In the run up to the end of the summer term my colleagues in First and Best, the publishing company owned by Hamilton House undertook an experiment.They produced a series of email adverts that went out during the last week of term – the time when traditionally we would say, “don’t try and advertise”. They used the personal and subscription email lists to promote just one book in each email.
So there was no recourse to a catalogue, or a complex set of choices on a web site – it was “here’s one book – here’s how you order”.
The results have not been fully compiled as yet, but they look very encouraging, and it is clear that the promotions were profitable, taking into account the normal commercial charge for the adverts.
We don’t know if the same thing is going to apply in August when the Scottish schools go back, or September when the rest of the UK schools return, but it is a possibility.
Certainly for the moment it is looking as if it is possible to advertise up to the end of term using the premium email lists – and it might be possible to do the same at the start of term. If so, that will take the number of days on which it is possible to sell to schools up from around 165 days (33 weeks a year) to 200 days (40 weeks a year) – which could be quite a bonus.
If you are interested in the various email lists we have available please take a look at www.emails.gs or call 01536 399 000. If you would like to talk further about the way the adverts were constructed, do call me, or drop me an email.