Your EnterQuest Bulletin - Issue 164
 |
| Thought for the week: "In the realm of ideas, everything depends on enthusiasm...in the real world, all rests on perseverance." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe |
|
In this week's issue:
If
you have any questions about your business idea or target market, or need help tracking down a grant, subsidy or business support
in your local area, then send an e-mail with your query to the EnterQuest
information team and we'll do our best to help.
Send
your question to enterquest@cobwebinfo.com.
 |
To
access over 800 factsheets, guides and small business reports, go
to www.scavenger.net. |
The importance of testing your direct mail campaigns
"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again" is probably one of the best-known quotes that everyone will have heard or used at some point.
And it's also one of the most applicable in the small business world, especially if you're trying out direct mail marketing for the first time.
This is because when you start with your first mailing, you'll almost certainly not succeed, or at least not achieve the results you're expecting. Hence the need to try again by making a change.
There's another well-known saying that goes: "If you keep doing what you've always done, you'll keep getting what you always got". So if your mailing campaigns don't change, neither will your response rates.
Testing is all about trying again by making small changes in order to improve results and responses. Once you get a respectable response from a direct mail piece, it will become your 'control piece'. The way to get an increased response is to make small changes to your control piece and test them to see which changes bring improved results.
The biggest questions that new business owners ask about testing their direct mail are "How do I know what to change?" and "What's the best way to track my response rate?"
To help answer the first question, the following is a list of direct mail elements that you can tweak and test, in order of importance.
-
Your list - make sure you're sending your mailing to the right target audience.
-
Your envelope - you must get your mailing opened. Use a good-quality, plain white envelope with either a typewritten or handwritten address so it looks personal.
-
Your headline - the headline you use could account for 80% of your success rate. You should pay plenty of attention to this.
-
Your offer - a great offer can overcome bad copywriting, so make sure that you concentrate on the detail of your offer.
-
Your guarantee - scepticism and fear are big factors in people failing to respond, so introduce a guarantee or think about strengthening your existing one.
-
Your PS - direct mail experts say the postscript is the second most looked at (after the headline) part of a sales letter, so don't neglect this.
-
Long copy versus short copy - people want to know the detail of what you're offering. Remember the sales adage: "The more you tell, the more you sell".
As for the second question about tracking responses, there are a number of ways to track the success of your direct mail pieces. The first is to code your mailings. You could do this by using different response numbers or website landing pages for different pieces you are testing, or by putting a code on the enclosed return form. This allows you to know from which campaign piece your response is coming, resulting in an accurate response count.
Split A/B testing is also a common technique that direct mail marketers use to test their mail pieces. This involves splitting a list into two groups and sending one piece (the control piece) to group A, and the other 'tweaked' piece to group B, and evaluating response rates from each.
Of course, the tips we've provided above are just scratching the surface. The art and science of direct mail is both fascinating and complex, and has been honed by those who are the masters of it over many years.
However, that shouldn't daunt you, as direct marketing is one of the most important weapons in your small business armoury, and your best lessons will be learned through trying and failing, and then trying all over again.
For more tips on achieving direct mail success, check out our factsheet on writing effective sales letters.
The psychology of your business logo
The logo you choose is an important part of the image your business portrays to the outside world. Your logo should help to convey who you are and what you do in a simple, imaginative and memorable way - but achieving this is a much more subtle exercise than many people think.
Your logo needs to be striking and memorable, without becoming over-complicated. You should also consider how it relates to your customers. Here are a few simple rules:
-
Bright colours can both attract and repel customers - a pillar-box red catches the eye but also signifies danger.
-
Emphasising that you are a local business through your logo can be useful - for example, you may want to incorporate a familiar regional landmark. Local firms are often associated with high levels of personal service, while national businesses are associated with lower prices and reliability.
-
Your logo should resonate with the typical age of your target market. For example, a business selling fashion clothing for the teen market should avoid old fashioned fonts or muted colours.
-
Avoid colours and designs that will date quickly. For example, images with heavy black and white stripes and spirals are irredeemably associated with the 1960s; this is ideal if you are opening a store selling period clothing but less appealing for a shop stocking contemporary designer wear.
-
Finally, remember that your logo needs to be clear enough to be reproduced to any size and scale, from a business card to a sign for your premises.
Check out our factsheet for more practical tips on creating a business logo. And this resource lists a number of free logo design tools on the web, as well as offering tips on designing a logo for a website.
Doing a fire risk assessment
Businesses have legal obligations to protect people in the workplace from the risk of fire (and a new law covering this will come into force on 1 October). The main aim of the law is to prevent fires from happening and, if they do, to stop them from spreading and to ensure that people get out of your premises quickly.
At the moment, the law says you must carry out a fire risk assessment and, if you employ five or more people, record your findings.
To assess the risk of fire, look for hazards such as flammable material or sources of ignition, and consider who will be at risk because of them. You should also look for places where fire could spread rapidly or where people might be trapped or injured trying to escape. Questions to consider include:
-
Can the possibility of a fire starting be reduced, by removing or reducing any sources of combustion?
-
Will a fire be detected quickly, wherever it starts?
-
Are the routes to the exit clear, adequately signed and illuminated?
-
Can people in the building be warned in time to evacuate safely?
-
Is adequate fire-fighting equipment provided? Is the equipment suitable for the sorts of fires that could occur in your workplace?
-
Do people on the premises know what to do if a fire occurs? Are there regular drills to familiarise everyone with the procedures involved?
-
Is fire safety equipment properly maintained?
-
Have you made any alterations or extensions to your premises? If so, you must inform the local fire authority.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) can give fire safety advice related to specific activities and processes. You can also view the Department for Communities and Local Government's (DCLG) Fire Safety at Work guide, which contains a checklist for doing your risk assessment.
For further information, check out our useful factsheets on doing a health and safety risk assessment and fire safety in the workplace.
The new Google spreadsheet
Google is getting in on the software act and has launched a trial version of its own spreadsheet.
It's aimed specifically at small businesses, and can be accessed by ten people simultaneously. Rather than being kept on your desktop, the spreadsheet is stored securely online.
The spreadsheet is available on the Google Labs page - the place where the online search engine giant tests and showcases its ideas that aren't yet ready to be released to the masses.
Google is asking users for both good and bad feedback about the new spreadsheet, which is currently available in a limited test mode.
Products that have been created by Google Labs that have so far made it to the mainstream include:
-
Google Video
-
Google Maps
-
Search by location
-
Google News Alerts
Commentators reckon Google's new spreadsheet is part of an effort to muscle in on the desktop software market dominated by Microsoft.
Each
week we provide you with summaries of some popular or emerging business
ideas in the UK.
Here
is this week's idea:
Regularly improving your vocabulary is not just about learning a new word and its meaning. It will improve your general knowledge and make you feel and act smarter in all sorts of personal and business situations.
Do you know what 'sagacious' means?
a) insightful or shrewd
b) lewd or unpleasant
c) wise or experienced
d) exuberant or enthusiastic
Answer at the end of the Bulletin.
 |
Advantage West Midlands
(www.advantagewm.co.uk)
Continuing our theme of reviewing Regional Development Agency (RDA) websites, this week we're looking at Advantage West Midlands. How user-friendly and accessible is its website? |
Navigation
and presentation - constantly changing news and images make the homepage dynamic and fresh, with a pleasingly simple design that's easy to navigate.
 
Accessibility - despite being essentially well-designed, there is nothing provided in terms of options for users with disabilities on this site. Images do have descriptive tags, but the only 'help' available with using the site is the inclusion of a generic webmaster's e-mail address.
Content
and usefulness - the case studies on firms that the RDA has helped make refreshing reading, and there's a section of useful downloads (including the likes of grant application forms, tenders, maps and consultation documents) that make this site a lot more practical and interactive than other RDAs.
Relevance - news stories are only published at a rate of about six a month, but the breadth of topics covered extends beyond the activities of the RDA itself, and there is also an up-to-date events calendar.
A fresh-looking website with plenty of interactive content, this RDA would improve its website's score by including some simple accessibility options.
Our rating - 13/20
Small firms are failing on accessibility
Small businesses aren't doing enough to meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995, according to campaigners. The Act, which has applied to all firms since 2004, can land your venture with a fine of up to £50,000 if you don't give people with disabilities equal access to goods and services. The Disability Rights Commission (DRC) says big companies are much better at organising accessibility than small ones. The majority of complaints it receives relate to inaccessible toilet facilities, ramps and parking spaces.
TV licence reminder for firms
Business owners are being reminded that if they bring television sets into work during the World Cup, they must make sure that they have a valid TV licence.
Premises that are not licensed are stored on TV Licensing's computer in the same way that domestic premises are. During the Euro 2004 tournament, more than 24,000 people were caught out by inspectors. Watching TV without a licence - which costs £131.50 - can result in a fine of up to £1,000. TV Licensing has duly published guidance for businesses on what they need to do to avoid falling foul of the law.
More guidance on dealing with World Cup
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has joined the range of organisations attempting to help business owners deal with the employment implications of the football tournament by publishing a guidance leaflet on how to avoid potential problems. The leaflet has been produced in partnership with legal advisers Abbey Legal, and covers issues such as requests for time off, unauthorised absences, and allowing radios and TVs into the workplace.
Forecasting business trends
The Forecasting Eye is the website of the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR), which conducts research reports on various aspects of business and economic trends. It produces a monthly bulletin - which you unfortunately have to pay to download - but it has a useful free archive page including reports on issues such as trends in consumer demand, high street spending and disposable income levels, all of which are free to access.
This book looks at the motivation behind everyday events, from eating to cheating, sitting in traffic jams and feeling afraid. The authors see economics as the root of everything we do, and try to dig deeper to find out our motivations. The book also explores the role of the Internet, which - because it makes so much information available to everyone - lessens the gap between 'experts' and the general public. Check out:
Just one word answer
The answer is a).
Sagacious means insightful, shrewd or possessing good judgement. |
Visit www.enterprisequest.com to access all back issues of the EnterQuest bulletin. If you have any feedback or suggestions for us to make this service more relevant please e-mail your comments to enterquest@cobwebinfo.com.If you wish to discontinue your subscription to EnterQuest please click on the 'SafeUnsubscribe' link at the bottom of the bulletin.
Remember that we guarantee never to sell or give your e-mail address to anyone else.
Good luck
The EnterQuest Team
This information is meant as a starting point only. Whilst all reasonable efforts have been made, the publisher makes no warranties that the information is accurate and up-to-date and will not be responsible for any errors or omissions in the information nor any consequences of any errors or omissions. Professional advice should be sought where appropriate. |
