16 October 2008

Royal Mail’s Handbook for the Modern Entrepreneur

The Royal Mail has some very interesting articles in the autumn edition its Smart Thinking, Smart Solutions magazine. On the subject of cost-effective marketing techniques, the advice is: “Whether it’s a Facebook page…, flyer or email newsletter, think about how words and images combine to reflect your company’s brand, encourage customers to respond to you and make you noteworthy.” (Time to Blossom, page 14)

Its experts make the important comment that “too many businesses spend all their money on e-marketing and find it is not effective” (The Clinic, page 22). To “really stand out and connect to your customers”, they recommend you give them “something tangible… that they will remember [i.e. sensory triggers like a striking image]”. Your promotional materials should “complement your web presence” and “tap into customers’ emotions”.

Christmas marketing ideas to make your promotional publications “stand out from the competition” (How to Plan for Christmas and Beyond, page 16) include the suggestions that you should “engage customers by offering an incentive – a money-off coupon for a limited period…” and make your URL, phone numbers and other details as prominent as possible. “The senses are great emotional drivers” they say, and one fascinating piece of information is that a recent study showed how “a US candle manufacturer increased sales by 20% after using scented ink in its catalogue”!

You can sign up to receive SMART magazine via snail-mail by dropping a line to smart@royalmail.com. The content is also available on audio CD.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

There is nothing like the power of offline marketing coupled with online presence. Offline promotions usually drive the web traffic. Giving customers valuable add ons are the key.