Words and design

Consider this possible scenario.  You exhibit your product at the Education Show or a similar event.  Teachers come to the stand, look, and buy.  Then you do a mailing, and you sell nothing.

It is not unknown for companies to put the failure down to direct mail - and I have had many say to me words to the effect - "Tried direct mail, total rubbish, waste of time."   

But of course this can hardly be the explanation.   How could one of the big three methods of advertising just be a con trick?

Of course this can't be the case.  What has normally happened is that the leaflets sent out have been wrongly written and wrongly designed.  Yes it might also be the mailing list or the way in which the promotion was sent out - or indeed the timing.  But mostly it is the text and the design.

If you feel inclined to believe this - start with sorting out the text.

There are three options I can suggest at this point - apart of course from following the links at the top of this page.

One is that you can click on the Examples link - that will take you to a recently written promotion, complete with details of exactly how and why it was written in this way - allowing you every chance to reconsider your approach and re-write it.

The second is to send your current or recent mailshot to me - email Creative@hamilton-house.com or fax it to 01536 399 012, and I will call you back without charge or obligation, with my thoughts on how it could be improved.

The third is to have a look at the three basic laws of direct mail and see if your piece obeys these laws.  These laws are not options - as far as I can see they are absolute facts - if you don't take note of them your mailshot will not work.  

Or of course if you are totally out of time you can ask me to write it for you.  Always happy to do that, but that is where the charging starts.  (Everything else is free).

Tony Attwood