Direct mail is by far the most common way of advertising into the education market. Certainly for reaching teachers and lecturers it obliterates all other forms of promotion, largely because it is hard to get teachers and lecturers on the phone and because the magazines that you might expect them to read (Times Educational Supplement and its variants) are often thought to be non-responsive when it comes to advertising, and because elsewhere the media is too fragmented.

Here's a summary of key points about direct mail into education:

1. Mailing lists

2. Solo mailing

3. Shared mailing

4. Brochure mailing

1. Mailing lists

These come from numerous sources - directories, subscribers to magazines, people who have already bought a certain product...   Sometimes you can find the exact list you want, sometimes you need to add a little research of your own.   Sometimes it is simply not possible to get exactly the right list, and you need to accept that some of the people you are going to mail don't quite fit the profile you want, but it is the closest you can get.

We have collected together what we consider to be the most productive, most responsive and most reliable lists we can find. These are detailed here.

In many cases you have a choice - you can buy them through our office or directly on line - it is up to you.

• Buying through our office brings you the added advantage of being able to discuss the lists and explore the options and possibilities. 
• Buying on-line means you get the list within seconds of ordering it.
• If you are ready to order using our on-line order form please click here

All mailing lists come with one of three types of licence:A once use licence A one year re-use licence An eternal re-use licence

If you are unsure of the type of licence that is right for you, please do call 01536 399 000

2.  Solo mailing

Solo mailing is the term used to signify conventional direct mail - your leaflet in its own envelope going to the people or organisations you select with the whole process organised by a professional mailing house.

The issue of what is a "professional mailing house" is open to debate.   There are several ways of judging:

• General Quality Assurance - DTI ISO 9000 is the main criteria - and a company that has that and retains it is a company that has put a lot into its processes and systems to make sure they are right.
• Royal Mail Quality Assurance - QMP - a much more limited format, but still better than nothing.  Be wary of any firm that does not even have QMP.
• Trade association membership.  There are many - the DMA is the largest in the UK for direct mail.  You must make up your own mind as to how much value there is to you, the customer, in the firm you are detailing with being a member of a trade body.   The same issue of course arises in all trades - as with for example the Law Society looking after the legal profession.
• Longevity.   It is not hard to set up a direct mail firm, and although the fact that a firm has only been in business a year or two does not mean it is no good, you might want to be more cautious in such a case.
• Inspection.   Ask to go and see the company.   If they say, "fine, any time you like," and if their contract says, "you are welcome to come and see your job progressed" you are probably looking in the right direction.   If they talk of "trade secrets" and "other firms not wanting their work seen" or it "not being convenient" take care.
• Sub-contracting.  Sub-contracting is rife in the mailing business.  It may not worry you, but it is there, and if something goes wrong, can cause problems.  You might want to ask how much of the work is done by the firm, and how much put out.

Solo mailings changed dramatically in August 2006 with the introduction of Pricing in Proportion - a new approach to pricing mailing from Royal Mail, and the growth of rival services following the liberalisation of the postal system in the UK.   If you are not familiar with all the details do call us on 01536 399 000.

Whether you do a solo mailing yourself or you choose to use a mailing house you will be involved in a number of issues...

• The list - you have to run labels or run the addresses onto the cover letter and use window envelopes.  The latter technique (known as Mailmerge) is more expensive and does not necessarily increase response rates).
• The envelopes - of which there are three standard sizes (DL, C5 and C4) and an infinite number of non-standard sizes.  Sizes outside of the 3 standard sizes cost a lot more - and can in some cases add to postal costs under the PIP arrangements.
• "Stuffing" - putting your items into your envelopes.   There is normally little extra cost in putting a second or third item in - the main cost is in setting up the run to insert the first item.   Unusual shaped items and items that have to be handled differently (such as free pens) will cost a lot more, and  can incur extra postal costs under PIP.
• Postage.   The most expensive approach is sticking on stamps.  Simply using a Royal Mail account or a postal machine will reduce your costs a little.  After that there are discounts for sorting the mail - and although you can do this yourself it is a complex job needing specific software, and is not recommended.   It is possible to reduce "over the counter" postage costs considerably - and worth talking this through in advance.  Do remember that the cost of each item depends on weight, size and the number posted - and the traditional approach (that postage rates rise at 60g for example) does not apply any more.

For more information on direct mail solo mailings please go to www.directmail.org.uk or to discuss your own mailing please call 01536 399 000. 

3.  Shared mailing  

Shared mailings represent a way of reaching schools, colleges and universities at a price significantly lower than that of conventional "solo" mailing in which you send out your material on its own.  

The Hamilton House shared mailing service offers a range of choices that allow you to select the best service for your needs.

• Selection of schools by type (e.g. all those schools with 18 year olds, the 5000 largest primary schools, etc)
• A leaflet service ideal for items weighing up to 25g and a brochure service ideal for heavier items - up to around 90g
• A copy of the School Administrators' Newsletter on the front over each shared pack.  Shared mailing packs are opened and distributed by school administrators, and we know there is a temptation to set this not very exciting task to one side on busy days.  So each pack carries on the top a new edition of the Newsletter with information for administrators, news, stories, and the like.
• Selection of schools by postcode. This does cost more but allows you to be very precise on the areas you mail to.
• Discounts for regular use.  If you use the service three times in a year you get a significant discount - and discounts rise to around 50% for the most regular users. Dates of HHM shared mailings for 2008/9 are listed here.

For more information please go to www.shared.org.uk or call 01536 399 000.

4. Brochure Mailing

Ask a school administrator or head of department what you could do to help them in terms of the direct mail you send out, and the chances are the answer will come back "stop sending us catalogues".

The feeling is that the school and each office has too many catalogues.  The school buys products through certain firms, and that takes care of most purchases.  For the rest there are a few catalogues on the shelves - but no time to read through more than one or two.  "I've got six on the shelf," said the administrator of one modest sized primary school.  "What do I need another one for?   No one has time to read it."

And so Brochure Mail was invented.   A brochure is defined as the halfway house between the catalogue and the single page flyer.  The brochure is A4, perhaps 8, 12 or 16 sides of paper.  It doesn't try to cover everything but focuses specifically on one area, one issue, one item.  If you have no interest in this area, the brochure announces, then throw this out.  But if you are interested, this is all you need - don't turn to your catalogue and try to find the right page - it is all here.

The brochure is small enough to be specific - whether it is focusing on materials for the child with dyscalculia, GCSE music materials,  homework books or school diaries.

For an example of a brochure designed by Hamilton House please click here.

Recognising this need we developed Brochure Mail - a unique form of shared mailing through which it is possible to send out brochures without heavy weight surcharges.  The 8 page brochure probably has no weight charge at all - and after that the weight charges are more modest than with the standard shared mailing.

The prices for mailing a brochure start at 10p per school (up to 25g) and details are given on the shared mailing website.

To place an order please click here to go to the shared mailing on-line order form.

The great benefit of direct advertising is that at each stage it can be tested.   Unfortunately a significant number of people don't do this, and instead rush straight in doing a full mailing to all 30,000 potential customers.   If they then don't get the result they expected they turn away from direct mail, and all is lost.

We are forever saying to customers - "try a small run first."   But our words are sometimes not heeded.

The reason given for rushing straight in is often that "this is my prime selling season" and "I need sales now".   Obviously if you can only sell now you need to advertise now - but even if this  is the case, you should be doing some testing within your full mailing so that you will have learned a lot more, ready for next year.

The main areas that need testing are:

The list.   If you are already 100% sure who buys your product then fine - no testing is needed - but it is common to find that companies do not know exactly where the sales come from - is it companies with over 25 staff, or over 50 staff?   Is it people aged over 50, or aged over 60?   Is it the head of IT in the school, or the Deputy Head?  Is it only London, or the Home Counties too?   And so on - until you have tested one option against another you can't be sure.

The copy.   There are a million ways of writing each advert - and even if you restrict the approaches to the fundamental styles that are known to work, there are still five separate approaches that can be used.   Copy is one of the big variables.

The design   Just because a design looks good and has been professionally done, this does not mean it is right for this advert.

The price   What difference does a price change make?  If you cut your price by 10% can you find the extra 40 or 50% of sales needed to pay for that loss?  If you up your price do you lose all your customers, or attract those who find higher prices "reassuringly expensive"?

The offer.   Do you offer one product with no frills, two for one, discount for buying five, this product among a dozen offers?  

The follow up.  Do you need one?  If so which approach works?

The problem is that you can't test everything at once, so the only thing you can do is make some assumptions and then test something.  A common approach is to assume on all options and then test two versions of the copy.  When you have your copy sorted, go on to the next area that you think might be a cause for concern, and so on.

If you would like to talk about testing please do give us a call on 01536 399 000

And if you would like to know more about the creative side of direct mail, in terms of what works and what doesn't - and indeed why - please visit www.theory.bz