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I was a little irritated earlier this week to receive a telephone enquiry. This is not something I would normally say as, like all businesses, we always want to find more clients.

All seemed to be fine when the caller enquired about our Academy Schools Database (available for £199 with a free 6 month update – shameless plug). I explained the features of the database to him and waited for his thoughts. He explained he was calling from a print company and asked if we ever did any printing. The quick answer is that we do, though we are fortunate to have our own presses and do the vast majority of our printing in house. Where we do send out the odd bit of printing, we have a very good relationship with a partner and wouldn’t want to change this. The caller asked if he could send me his promotional pack showcasing their print services. Ever intrigued by how other companies promote themselves, I handed over our address details and waited for him to go back to the original discussion about the Academy Database.

It never did and he said thanks for my time.

To some extent, I had been ‘had’. He had called with no intention of engaging in business with us and simply wanted to find an angle by which he could get my attention. He certainly got my attention but used a very unethical way of doing this. His promotional pack, which was pretty impressive, went straight in the bin.

This leads on to telemarketing. We often get calls asking if we offer telemarketing services. It is not our area of specialism so we don’t (though are happy to recommend a very good company if necessary). There are also some difficulties associated with telemarketing to schools.

In fact, there are 3 main problems;

Whilst we can’t help with points b and c (though can advise on things which might help), we can certainly supply lists of names and telephone numbers.

If you would like to find out about our telemarketing lists, or schools databases in general, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Thanks for your time.

“What you see is what you get”

If only this was the case.

When I buy some fruit, I know what it is and what it costs. I even know what it will taste like. In this case, what I see is what I get.

Recently, my wife purchased a new car. It was a car she had seen, been in and liked. So in this sense, what she saw is what she got. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the price. Having been given a quote based on payment of a deposit and ongoing monthly contributions, it all seemed fairly simple. Imagine our surprise when asked for a further payment to be made just prior to delivery of the car and our even greater surprise when 3 months worth of payments were taken from our account in the first month alone. Having read the (very) small print, it seems that the car company were quite right to ask for the payment prior to delivery and made an error in taking 3 payments in one month. We certainly don’t feel as though we got what we saw. Of course, the fault lies with us (my wife) for not reading the terms and conditions carefully enough, but I also feel that some responsibility lies with the salesman with whom we had numerous discussions and whom neglected to be open and honest about this extra payment.

This kind of honesty is, I feel, important in any business but particularly in marketing. There are companies who can try to confuse clients with jargon and technical speak when, ultimately, life is fairly simple.

If you want to sell to teachers, we will tell you how many teachers we can email direct to. In fact, you can take a look for yourself here.

Thanks for your time.

With the new term well and truly up and running now, this seems like a good time to consider the opportunities afforded at this time of year. Schools are all open around the UK and vast swathes of teachers have descended on the capital to visit the BETT Show, many of them looking for the latest innovative products and services to spend their budgets on.

For many schools, and education suppliers, this is a busy time of year. The old rules still apply, with schools told to spend the money they have, or risk having it clawed back by their Local Education Authority. As such, many budget holders find that this is a time of year when they have money to spend ……. and they have to spend it.

Certainly, from my own experience as a teacher and budget holder, I was often given a gentle nudge at this time of year by the Head Teacher or Bursar (no such things as Business Managers then). Like most, budgets weren’t huge so I was often cautious until this point and would then find myself in a situation where I had money to spend and was then looking for ways to spend it. As my teaching days were prior to the growth of email marketing, I often purchased off the back of direct mail received into the school. Today, of course, teachers have the option of purchasing this way, or from emails, or will search the internet (there are other ways, of course).

Whichever way you look at it, it is imperative to use this window of opportunity to get your message in front of the relevant teachers.

If you would like to plan a marketing campaign, whether postal or email, please get in touch and we are always happy to help and offer advice. Alternatively, feel free to visit http://www.schoolmailings.com/ for more information.

Thanks for your time.

Let me begin by saying Happy New Year.

The vast majority of schools in the UK have now returned following the Christmas break, with the remaining few due to open their doors again next week. Historically, the next few months are a key time for education suppliers as schools look to use surplus budgets before the end of their financial year.

This week, a shameless list of ways we can help you at this time of year.

1. Data

We can supply data for your postal mail campaigns or email campaigns. Generally, this data can be supplied to you the same day by email in Excel format. If you would like a count on specific data or some pricing on a selection of your choice, please email info@schoolmailings.com or call us on 01257 460036.

Data by School Mailings

1. School Email Campaigns

We can usually send your email to schools within a couple of days and can also aid with the design of your email. To see some examples of our email design, don’t hesitate to get in touch and we can send some to you. Emails can be sent from as little as £149 plus VAT.

Emails by School Mailings

1. Teachers Email Campaigns

Using our database of teacher’s direct email addresses, we can get your message sent straight to the teacher of your choice. Again, this can often be done in a matter of days and can help you to target school staff from the Head Teacher to the Bursar to the Head of PE and more. For our most up to date spreadsheet of contacts, click here.

Emails by School Mailings

1. Direct Mail

Our direct mail service covers the whole project from data supply to print to mail fulfilment. If you already have your printing done, or only need data, we are happy to offer a flexible service to fit in with your exact requirements. For a direct mail quote, email info@schoolmailings.com.  

Direct Mail by School Mailings

      5. Shared Mail

Shared Mail by School Mailings

Thanks for your time.