Tony Attwood’s Blog

During July and August Hamilton House offers its solo mailing services at 20% discount.

You don’t have to have your material mailed out during the summer – we’re quite happy to hold it for despatch in September or October – all we want to do is to undertake the work during the two summer months.

Your discount will be

· 20% off the mailing list (applies to our B2B and educational lists)

· 20% off the envelope cost (DL, C4 and C5 paper and C4 poly)

· 20% off the labour cost

Unfortunately we can’t do anything about the postage. (Although of course you will get your mailsort discounts).

We can also give a discount on our normal printing price for most jobs – but because printing is so varied we can’t say it is 20% on everything. Please call to talk this through.

There’s no minimum order – but there is a limit to the capacity. So to get the discount service you need to book in as soon as possible, and then make sure you get your materials to us by the agreed date. We are unlikely to be able to take much work after August 20 at the discounted rate.

Once all is agreed and we’ve got your leaflets we’ll then complete the work and hold it until you wish us to despatch it.

Charging details: We will invoice you once the mailing work is complete, and this invoice must be paid in the normal 30 days. The postage does not have to be paid at the same time, but does have to be paid before the mailing goes out (unless of course we are using your postal account). Because we are aiming to do the print at close to cost, if print is required it must be paid for in advance.

There’s details of our mailing lists at http://www.hamilton-house.com/gateways/mailing%20lists.html

Question: how can I double the response rate in my direct mail?

Answer: there are at least 50 different things you can do

Question: OK let’s not bother with all 50. Just tell me the most important.

Answer: Use the 70% theory.

The 70% theory of direct mail says that around 70% of people who receive direct mail at work glance at it for a few seconds – and then throw it in the bin. If you want to get your message across to people you have to consider how to get more than 30% of the people you mail to look at your work.

In fact you have to focus on getting attention.

It seems a simple statement, but most of the direct mail and email advertising I get does not do this.

If it seems of interest to you, there’s an article on the subject at http://www.theory.bz/factor1.html

Alternatively you can send me a copy of your advertising and I’ll give you a call back to tell you if it grabbed my attention. If it did not, I’ll tell you how I would have done it. Of course you don’t have to take any notice of what I say, but it might just give you an idea.

No charge, no obligation.

Tony Tony at hamilton-house.com

By 2014 the average user of email will get over 9,000 email marketing messages a year, according to a report from Forrester reported in Advertising Age.

This number excludes all the junk that we get - these are proper adverts for real things that exist. That’s getting on for 40 messages for each working day of the year - at the moment the number is around 10.

A lot of these messages will never arrive because they will be stuck in dubious message folders or just deleted on their way in. Many more will never be read.

The only ways I can see to get through this clutter will be

a) to make sure the emails reach the right people directly (which means ever better email lists)

b) to make sure the subject line and the opening line really grab attention (as we have always had to do with sales letters)

c) the link to the web site takes the reader to a totally relevant page, not a general page

d) the message is lively, attractive, interesting, and (to use the old phrase) “grabs the reader by the throat).

If you are producing emails and want to run them by me any time, please do forward it to me, with a covering note saying you are asking me to review the piece. Email Tony@hamilton-house.com

Tony Attwood

20% of adults who don’t have online access at the moment will get it in the next six months, according to a survey from Ofcom.

The survey analysed why 30% of UK adults do not have the internet at home and what stops them signing up in the future. Recently the Communications Consumer Panel research that revealed that many people already regard broadband as an essential service at home similar to gas and electricity.

Those intending to get the internet in the next six months are more likely to be younger and working, use the internet already outside of the home and have children.

The main reasons cited for getting internet access is for information or to source information (36%) followed by social networking (26%), keeping up with technology (25%) and because friends and family recommended it (25%).

The Government’s Digital Britain report which is due out shortly will advocate the idea of universal broadband in the UK.

The research also identified two main groups of people without the internet who do not plan to access the internet at home. Some have no interest or desire to sign up (mostly older and retired although including some who do not want to be on line for religious or philosophical or life-style reasons), and those who simply can not afford it.

Tony Attwood

PS: If you want regular news and information on the creative side of direct marketing please send an email to CreativeDirect-subscribe@yahoogroups.com