What we think - the communicators
Our blog containing thoughts and suggestions relating to the world of advertising and content marketing.
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What we think

November 15, 2016

Customer email address: 5 factors that will gain you more

Which holiday company will get my email address? The billion dollar question.

The run up to a holiday can be more enjoyable than the holiday itself. France beckons next summer and I’m in research heaven – newspaper websites, travel bloggers, reviews of properties, letting companies…I want even more information but I won’t hand over my email address to just anyone.

Once upon a time you could only come to a decision based on a TV commercial, magazine ad, radio commercial, outdoor poster, a mailing… And by default, the brands with the biggest budgets tended to have the biggest market share.READ MORE

October 13, 2016

“Ever tried to cut yer old man’s ‘froat with a blunt knife?”

I was reminded by Dave Trott on Twitter today that THIS is advertising. We all love a #hashtag but you need salesmanship whatever media channel you’re working in.

Here’s Andrew Rutherford, copywriter, being given a course in persuasive selling from the knife salesman:

He bashed a knife loudly against a tin tray. Bang! Bang! Bang!.. The din cut through the rowdy street market, and heads swivelled towards it.
“Ever tried to cut yer ‘froat with a blunt knife?”, he shouted, sawing at his jugular with mock frustration. An interested crowd started to gather round him.

Hint 1. Get attention. An invisible ad is not an effective ad.

“Better still, ladies. Ever tried to cut yer old man’s ‘froat with a blunt knife?” The laughter attracted more people. What was going on here? This might be fun.

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July 22, 2016

Emails: No one likes a spam artist

We create well over 200 HTML emails a year. And each time we have to check that we’re not going to be beaten by the spam filter. The following pointers might seem obvious but they’re often overlooked: Less is more, don’t write too much, and avoid too many images. Avoid exclamation marks, capitals and hard sell lines. Use the same familiar name in the ‘from’ field. Always have a plain text version (with the same words as the HTML). Test on different web browsers and email applications. (Once you have a solid template you’ll have less to re-do each time). Only send to opt-ins. And that’s for starters…READ MORE

July 22, 2016

What’s not to ‘like’ about Social Media?

If you’re looking to boost responses and are short of time and tight on budget, running paid-for social media campaigns should be considered as a solution. You can send personalised messages using countless variants, tweak them and tweak them until you’ve hit on just the right content and targeting methods for the relevant audiences. It could be used for promoting an Open Day, a tour, a new course, a new prospectus… Brainstorm the messages, schedule the paid-for social media posts, and carefully track the outcomes.

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July 22, 2016

How to reach people who visit your site

You might think of remarketing as stalking but so long as you display the right message at the right time, it’s possible to either re-engage with the prospective student or remind them about an event or necessary action at a specific point in their journey.READ MORE

July 22, 2016

Programmatic buying in 100 words

Programmatic is the relatively new method of buying digital media. It’s an exciting example of consumer centric marketing and allows you to show the right message, to the right person, in the right context, at the right time. Think of the creative possibilities! You can buy each impression separately in real-time, using technology and data to cherry pick the right user and the right placement. Admittedly it’s complex and there are still challenges with the technology and measurement (‘mere speed bumps’ as Google puts it in their brand marketer’s guide). But it’s one to start considering for your recruitment campaigns.READ MORE