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.

A Hectic Autumn for LDS Tourism Services

We are delighted to announce that we’ve become official members of Visit Chester and Cheshire (VCC), the official tourism management organisation for Chester and Cheshire. Set up in 2004, it is one of five tourism boards in the North West and is funded and supported by the North West Regional Development Agency, seven local authorities and over 400 private sector tourism stakeholders in the county. We are very much looking forward to working alongside our new friends and partners to help build and improve the local tourism industry.

There are currently 282 members of our Brochure Marketing group at LinkedIn. Following recent improvements, it is now possible for them to take part in Discussions (recent topics include next month’s World Travel Market Excel show in London and flash based web2print solutions); follow group Updates and look at the profiles of fellow Members. If you have a professional interest in promotional print, please feel free to join.

Autumn may be in full swing but we continue to receive a steady stream of leaflets for distribution. Many Christmas brochures are now on display in popular establishments throughout our service area and we are busy talking to both new and existing customers, planning fresh marketing campaigns and signing contracts for exclusive display rights. Be sure to visit this blog regularly for exciting announcements!