Hamilton House cuts marketing costs and raises response rates through a mix of database management, revolutionary writing and design, careful planning, PR, email marketing  and direct mail.  To find out how we do it, just call 01536 399 000 and take a free 15 minute consultation.   If you are not stunned and amazed by the end, then you can put the phone down and forget we even exist.

How to get better response rates

In the past five years huge strides have been made to find out exactly why one mailshot works and brings in huge levels of response, while others bring in so few replies.  Many of the old myths (such as the belief that colour always helps, or that all letters should be mailmerged and personalised0 have been superseded.

In 2004 a group of around 500 direct mailers - many interested in direct mail into educational establishments started work on codifying all the information that was available, with the aim of generating a theory of direct mail.

By 2006 the group proudly announced that 2006 was going to be the year of doubling response rates, and that they were ready to put the theory forward.

The results of their work is published in a continually evolving website - www.theory.bz    It contains a huge amount of data, but perhaps the most interesting is also the most simple - the statement that there are three underlying laws that affect very every piece of direct mail - no matter who it is sent to.   These three laws are

1. The more your direct mail reflects the world-view of the recipient, the more successful it will be.

2. You have 5 seconds to grab and hold attention - after that you have no chance.

3. The mailshot must be consistent throughout in style and approach.    

 The three laws are explored a little further the Start here page on that site, and that leads on to the theory itself, followed by a comprehensive and ever growing analysis of the 57 factors that the group discovered can, one way or another, affect the response rate in direct mail.

It is probably true to say that there is no other website, nor indeed any academic treatise, quite like this.