooms like Perrys Mazda).
New business vs established brand, who wins?
Imagine that two companies in the same industry decide to invest in a door-to-door distribution; Who will receive the highest response? Consider, if you get a brochure for DFS Sofas and another from Mr Sofas, they both say 50% off the Boxing Day sale, and both have pictures of pretty sofas starting at just £ 399, which one are you more likely to respond to? Even if Mr Sofas had a better deal and better starting prices, you would still go to DFS instead of Mr Sofas because you know and trust the brand, where you have never heard of Mr Sofas (probably because I invented them!).
How many people will respond to your brochure?
For this, let’s continue with the example of the sofa. If you get a flyer from DFS, a well established brand, and you get a flyer from Dominos Pizza, again a well established brand, the response rate would be the same, right? No! How many times do you buy a pizza compared to a sofa? The point here is not to stop at the percentage response rate, but rather at the potential value of each lead converted. Dominoes need to sell far more pizzas than DFS sofas to see a return on their distribution.
But I’m not an established brand, is leaflet distribution a waste for me?
Absolutely not, and there are several reasons why. If you have a local business looking for local custom products, I can’t think of a better solution for advertising locally than leaflet distribution. So why will people respond if they haven’t heard of you? Not necessarily at first glance, but going back to the analogy of joining the gym, leaflet distribution is not a one-hit wonder event, just as hitting the gym doesn’t work if it only shows up once. Brochure distribution works most effectively when treated as a long-term campaign, sent to the same people over and over again with a professionally planned strategy. This is the same whether you are an established brand, a startup, or a small business looking to expand.
What is the campaign-based approach?
This is the essential ingredient to ensure that you get a return on your investment. People don’t tend to respond to something at first glance, they need to see it over and over again, which is known as trickle-down marketing. You should plan a long-term campaign, tailored to your budget, that allows your brochure to target the right audience on a regular basis with practical brochures.
What impact does the steering wheel design have?
A great quantity! For example, if you have a real estate agent and you send a brochure with a boring picture of your office and it says something like ‘we are real estate agents, we sell and rent houses’, you will probably not receive a response even if you send 100,000 on a regular basis to it. audience. However, if you simply have a headline like “Thinking of selling this summer?” Followed by a caption, “We’re offering free appraisals in your area this week,” with a call to action, “Call us today on … and reserve your free appraisal,” and a picture of an exciting home with a happy family hugging you , your response rate will be completely different. Why is this? Because instead of talking about your boring business, you need to make your business relevant to the recipient and give them a solid reason to respond. Actionable design is vital.