November 2015 - The Software Bureau

4 Reasons to get Mailmark Ready by 2016

Mailmark, Sortation

4 Reasons to get Mailmark Ready by 2016

By Mark Dobson|2017-01-12T14:32:00+00:00November 24th, 2015|

What is Mailmark? If you are a mail producer or printer that provides direct mail, you will have likely heard of Mailmark. Royal Mail launched the scheme 18 months ago with the aim to put direct mail back on the marketing map. An innovative scanning process enables mail to be tracked and monitored in a comparable way to its digital rivals, while the price point makes Mailmark the most cost effective way to send bulk mail. 4 Reasons to get Mailmark Ready by 2016 As we approach the final weeks of 2015 The Software Bureau has summarised the 4 reasons to become Mailmark ready by 2016. 1. Price Differential is Being Increased Mailmark is already priced around 1% cheaper than [...]

Lean DM for Fundraisers

By Mark Dobson|2017-01-12T14:36:12+00:00November 11th, 2015|

It is certainly not an exaggeration to say that over the last few months charity fundraising has gone through the wringer. Sparked by the tragic suicide of Britain’s oldest poppy seller, Olive Cooke, who was reportedly extremely distressed by the amount of charity direct mail she received, the national media and in particular, The Daily Mail, called for a review of the way the third sector promotes itself. And it has succeeded with both the ICO and government launching investigations into the issue. Already, recommendations and changes are coming into effect, such as the proposed closure of the self-regulatory Fundraising Standards Board. However, with Christmas just around the corner, traditionally the most lucrative time of year for charity fundraisers, what impact [...]

Is ‘preference’ a Dirty word?

By Mark Dobson|2017-01-12T14:39:25+00:00November 10th, 2015|

For years there have been rumblings about various industry-wide consumer preference services giving consumers the chance to select (or deselect) channels, sectors and even specific brands they want to hear from. Such movements always provoke mass debate. Justin Basini’s Allow and REaD Group’s Itsmypost.com were two such initiatives that are no longer in existence. Is this because they didn’t work? Or perhaps because opposition from marketers was too strong to ignore? Why have these initiatives failed to gain traction? The question today is were these frontrunners onto something but just a little before their time? One argument against them was that the industry as a collective didn’t approve of any individual company profiting from their perceived misery, which is how many viewed [...]