Using Customer Data for Targeted Leaflet Distribution

This case study explains how we were able to use a clients customer data and our targeted leaflet distribution systems to help a client to ensure that their leaflets were distributed to areas where people would be most receptive to the service they were offering.  It also shows how careful targeting can improve response rates and also help to reduce costs and minimise wastage.

We recently completed a job for a business who provided education services to children from age 3 to 18.   This job was interesting from the perspective that the client was keen to distribute 25,000 leaflets into a specific geographic areas based on their ‘gut feel’ and some local knowledge.

Having been in situations before where we have distributed leaflets bases on clients ‘gut feel’, we were concerned that this is often not the best way to identify the areas where people who are likely to be most receptive to the company’s products and/or services.

To do this, they gave us a file containing the post codes of their customers (this meant that there were no issues with data protection as we did not have any name or address information).  Using this data, we were able to map where those people live.  In addition, we were able to run a demographic analysis which calculated the percentage of each demographic type within the data.

In addition to the demographic analysis, the postcode information also allowed us to plot the location of their customers on a map.  This was useful because it enabled them to see where their existing customers were coming from.

Using this information, we identified the types that made up the top 50% of their customers and then used our systems to find where people who matched those types live.  These were plotted on the map along with their existing customers.

This was extremely useful to our client because it enabled them to easily identify the area into which they wanted us to distribute their leaflet.  It also enabled them to see areas that they had never targeted before but which clearly matched the demographic type of their existing customers.  They are very keen to use this information in a future campaign to specifically target the areas where potential new customers live.

Using this demographic analysis not only enabled us provide our client with a highly targeted leaflet distribution but it also saved them money because we were able to use a combination of our residential address database and mapping software to calculate the number of leaflets that they needed in order to deliver to the areas that they were interested in.  This analysis showed that they only need 20,000 leaflets to cover the areas they were interested in.  Consequently, we saved them the cost of distributing 5,000 leaflets, as well as printing costs.

Our client was very pleased with the response they got from this targeted leaflet distribution and we have since worked with them on a number of occasions, targeting new and similar areas that match the profile of their existing customers.