Door Drops – are you planning for life after lockdown. That’s the question right now. With the vaccine programme fuelling positivity and Boris announcing the roadmap out of lockdown, we’re already seeing an upturn in clients planning for their return.

Whilst there’s no guarantee lockdown will be lifted as set out last Monday, Feb 22, non-essential retail and hospitality businesses in particular are gearing up for another re-start. And door drop campaigns aimed at stimulating footfall are at the forefront of their plans.

If you’re considering activity pre-Easter (April 2– 5) or during Easter week itself, there are some important dates you need to know. And remember, door drop bookings made by other businesses could prevent access to the post codes you want! So don’t leave things too late.

Print delivery dates

Door drop start dates are always dictated by the ability to deliver your printed materials to nominated destinations. So if you’re thinking Royal Mail D2D for example, here are key dates to be aware of:

  • Distribution w/c March 22 – delivery deadline Friday March 12
  • Distribution w/c March 29 – delivery deadline Friday March 19
  • Distribution w/c April 5 – delivery deadline Friday March 26
  • Distribution w/c April 12 – delivery deadline Thursday April 1

Last booking dates

The last dates to book your door drop with Royal Mail are set out below:

  • Distribution w/c March 22 – book by Friday March 5. This is also the last date you can book using the current rate card
  • Distribution w/c March 29 – book by Friday March 12. New rate card will be effective
  • Distribution w/c April 5 – book by Friday March 19
  • Distribution w/c April 12 – book by Friday March 26

Bookings by these dates should also ensure team availability, but don’t leave your booking until the last minute. Through Royal Mail the sectors may simply not be available. That could be because of competitive bookings, because sectors are fully booked, or team capacity may be an issue.

Which means now is the time to think about your door drop plan and your print resource.

Door drops deliver positive ROI

Need a reminder about why you should be using door drops? Large numbers of people are continuing to work from home. Something that’s unlikely to change significantly even as lockdown’s gradually lifted. This workplace shift has seen door drops experience a resurgence. They’re delivering results that prove they’re a highly effective channel, enabling brands to get their name or their message in front of specific, targeted distribution groups. Perfect if you’re a business with a defined geographical catchment area or a branch network. To see the stats on the benefits of direct mail, check out this post.

To make door drops even more attractive, Royal Mail D2D have introduced new Covid related, flexible cancellation clauses. Giving you security in the event that having opened our world up again, the science forces it to be closed again.

All in all, with door drops delivering healthy returns, a lockdown roadmap set out and security offered by Royal Mail, you should be incorporating door drops into your campaign. And why wait when you could get ahead of your competitors.

To talk door drops, drop us a line.