I know my blog’s output has been poor over the last few months. So to try and make amends, I’ve got a double whammy of posts for you:
UK’s youth the most engaged with direct mail
With all the fuss over how social media and the internet is giving young people the attention spans of goldfish, you’d think you’d have no hope of persuading anyone under 25 to read a couple of hundred words of printed copy. Well, according to Experian research the age group most engaged with direct mail in the UK is, wait for it…15-24 year olds.
This may surprise many of those touting social media as the future, and that printed marketing is a waste of trees. But the fact is that 15-24 year olds haven’t felt the same bombardment of direct mail as their parents, and a physical offer is going to have more impact.
What’s less of a surprise is that, according to the same study, this age group are also the most likely to hop onto the internet for further research after seeing an ad. So the key is to integrate direct mail with a digital element to maximise response rates. Personalised URLs are one option you’ll be hearing more about in the future.
So if you’re been worrying about whether all this fuss over Facebook and social media is going to make the copywriter an endangered species, you can rest easy. The fact is that whilst 500 million people are on Facebook, millions more aren’t. And print isn’t dead. It’s simply evolving.
Right Writer review
Firstly, I’d like to mention that I have no relationship with the makers of this software or will benefit in any way from anyone buying it after reading this post. Knowing it has helped some of you avoid the anguish of typos is reward enough.
As you’re probably aware, Word’s grammar check isn’t exactly perfect. And finding typos in your copy after sending it to a client can often make you want to throw your laptop out of the window and change careers.
So to save myself shelling out for new laptops, I decided to check out what grammar checking software is available.
After some research I found out about Right Writer. The reviews were largely positive and with a $29.95 price tag it’s palatable for my wallet.
I’ve been using it for a couple of weeks now and have been pleased with the results. It doesn’t automatically edit your copy for you but offers suggestions on elements such as sentence lengths, passive sentences, weak words and incorrect pronouns.
You still have to use your own judgement and know the rules of grammar. But it’s certainly an improvement on Word’s grammar check and offers a more thorough analysis of your writing.
Free demo versions are available, and I’d certainly recommend having a look.
Enjoyable blog. Social media will undoubtedly replace direct mail as the most effective means of communicating with the youth demographic. However, as with other more traditional forms of direct marketing, there will always be a market for it.