Worn out the T shirt sums up Mr P. We have never presented a problem or opportunity to his team that they haven’t fixed or remedied to our absolute satisfaction. No job too big or small and always with a great big smile. Highly recommended. TV. Head of Marketing
eolas.ie approached rtfacts to maintain their legacy website, which had expanded to enormous proportions in their 18 years, while we created a new look and feel and tone for this market leading IT recruitment business.
Moving to state of the art new premises was just another piece of the giant jigsaw Vincent Flynn, Managing Director orchestrated, but it has been a great success.
It’s easy to say all sorts of things about the process and how it all worked so brilliantly, but sometimes it’s better to let the work speak for itself.
And If you want to hear the story first hand, I’m sure Vincent would be happy to talk to you (Call Roger and I will arrange that) and last but not least
I said they were market leading but what I meant was they are IT Recruitment big hitters.
Anyone recognise the boxer giving the eolas staff and their new office the gold medal treatment?
There are many more positives working with big blue chip clients than there are negatives?
Big clients are not necessarily more creative but, they usually have the experience and the budgets to see an idea through and in terms of their financial contribution to a business, it’s invaluable.
They are usually excellent payers too, but (not always)!
To become an approved supplier of a large company there are a mass of forms to fill and hoops to jump through and its only getting worse monthly – Anti-Slavery, CSR and Sustainability to name a few. Only negative if you’re the one filling out the forms!
They are all extremely important, so we should all pay great attention to them. In fact, If every business played by the rules business would be much easier and fairer, but that’s some way off I think.
So what’s my point you’ll be asking if you got this far?
We get updates for all the policies we need to adhere to from a mixture of large clients and the one referenced came in just before Christmas around accepting gifts, hospitality or donations. We don’t usually buy more than a Christmas card for our favourite clients, at best we might give them an rtfacts pad and pen but this Anti-bribery policy got our minds thinking.
How can we send something worth nothing and still make a great impression?
The attached was our attempt which was very well received by the recipient (redacted with any other data protected info) and passed around many a department as a great fun example. There was no attempt to play down the serious nature of Anti-bribery, just a ‘by the book’ interpretation around it, with a tad of humour.
If you’d like to get something for nothing from your budget give us a call.
The below is an extract from HMRC’s Anti-bribery advice just so you’re in the know. Anti-bribery policy
It is illegal to offer, promise, give, request, agree, receive or accept bribes – an anti-bribery policy can help protect your business.
You should have an anti-bribery policy if there is a risk that someone who works for you or on your behalf might be exposed to bribery.
Your anti-bribery policy should be appropriate to the level of risk your business faces. Your policy should include:
your approach to reducing and controlling the risks of bribery rules about accepting gifts, hospitality or donations guidance on how to conduct your business, eg negotiating contracts rules on avoiding or stopping conflicts of interest
Read the leaflet below for more information on how the bribery laws could affect your business.
Once you have an anti-bribery policy you should:
tell your staff and make sure they understand the policy monitor and review your policy regularly
Direct mail has always been an integral part of the marketing mix, but the simple postcard is often overlooked.
When followed up with a bit of telemarketing the results can be quite dramatic and these days, a well-crafted postcard doesn’t land on your desk every day, so it’s something of a novelty!
Here are some reasons we think your business should consider an rtfacts produced postcard campaign:
1. There is so little room on a postcard for puff, it allows our creative writers to really get to the point. There is no room for more than the headline or elevator pitch* and a call to action. If it’s funny, interesting relevant, or personal its likely to be remembered and if it’s remembered, when we call the chances of an appointment are much, much higher.
2. In these days of internet security and spyware and data protection it’s refreshing we are confident enough in our message and our offer to allow anyone that sees the post card, to read it en-route.
3. We can print 4 postcards up together at the same time which is economical and turns a one off Direct mail piece into a ‘campaign’.
It’s possible to make each postcard personalised to each recipient.
We need do no more than add the postage and send, so no complicated wrapping or costly and possible irresponsible packaging or envelopes.
And don’t forget – Posting a postcard is as cheap as it gets!
4. Cost isn’t always an issue, ROI, Impact, OTS, brand awareness, all play a part but nature of the beast makes designing and printing postcards cheaper than most other forms of DM.
5. We have used postcards to verify a mailing list prior to a large campaign. We’ve had great fun with ‘Are you properly addressed’?
And had fun data cleaning an old mailing list.
6. As part of an integrated campaign with social media, web landing pages, advertising and PoS, posters etc.
The world is becoming smaller and businesses larger. Duty of Care has always been on our radar but is often implied and while it feels sort of, ‘on the agenda’ it can be fairly low-priority.
But as businesses become larger, so do their obligations to make sure people understand their roles within the business.
The original starter/welcome pack, was probably a list of extension numbers of key people, the fire muster point and a pencil if you were lucky.
These days, if guiding people down the myriad path of Health and Safety (H&S) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) wasn’t enough, Fraud, Identity Theft and Compliance add a minefield of information.
In the ‘good old days’ it would’ve been a job for the old dude, put out to pasture but not quite there yet, to pay a bit of lip service to it and promote from within, to anyone who would listen. These days is a sophisticated part of the marketing mix and mission critical communications for every business.
These communications, that are used to welcome new starters and to guide them down the ‘right company path’ are innovative, interesting and informative. They frequently extend to people outside of the business but, who work with the business, spreading the messages virally.
They are great fun to work on and they are a fantastic meter to judge a company by.
There are a few specialist companies out there but they tend to be a bit formulaic.
If you want to push a single agenda like ‘Life-saving rules for employees’ or ‘how to use social media responsibly’ or you want to build a complete system for your business that accurately reflects your requirements, and is tailored to your mission goals and communicates with your people in the right tone of voice….
rtfacts can help.
For a conversation please call 01442 266 590 or eMail design@rtfacts.co.uk
When it comes to which company is best suited to design your website? You’ll hear all the best baloney from the people in the design for print and web industry!
‘Distance is no object’ (if you’re a long way away) and ‘local is always better’ (If you’re just around the corner). The honest truth is, rtfacts prefer to be close so we can meet face to face, collaborate, press the flesh, react quickly and professionally. We have worked with the World Bank in Washington and businesses in New Zealand to Tiverton very successfully, but time difference and distance are always a barrier.
In the case of World Bank, they wanted to work with Linda so much, they were prepared to put up with the hassle, but these days I think most sizeable businesses couldn’t operate efficiently that way. From an account management point of view, it means long phone calls while the client is fresh and awake, when you should be having tea with the kids or out with your mates or going to bed!
Our preference is for clients within a 50-mile radius of us as Hemel is accessible from all directions and has great rail connections. London is an obvious target and costs are significantly less out in the ‘burbs if you take the 28-minute ride from Euston on the train.
These local companies chose to work with rtfacts and allowed us to create web sites that will stand the test of time.
rtfacts produced design for print and web for BT for 13 years which meant all sorts of travel to various locations, but Global Network Services (our biggest ever client) operated from Hemel and Leavesden so for most of that time it was a 10 minute trip – BLISS.
If you’re not local, but still keen to work with rtfacts, our commitment is to make it work.
If you are local, pop in for a cuppa or a quick chat.
Or for a proper meeting please call 01442 266 590 or eMail design@rtfacts.co.uk
If you come back from Christmas and need cheering up we usually turn to Images or Video. It’s the most accessible and common way to engage with your peers! This radio clip may change your mind. Go on have a laugh!
rtfacts now have an in-house Shopify expert, (YES as well as PPC, SEO, GDN, Photography), so if you’re taking your business online, Sit back, relax and let us put your shop online and your business on the map. If you’ve started but lost the will to finish and need someone to hold your hand through the tricky bits, we can do that too. Just give us a call and get ready to fill that piggy bank!
I love direct mail. I love email too! But which is best?
In this article we will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of e-mail marketing and direct mail marketing:
There are many ways a business can communicate with prospects, clients and partners. But selling your products/services is a complex subject. Who hasn’t had a mail chimp email? (Opt in email is incredibly popular), but we all get tonnes of post too.
Benefits of email marketing
Great for a shoe string budget. Unwanted emails are on the up. Who cares if response rates are low when costs are so low? Reaching a large population from a brought in mailing list or your own Opt in list is worth a go. A properly written email campaign, thoughtfully designed and laid out would get a better response but have a go. Done well you have little to lose.
The need for speed. Creating emails is quick and relatively easy. If you have templates set up, you’re building a strong ‘corporate style’, but more importantly you are ready to move at the drop of a hat. If something happens and you react quickly, you can have a targeted and relevant email on their PC or Mac in seconds. Responses can come thick and fast and almost as immediately if they like what you’ve sent? e.g. Sending your companies anti Virus product message the day Talk Talk servers are hacked is the opportunists pleasure and mega quick marketing.
Research is the mother of invention. Getting an instant answer to your question can dictate which offer you make. Asking the same question in a different way, or a different call to action can effect the way prospect respond. Test test test and then use the answers to get the best results.
“You’re interested in our widget, OK download our brochure!” The best emails are usually the tip of the iceberg. If the prospect likes the cut of your gib, e.g. download our turning pages brochure, white paper, logo resource, or offer they can have it instantly. With analytics, you will know they’ve downloaded and can follow up with a relevant sales call. Response rates can be transforming for large and small dynamic businesses.
Animation. Animated gifs can now make marketing emails exciting and surprising without effecting their ability to get through filters. This is a great development and response rates are very positive.
Personalised. email marketing can be very personalised and talking to prospects as an individual by name has real impact.
Disadvantages of email marketing
Spamalot. Unsolicited mail is the bane of our lives. Most email is poorly written, badly designed and instantly trashed. As a result most people filter out their spam emails so they can access personal emails more easily in their inbox. Sending marketing emails too often will most certainly put you at risk of being classed as junk or the recipient opting to unsubscribe from your mailing list.
Tip of the iceberg. Most people these days are either checking email on the go or multi-tasking such as watching TV while browsing their phones, so chances of them spending more than 5 minutes checking their inbox are slim. The overall message in your email campaign has to be short and sweet and to the point or the prospect will be lost to emails of more importance or interest.
Dull, dull dull. Text only emails suck! (Unless you’re an Abbot, Bernbach or Ogilvy.) When designing an email there are certain principles to consider for it to get the turnaround you are looking for. Call to actions need to be laid out clearly, and repetition is a good tactic as people on touch screens are prone to scrolling at high speeds! Well designed emails with images or animation are a job for a designer resulting in added costs.
Your emails are useless, if your email list is unqualified. A quality list is worth its weight in gold. Generating your own list isn’t as tough as it used to be and quality email ‘Opt in’ lists are available if you know where to get them. Buyer beware – there are 100’s more rubbish brokers than great ones
The benefits of Direct Mail Marketing
emails are good but Direct mail is great. Junk mail or spam? Neither is a very complimentary soundbite about your hard work but, SPAM gets most people’s bile rising. Opening post is usually a calmer experience, people are less likely to be in a rush and if its funny, clever, well written or interesting and designed well, prospects seem to feel less ‘pressurised’.
More than words. Getting over a lot of information with direct mail marketing is easier, and something physical can become a desk presence, something that’s hard to ignore, or an item to file, ready to refer back to later.
Love, passion, desire. If the piece is well researched and well designed and written, you can get over a whole lot more than you can with email marketing. Texture, smell, physical size, material and printing methods, can enhance a message or offer to exquisite levels. Simple and stylish also works in direct mail.
Personalised. Direct mail can and should be very personalised. Talking to prospects as an individual by name has real impact.
Disadvantages of Direct Mail
Money money money. Direct mail can be very costly, It’s the only down side. Add post to a large database of prospects and we can be talking telephone numbers. Creative input is clearly key, but again costs lots of money comparatively. The more innovative and time consuming the production, the higher the cost but while the apparent cost of direct mail is much higher, the return on investment is often much much higher too.
So, which is best and what should I love?
The above isn’t exhaustive by a long stretch, email marketing and direct mail marketing both have their place and both can deliver results for your business. If your business has money and a marketing budget, using both methods wisely, together, can give you instant market information and a proven channel to market.
As a business we have no preference, I think ‘touchy feely’ still has advantages. If we could do ‘touchy feely’ emails – Now that would really be something. Until then, our best advice is – get costs for both marketing methods, test by email, refine and qualify by email and then direct mail the hell out of them.
If you have a campaign project you need help or advise with don’t hesitate to contact us today, we will be happy to discuss what we can do for you over tea or coffee.
and more importantly, how do they keep getting away with it?
Well, in this case, the fingers are chocolate
and rtfacts keep doing it because their clients love rebranded chocolate!
Let’s wait for the Tobleronegate fallout before we wrap them I suppose!
Chocolate fingers make a coffee break great.
We have left many a chocolate wrap at a client meetings/exhibitions/expos and conferences.
and they have always gone down extremely well.
We can do everything OR, you are welcome to buy your own chocolate bars and we can simply design and print the sleeve. It’s a safe way to present your message as the wrap comes off and all the food info is always there, on the original wrapper.
If you add your own offer to the sleeve it’s kept by the recipient until web access is available, or an opportunity to redeem the offer arises. – Clever.
Why not give your team/clients the finger and see how much they like it
