Leaflet distribution has been a commonly used marketing technique by London businesses of all sizes for many decades now.
Distribution itself has remained unchanged in many ways. Leaflet distribution tracking has however changed substantially over the years. The quality of deliveries and whether they’ve actually taken place used to be a big concern for clients.
This is not the case anymore. Let’s have a look at leaflet distribution tracking and how it works in London.
GPS
We at The Private Postman were the first company in the industry to adopt GPS tracking fully.
We’ve been operating with a fully integrated GPS system since 2009 when this technique was not an industry standard yet.
The way GPS tracking works is as follows. Each distributor carries a GPS tracker whenever they are delivering your leaflets anywhere in London. These trackers record the route a distributer has taken.
At the end of the week we collect the GPS devices and download the information that has been recorded. This data is then superimposed over a map and it provides us with a record of delivery.
These files are checked on our end for any discrepancies or issues to be flagged up in our system and cross referenced with our spot-checking team (more on this later). They are also sent to you and act as a proof of delivery.
When we talk about leaflet distribution tracking and how it works we have to talk about GPS tracking, as it tends to be one of the main techniques used.
GPS tracking and accuracy. Does it work?
GPS tracking of different kinds can work with varying degrees of accuracy. One of our goals has been to maximise precision of tracking in our systems. This has led us to develop the One Step system we now operate. Please have a look at our page dedicated to tracking for more information.
Live Tracking
There are multiple ways to track leaflet distribution live. One common way of doing this is having distributors carry GPS devices that update and upload their location in real time.
At The Private Postman we believe that this technology is not quite fit for purpose. As these live trackers have limited resolution and accuracy, in our opinion they are not suitable for tracking leaflet distribution in London. You can again have a look at our page dedicated to tracking where we go into more detail.
At The Private Postman we prefer to run a live update system instead and leave GPS tracking up to our more capable offline devices that provide you with more accurate data after your drop.
The Private Postman live update system works by having our distributors confirm when and where they are starting their deliveries on a given day.
This information is also shared with our clients in real time so they know where their flyers are being distributed and when.
What this effectively means is that any of our clients can come see their leaflets being delivered unannounced at any time.
Spot checking
Spot checking is the oldest method of leaflet distribution tracking in London and is still important and effective.
Spot checks are conducted by experienced individuals physically moving through each distribution area who check that all deliveries are being done properly.
Spot checking works because it uses the kind of human element and judgement that no piece of technology can provide. An experienced back checker can spot issues with deliveries quickly and resolve them in a way that would be more complicated if approached any other way.
The Private Postman runs all three tracking methods described above at the same time. We believe it to be the most comprehensive methodology in the industry and we hope that it reinforces the confidence our clients have in us.
If you have any questions or if you’d like to book a leaflet distribution campaign in London please feel free to get in touch with us here.
