For me it doesn’t matter too much whether one is selling via email or postal mail, using a shared mail service or a solo service, the biggest issue is always the same.

You have to grab attention.

And yet despite the fact that I keep on saying this, not everyone does it.  Clearly my attempts to say “Grab attention” don’t in themselves actually grab attention.

Grabbing attention is something of an art form, and it is often counter intuitive too.  Saying “Free sex and chocolate” hits all the buttons with the three big buzz words in advertising, but it is a useless headline in terms of grabbing attention, unless you really are offering free sex and chocolate (which doesn’t happen very often – or at least not in the accounts I see).

Likewise “special offer” and “discount!” (don’t forget the !) don’t work any more because we see special offers and discounts every day, everywhere we go.  Even my lunchtime sandwich at Subway is on special offer.

The point about grabbing attention is that without grabbing attention everything else falls.  We know that the average reader gives an incoming email about 1 second to grab attention before it gets deleted.  With direct mail it is 4 seconds (which is part of the reason why direct mail can get much bigger response rates than email.)

Bold and CAPITALS don’t work – nor does colour (at least not in the way you might expect).  Indeed bold and CAPITALS can have the opposite effect too.   Loads of companies write their names within the text in bold – and generally that reduces response rates.    Exclamation marks can have a negative effect as well!

Of course there is one way around this, which is to give the problem to Hamilton House.  Customers on the Velocity programme do this either by having ourselves write the copy for each advert, or by having us advise on each advert and re-write the headline.   (www.velocity.ac)

Obviously I do hope you will decide to use one of our services, but whether you do or not, I also hope you will take this one simple message on board.  Grabbing Attention is the process that opens the door.  Without it, everything fails.

If you want to grab our attention try 01536 399 000 or send an email – both approaches usually work quite well.

You can also follow us on Twitter @HHMailings

Tony Attwood

Hamilton House Mailings Ltd reg number 2444392 VAT 354907535GB.  Phone 01536 399 000.