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WHAT IS DOOR-TO-DOOR DELIVERY?
It is non-personalized, non-individual, un-addressed literature
that is hand-delivered via the letterbox. Typical examples of door-
to-door delivery are leaflets, coupons, samples.
Delivery by hand is either through the Royal Mail (some 20–25
per cent) alongside the normal post or through a number of orga-
nizations that do door-to-door delivery, such as a member of the
DMA Door-to Door Council (formerly the Association of
Household Distributors [AHD]) (see Reference Appendix 3). Local
newspapers also deliver door-to-door as well (about a quarter of
all door-to-door advertising is delivered with the local newspaper
according to the HBH Partnership).
The advantages of door-to-door delivery
It can be the cheapest method of delivering your message or sales
promotion offer (other than piggy back where delivery costs are
shared).
Responses are estimated to be up to 12 per cent compared to the
1–2 per cent typical of magazine direct response. Thirty per cent of
customers surveyed by the HBH partnership have at one time or
another responded to door-to-door. The message can be as
complex or as long as you like. (It is very useful for a message that
you wish every household in the UK to see, hence its use by
government – the Aids campaign used it.) Door-to-door drops
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totalled somewhere between 5 and 8 billion leaflets in 1999 – about
a quarter of all material pushed through the letterbox – according
to the Royal Mail and the DMA Door-to-Door Council.
Door-to-door delivery gives blanket cover of an area. It does not
discriminate. It does not duplicate. For any area, the reach/cover
can be a very cost-effective method of direct communication.
Typical cost of print and delivery is estimated at £80 per thousand.
It does not require the expense of list purchase. It is possible to
target quite closely by the profile of people living in the streets. It is
also possible to set up and complete a door-to-door operation rela-
tively fast.
It can be used in appropriate areas for local services ranging
from such services as those of an estate agent (typically a free valu-
ation) or a solicitor (free short initial consultation) or a haircut. It
may invite people to try a service. Restaurants and takeaways top
the list, followed by charities and magazines/newspapers them-
selves, according to the HBH Partnership. It certainly is a proven
method of increasing local in-store traffic.
It is a way of delivering product samples with a money-off
voucher for a follow up purchase. Samples of new products are
often personal hygiene-related (shampoos, cosmetics, perfumes)
with coupons for money off a further purchase redeemable at a
local shop. Door-to-door is useful for a pilot or test of a new
product launch. It practically introduces potential customers to the
product. It is seen favourably by many, particularly when
providing a free gift.
A door-to-door might seek a response, which gives an opportu-
nity to acquire a name and address from those who take up the
offer made. The voucher or coupon might ask for a name and
address at minimum. The door-to-door activity may well be just
one of a number of integrated marketing activities planned; with
follow up marketing activities using the names and addresses
acquired from respondents to the door-to-door activity.
Your staff should be trained to expect the response and know
how to handle it. It is the start of customer relations with a poten-
tial long-term customer – the opportunity should not be thrown
away:
■ How often do you use a coupon and write or give your name
and address for a meal/takeaway offer or meal delivery. Then
you never hear anything again?
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Direct Marketing
■ If there had been a follow up, a bond might have formed.
■ Regular customers might be rewarded by further vouchers.
If the response is to a telephone number or a Web site then those
taking the calls or operating the Web responses should be trained
on what data to collect and how to respond.
Door-to-door delivery as a part of integrated marketing
It is easy to add the design and timing of a leaflet drop to match a
TV or poster advertising campaign, perhaps using the leaflet to
explain in detail what it is not possible to put into the advertise-
ment.
A door-to-door marketing activity can be the first activity in a
campaign to launch any concept – product or service. This then
produces the names and addresses for subsequent mailings.
When door-to-door delivery has a strategic role
When no list exists of customers in an area, it can be the means of
obtaining a list of potential customers. It is a guaranteed mass
market means of reaching every household. Government and
charities increasingly appreciate this. It can be a cheap way to test
the potential response to a new concept.
MAKING DOOR-TO-DOOR DELIVERY WORK
The objective – the purpose of the door-to-door marketing activity
– needs to be decided first. Assuming a decision has been made as
to the purpose of the door-to-door drop (which should be referred
back to from time to time), the best way to proceed is to consider
the following seven issues:
■ What is to be delivered?
■ How does it survive; long enough to be read?
■ To whom is it to be delivered?
■ How will it be delivered?
■ What checks need to be made to validate delivery?
■ How much will it cost?
■ What needs to be measured to know that the purpose has been
achieved?
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What is to be delivered?
Clearly, a blinding flash of the obvious, it needs to fit through the
letterbox and not be too heavy. If it is too large or too heavy then
you probably need to put in a further stage to save the cost of
unnecessary delivery, only sending out the large/heavy package
separately to those expressing an interest:
■ If it is just a piece of printed paper, then be aware again of
quality and feel.
■ How will it get though the letterbox?
■ Will it scrumple up rather than look pristine?
■ It may look best inside an envelope – giving the feel that it is a
letter, not junk mail.
Remember, a lot of door-to-door advertising is delivered so your
item needs to look and feel different. If you are putting together a
package then it should be given the same consideration as a piece
of direct mail (see Chapter 4).
How does it survive; long enough to be read?
It needs instant impact – the creativity of the material should
ensure that it is visibly arresting. If it is enclosed in an envelope it
will be treated more as a letter (see the tip later on, about
envelopes). If it is just a printed piece of paper, it is an advertise-
ment in effect, with a short time span. It needs to have a brief clear
message – just in case it is thrown into the bin at once.
A clear offer such as ‘free delivery’ may be sufficient. This begs
the question of the recipient – what is coming that has ‘free
delivery’? It must have value in the eyes of the recipient. If every
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