The Complete Guide to Door Drop Marketing

We’ve been delivering successful door drop campaigns for almost 40 years. This door drop guide brings together everything you need to know to plan, design, deliver, and measure a successful campaign.

What is Door Drop Marketing?

A door drop is a printed item – leaflet, letter, brochure, sample, or magazine – delivered directly through letterboxes, without the need for a name or specific address. As unaddressed mail, it’s fully GDPR compliant, making it a popular choice for both public consultations and commercial advertising.

Why Door Drop Works

Despite the growth of digital marketing, door drop remains one of the most trusted channels:

✅ Tangible impact – People physically handle your leaflet, giving you a valuable moment to grab attention.
✅ Wide reach – Deliver to whole neighbourhoods, not just a marketing list.
✅ High visibility – Unlike emails that are deleted unseen, physical items demand attention when picked up from the doormat.
✅ Highly targeted – With precise geographic mapping, your leaflets go exactly where you need them.
✅ Affordable – Prices start from just 2.5p per item, making it one of the most cost-effective channels available.

Planning Your Door Drop Campaign

1. Set Clear Goals

What do you want your campaign to achieve? Common objectives include:

• Generating brand awareness.
• Driving website traffic.
• Promoting special offers.
• Informing residents of important updates.

2. Define Your Target Area

Use mapping tools to choose the right delivery zones — this could be based on:

• Postcode sectors.
• Council or ward boundaries.
• Specific streets or estates.
• Radius from your business location.

3. Plan Your Timeline

Allow enough time for:

• Design and approvals.
• Printing and delivery to the distribution depot.
• Distribution itself, including any follow-ups.

Research and Benchmarking

Before your drop, research:

• Competitor activity in the area.
• Local demographics — for example, housing types, household income, or cultural considerations.
• What types of offers or calls-to-action typically work best in your sector.

Designing Effective Door Drop Materials

Your leaflet needs to stand out instantly — you have just 6-8 seconds to make an impact. Here’s how:

✅ Strong headline — Immediately clear what’s being offered.
✅ Bold images — Pictures often catch the eye faster than words.
✅ Consistent branding — Colours, fonts, and logos should match your other marketing materials.
✅ Clear call to action — What do you want recipients to do next? Call you? Visit your website? Use a discount code?
✅ Contact details — Make it easy for people to respond.
✅ Trackable offers — Discount codes, QR codes, or unique URLs help track response rates.
✅ Quality print — A professional finish reflects your brand’s quality.

Choosing the Right Distribution Method

Letterbox Distribution offers several options, depending on your budget and goals:

• Solus Distribution
  Your leaflet is delivered on its own, giving 100% attention to your message. Ideal for targeted local campaigns and important notices, including consultations.
• Shared Distribution
  Your leaflet is delivered alongside one or two non-competing leaflets — reducing costs while still reaching the target area. Suitable for ongoing promotional campaigns.
• Direct Mail (Addressed Delivery)
  For areas where door drop access is limited — like rural homes, flats with secure entry, or businesses — we offer addressed mail via Royal Mail or hand delivery.
• Hybrid Campaigns
  Combine multiple methods for maximum coverage — solus for key areas, shared for wider reach, and addressed for hard-to-reach locations.

Targeting and Mapping

Accurate targeting is the foundation of a successful campaign. Our mapping team uses:

• Engage, our mapping, printing, and distribution solution.
• Engage includes both the Royal Mail PAF and MAF files, for up-to-date accuracy when it comes to property counts
• Mosaic profiling to understand the demographics of each area, helping tailor content.

Setting Realistic Expectations

It’s important to understand what door drop can realistically achieve:

• Response rates average 0.5% across industries — but higher quality design, strong offers, and repeat drops can significantly improve this.
• Not every property will receive your leaflet — reasons include:
  • ‘No junk mail’ signs.
  • Access issues (locked gates, no letterboxes).
  • Temporary obstructions (building works).

Tracking and Monitoring Your Drop

Every Letterbox Distribution campaign includes:

✅ GPS Tracking — live location data for every distributor.
✅ Missed Property Reports — any inaccessible properties are logged for follow-up.
✅ Supervised Teams — our supervisors ensure all distributors follow the agreed map and quality standards.
✅ Post-Campaign Reports — proof of delivery with detailed tracking data.

Measuring Success

Track the results of your campaign using:

• Unique discount codes.
• Dedicated phone numbers or web landing pages.
• Postcode data from enquiries or sales.
• Customer surveys (‘Where did you hear about us?’).

Combine results with broader campaign performance data — for example, Google Analytics traffic spikes following delivery dates — to understand true ROI.

Top Tips for Door Drop Success

✅ Repeat exposure works — a single leaflet is rarely enough. Campaigns work better when repeated.
✅ Coordinate with other marketing — use the same offers across social media, email, and in-store signage.
✅ Test different designs — A/B testing two leaflets can reveal what resonates best.
✅ Target smartly — focus on areas with known customer potential rather than blanket coverage.

Common FAQs

How many leaflets should I distribute?

10,000 is a solid starting point for a test campaign, but we can advise based on your goals.

Do you only deliver leaflets?
No — we also deliver magazines, brochures, samples, and more.

What’s the minimum campaign size?
Our minimum fee is £175 +VAT, but we cater to both small local campaigns and national rollouts.

Does bigger volume lower the price?
Because most costs relate to distributor wages, per-item costs don’t reduce dramatically for larger campaigns — but we always offer competitive rates.

Why Choose Letterbox Distribution?

With over 30 years’ experience, we combine:

✅ Expert advice — from campaign planning to performance review.
✅ In-house design & print — ensuring your materials look their best.
✅ Advanced targeting — reaching exactly the right audience.
✅ GPS tracking & transparency — complete peace of mind.
✅ Eco-friendly delivery — using electric vehicles and sustainable materials.

Ready to Plan Your Next Door Drop?

We hope this door drop guide is of some help to you. Talk to our friendly team today for tailored advice and a free quote.