here is the news...
New 1Check Website Launched by Selectabase for Checking Telephone Preference Service Numbers.
Selectabase has launched a new website for its 1Check service which allows UK companies to check phone numbers against the Telephone Preference Service before calling.
Selectabase, a leading UK direct marketing company, has launched a new website at www.selectbase.co.uk/1check for its 1Check Telephone Preference Service number checking service, which also features a new trial subscription.
Around two thirds of UK consumers and half of all businesses have registered their phone numbers with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) and Corporate Telephone Preference Service (CTPS).
Consumers can register their home phone number and mobile number with the TPS. Sole traders working from home can also register their telephone number at their residential address. The CTPS register also includes organisations like charities and public bodies, and businesses can register individual extension or department numbers.
If a member of staff makes an unsolicited call to a TPS registered number by mistake, your business will be in breach of the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003. It can be reported to the Information Commissioner and then face legal action or even a £5000 fine.
1check from Selectabase lets subscribers check phone numbers online quickly and easily to see if they registered with the TPS before calling. And unlike other similar services, 1Check lets you check unlimited numbers each month, subject to a fair usage policy.
Due to the growing popularity of 1check, Selectabase has launched the new site which includes a free demo of the application, to show users just how easy and fast it is to check numbers against the TPS register online.
Plus a new one month trial of the service has been launched on the site. For a one off payment of just £15 plus VAT, users can check an unlimited amount of business and consumer phone numbers online against the latest Telephone Preference Service database.
Regular monthly subscriptions are just £10 plus VAT month paid for monthly, or an annual subscription can be purchased for £100 plus VAT.
1Check is aimed at smaller businesses, sales departments, market researchers and small call centres which use the telephone for sales and marketing purposes.
For companies with larger lists Selectabase also provide free Easycheck software. This useful widget plugs into your PC desktop and allows you to check lists against a range of data cleansing criteria, on a pay as you go basis using credits purchased from Selectabase.
Businesses can find out more about 1Check at http://www.selectabase.co.uk/1check or by calling 01304 382211.
Simple, Selective, Selectabase
New Mailing Service Helps Businesses Target Consumers on their Birthday
The new Birthday Mailing monthly marketing service from Selectabase has been launched to help businesses promote themselves to local consumers on their birthday, or at key life stages.
A birthday is always a great excuse for people to spend money.
A new marketing service called Birthday Mailings has been launched to help businesses which sell products or services to consumers reach people just before they have a major birthday.
When a business subscribes to Birthday Mailings it receives a monthly list of consumers from their local area who will reach a specific birthday the following month. The list can then be mailed with information, a special offer, or even a birthday card!
The ages that can be targeted are 18, 21, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 65, giving businesses plenty of scope to reach all ages of consumer.
One of the largest markets for Birthday Mailings is the leisure and entertainment sector such as bars, restaurants and clubs.
The service has already been trialled with great success by a range of restaurants and bars who have been able to target local consumers just when they are planning to go out and celebrate. Bars and restaurants have mailed out birthday cards to their leads, along with special offers or vouchers to redeem at their establishment.
Other businesses have also been testing the Birthday Mailings service by targeting consumers at specific ages, with lifestyle or age related products or services. This strategy can help many businesses promote age related or lifestyle products.
For example consumers about to turn thirty can be targeted with lower cost car insurance, whilst consumers reaching retirement age can be sent offers on travel, holidays, or leisure pursuits such as golf.
Data purchased from the service comes with a guarantee of quality and accuracy. Selectabase, the provider of Birthday mailings, is an established direct marketing supplier and a full member of the UK’s Direct Marketing Association. All data is fully screened and verified before it sent out to subscribers.
Free quotes for a monthly subscription are available online now from http://www.selectabase.co.uk/birthday, and as a special launch offer, one off batches of data can be also be purchased as a trial. Information is also available by calling 01304 382211.
Simple, Selective, Selectabase
Home Improvement Companies Urged to
Prepare for Early Easter
Home improvement companies need to step up their marketing efforts to avoid being caught out by this year’s early Easter, according to the Recently Moved marketing service.
Easter traditionally beckons the start of the Spring home improvement season, but this year Easter Sunday falls unusually early, on March 23rd.
It is feared that many home improvement suppliers, retailers and trades will be caught out by this year’s early Easter, and miss out on reaching potential consumers until after they have made their all-important buying decisions.
Businesses which could be affected include home improvement retailers, garden centres, builders merchants, and DIY stores, as well as home improvement suppliers such as double glazing, loft conversions, landscaping, decorators and builders.
The warnings come from Recently Moved, a business to business marketing service which provides home improvement companies with leads of recent home movers in their local area.
These valuable and fully screened leads enable home improvement businesses to effectively target the 12.2% of the UK population who move house every year. Plus home movers have been shown to spend six times more on home related products and services than consumers who have not moved house.
Steve Sellwood of Selectabase, the leading independent direct marketing company behind Recently Moved, fears that home improvement companies may miss out on the start of an important trading season.
He says that “home improvement retailers and suppliers need to make extra sure that they are reaching potential consumers before their competitors, and in good time for the Easter holiday.”
“Low cost marketing tools like Recently Moved can help them reach one of the most valuable parts of their market, recent home movers, who may also be new to the area and might not even know about local suppliers” he adds.
Recently Moved gathers details of all the latest moves across the country and categorises them by postcode. The data is then available for companies to purchase each month through a subscription to the service.
More information about Recently Moved is available from http://www.selectabase.co.uk/recentlymoved or by phoning 01304 382211.
Next year Easter Sunday falls on the later date of 12th April.
Simple, Selective, Selectabase
New UK Restaurants Reach Five a Day
New research from Startupsplus reveals how many new restaurants opened for business in 2007, and reveals some surprising trends about the type of cuisine on offer.
Five new restaurants opened for business every day in 2007, according to research released by Startupsplus, a marketing service for catering industry suppliers.
The research into business start-up activity in the food and catering industry during last year has also revealed a number of surprising conclusions.
The number of new restaurants opening in 2007 exceeded the number of take away food outlets that also started out in business (1803 restaurants compared to 1701 take-aways).
This indicates that the UK may be starting to move away from its reputation as a ‘takeaway culture’.
Amongst these new start-ups, ethnic restaurants continued to be the most popular type of new establishment.
Indian and Chinese restaurants were the first and second most popular type of restaurant to open, collectively accounting for over 25% of all openings.
Indeed, of all restaurants opening last year, 40% served ethnic food ranging from Persian to Japanese, Kurdish, Nepalese and Korean.
However, amongst the top ten types of restaurant opened last year, there was a surprisingly broad variety of different cuisines on offer.
For example Italian restaurants ranked third, whilst four of the other top ten types of restaurant to open served traditional, English, bistro or pub style food.
It is possible that the research findings indicate a shift away from the ubiquitous Indian or Chinese restaurant, to more traditional or home-grown styles of dining.
Last years new restaurant openings have been identified by Startupsplus, a direct marketing service which provides suppliers with details of new openings in their industry each month.
A new Startupsplus subscription has been launched specifically for the food and catering industry, enabling suppliers to identify and contact new restaurants, bistros, bars, cafes and delicatessens as soon as they open.
For more information contact Startupsplus on 01304 382211 or visit www.selectabase.co.uk/startupsplus
Simple, Selective, Selectabase
Updated Consumer Profiles Data Now
Available from Selectabase
Selectabase, one of the UK’s leading independent direct marketing list providers, has released a fully updated version of its Consumer Profiles database.
The Consumer Profiles database consists of approximately 34 million UK consumer addresses, and has been fully rebuilt using the latest data profiles to generate even more effective results for direct marketing campaigns throughout 2008.
The Consumer Profiles list is unique in being built from a combination of sources. Data from the Electoral Roll, consumer replies to a range of lifestyle surveys, and data profiles from partner organisations are all combined to create a complete insight into UK consumer behaviour.
The merged data is overlaid and enhanced with complex data models, to indicate consumers who are most likely to display a 'likelihood' or 'propensity' to act in a certain way – for example to be interested in or concerned about a specific topic, or be likely to purchase certain types of products or services.
Lists selected from the Consumer Profiles database can then be carefully targeted for use in b2c direct marketing campaigns using direct mail or telemarketing.
Plus, all data is fully screened against all the latest suppression files before purchase to ensure accuracy and quality.
Typically, lifestyle based products or services are promoted using the list, such as financial services, consumer goods, leisure, travel and automotive.
Free counts and more information is available now from Selectabase on 01304 382211 or by visiting http://www.selectabase.co.uk.
Simple, Selective, Selectabase
Easycheck Makes Coping with New MPS
Changes a Piece of Cake
Direct marketing companies have been facing a new headache since September when changes were brought in to the UK’s Mailing Preference Service, or MPS.
The MPS is a scheme operated by the marketing industry through which consumers can register themselves not to receive direct mail in the post.
Before September when one person in a household registered their name, everyone else in the household with the same surname was also registered not to receive mailings automatically.
But now, individual members of household can choose to register on their own. This means that many direct marketing companies which used a single registration to stop mailing a whole address now have to change their systems.
But not businesses which use Easycheck, the desktop list cleaning tool from Selectabase. Easycheck already checks both forename and surname when screening against the MPS, so Easycheck subscribers can simply carry on as normal.
The MPS changes have also meant a flurry of interest in new companies signing up to use Easycheck, as a cost effective way of adapting to the new screening criteria – the Easycheck software is free to download, and users then buy affordable credits for the amount of adapt they want to check.
Easycheck is available to download now from www.selectabase.co.uk.
Simple, Selective, Selectabase
New Direct Marketing List Identifies
Consumers in Debt
Selectabase has launched a new consumer list called Credit Culture.
The database contains the details of more than 4 million consumers who are likely to have experienced financial problems or difficulties in obtaining credit.
The list is aimed at businesses which offer specialist products tailored to the so called ‘sub prime’ market, or which offer debt advice and solutions. Data can be rented from the list to be used in direct marketing campaigns.
Steve Sellwood of Selectabase feels that “used responsibly, the Credit Culture direct marketing list will help service providers to reach out to those who need their products and services the most, or who may not be able to obtain these services from elsewhere because of their financial history.”
Credit Culture features three distinct consumer lifestyle profiles:
- On The Bread Line - young lone parents and single people who earn low incomes and live in council or housing association accommodation.
- Credit-hungry Families - those that have often spent beyond their means, becoming dependent on credit to fund their increasingly costly lifestyles.
- Surviving Singles - young people earning low incomes. The majority are still single or have become single again through separation.
The Credit Culture list also offers full UK coverage and data can be selected by Postcode Area, District and Sector.
Data can be purchased from the Credit Culture List by calling Selectabase on 01304 382211 or visiting www.selectabase.co.uk.
Simple, Selective, Selectabase
Pints and Perms Still Attract Most New
Business Start-Ups
UK Business Start-Ups Index from Startupsplus, pubs and hairdressers continued to the two most popular types of new business started in October 2007, for the fourth month running.
Pulling pints and cutting hair continued to be the most popular new businesses started in October 2007.
According to the latest figures from the UK Business Start-Ups Index, Pubs and Hairdressers were the two most popular types of new business started in the UK in October once again.
They have retained their place at the top of the league table, having been the two most prolific types of business to start up in the three months prior to October.
They were closely followed by other firm favourites amongst new businesses, including Beauty Salons, Plumbers, Builders and Driving Schools.
The UK Business Start-Ups Index is produced on a monthly basis by small business firm Startupsplus, using data from its Startupsplus marketing service which tracks and identifies new and moving businesses across the UK.
Steve Sellwood of Selectabase made comment on the continuing attraction of running a pub:
“Many predicted the recent smoking ban would damage the pub trade, but it certainly doesn’t seem to have put off those looking to start their own business.”
Simple, Selective, Selectabase
New Figures Shows London Grabbing
Greater Share of UK Home Moves
The proportion of people moving home in the south east compared to the rest of the UK has leapt upwards in the last month at the expense of the Northern UK.
London saw its share of UK home moves more than double in October 2007, compared to the previous 12-month average.
The figures based on actual home moves are released by the Recentlymoved marketing service, and indicate that the UK property market has refocused around the nation’s capital.
The proportional increase in home moves was at the expense of many postcode areas in the Midlands and North, including Birmingham, Manchester Sheffield and Nottingham.
In October 2007 almost 20% of the UK’s home moves took place in London postcode areas. But over the twelve months prior to October, less than 10% of home moves were in London postcodes.
The six postcode areas with the most home moves were all London postcodes in October, followed mainly by postcode areas in the south
The UK’s top house moving area in October was the SW postcode of South West London, which saw its share of UK home moves increase by almost 50%.
The previous top postcode area of Birmingham saw a massive -336% drop in its share of UK home moves.
Simple, Selective, Selectabase
Recentlymoved Identifies Most Popular
Areas for UK Home Movers
Figures released by Recentlymoved have identified where the most home moves took place in the UK over the last twelve months.
The statistics from Recentlymoved, a direct marketing service for home improvement businesses, indicate which postcode areas of the UK might be the most popular to live in, and which have had the most active property market over the year.
According to the data, many of the most popular areas for home movers are located outside the south east.
The Birmingham postcode area has 72652 home moves taking place over the last 12 months, followed by Manchester (50053), Belfast (49234), and Sheffield (48927).
Only then does London feature amongst the most popular places for moving house, with East London (48150) and South East London (48143) leading the capital.
The figures have been released by Recently Moved, a marketing service which helps businesses target local consumers after they move house, when they are likely to spend more on areas like home improvement, furnishing and landscaping.
Recently Moved gathers details of home movers across the country based on 122 different postcode areas, and makes the data available in a monthly list to use in direct marketing. More information is available at www.recentlymoved.co.uk or by calling 01304 382211.
Simple, Selective, Selectabase
Pubs and Hairdressers Continue to Top Falling Numbers of UK Start-Ups, according to Startupsplus
A new UK Business Start-Ups Index launched by Startupsplus is showing that the number of new businesses launched in the UK has dipped in recent months, but that Pubs and Hairdressing remain the most popular new business to start.
The latest figures released for September 2007 show a 15.5% drop in the number of new businesses starting in the UK compared to the previous month. Coincidentally, August start-ups were also 15.5% down on the previous month.
The UK Business Start-Ups Index also shows that the most popular type of business started remains constant.
Public Houses are the most prolific of new business start ups, followed in order of popularity by Hairdressers, Builders, Plumbers, Electricians, Beauty Salons, Driving Schools, Employment Consultants, Cleaning Services, and Decorators. This profile of new business start ups is typical of the year to date. Public Houses and Hairdressers have consistently featured among the top three start ups for ten out of the last twelve months.
London remains the most popular area for new business start-ups, followed by Kent, Lancashire West Yorkshire, and Essex. These regions have also been the top start up locations in the UK for the last twelve months.
Steve Sellwood of Startupsplus believes the decline in overall start-ups is probably down to a seasonal dip: “In previous years we have often seen a fall in start up businesses around the August holiday period and it is therefore likely that business start up numbers will pick up again in the back end of this year”.
The UK Business Start-Ups Index will release figures on a monthly basis to identify the latest trends amongst new business start ups in the UK. The data is compiled by Startupsplus, a small business marketing service that gathers details of new and changing businesses and makes this list available to other businesses.
More information is available from Startupsplus or by calling 01304 382211.
Simple, Selective, Selectabase
Free marketing letter writing tool launched
by Selectabase
A free online tutorial tool has been launched at http://www.selectabase.co.uk, to help businesses write effective sales letters for use in direct mail.
The letter writing tutorial tool takes users through 7 simple steps, using examples of good and bad letter writing practice.
For example, the tool shows you how to use headlines, paragraph structure, sentences, bullet points and a call to action in your sales letter.
By the end of the process, the user will have a finished sales letter that’s completely unique to their business, ready to email to themselves for future use.
This unique business tool has been developed by Selectabase, UK based providers of business and consumer data for direct marketing campaigns and business development.
The letter writing tool is completely free for any business to use, and can be found at www.selectabase.co.uk.
Simple, Selective, Selectabase
New Home Movers Database Launched Online
A leading direct marketing company has launched a monthly list of consumer home movers across the UK online at a new website, www.recentlymoved.co.uk.
Recentlymoved gathers details of all the latest moves across the country and categorises them by postcode. The data is then available for companies to purchase each month through a subscription to the service.
The Recentlymoved data is aimed at local providers of home services and products that may be needed when someone moves into their new house.
The target market for the product ranges from electrical retailers and home improvement companies, to landscapers and utilities suppliers. When consumers move home, their spending in these areas usually increases dramatically.
Subscribers choose which local postcode areas they’d like to target, then receive a monthly data file containing details of home movers, ready for them to follow up by mail or phone.
The Recentlymoved data is fully verified, cleaned and updated against the Telephone Preference Service register.
The service has been launched by Selectabase, an independent list company, which has already had great success with a business-to-business version of the service called Startupsplus.
More information is available from www.recentlymoved.co.uk where companies can register to receive free counts and quotes for their local area, or by calling Selectabase on 01304 382211.
Simple, Selective, Selectabase
Direct marketing list shows London leads
the way for high growth business
A survey of companies featured in a new direct marketing list called Prospa, has identified where the UK’s fastest growing businesses are located.
A recent survey has revealed that London is currently the UK’s leading area for business growth and profitability.
The survey of businesses included in the new Prospa database from Selectabase, shows that almost 17% of the UK’ fastest growing businesses were located in central London Postcodes.
The businesses surveyed are featured in the Prospa direct marketing list, which only includes details of UK companies which have experienced growth of between 10-1000%, and which have also registered profits.
These leads are seen as having greater value for direct marketing and sales purposes, compared to companies that may be growing rapidly, but are yet to achieve profitability.
The strength of London as a location for growing business also extends outwards. One of the next largest areas was the band just outside London, which included over 10% of the UK’s fastest growing businesses in postcode areas such as GU, RH, TW and KT.
Scotland came off worst in the survey, with the majority of Scottish rural postcodes coming last, although more growing businesses were to be found in Glasgow.
Free counts of Prospa business leads from your postcode area are available from www.selectabase.co.uk or by calling 01303 382211.
Simple, Selective, Selectabase
Free letter writing tool launched by Selectabase
A free online tutorial tool has been launched at www.selectabase.co.uk, to help businesses write effective sales letters for use in direct mail.
The letter writing tutorial tool takes users through 7 simple steps, using examples of good and bad letter writing practice.
For example, the tool shows you how to use headlines, paragraph structure, sentences, bullet points and a call to action in your sales letter.
By the end of the process, the user will have a finished sales letter that’s completely unique to their business, ready to email to themselves for future use.
This unique business tool has been developed by Selectabase, UK based providers of business and consumer data for direct marketing campaigns and business development.
The letter writing tool is completely free for any business to use, and can be found at www.selectabase.co.uk.
Simple, Selective, Selectabase
Over 60% of UK phone numbers now
registered with the Telephone Preference Service
Research by www.tpscheck.co.uk shows that over 60% of UK households and more than 55% of businesses have registered telephone numbers with the Telephone Preference Service, in order to block unwanted sales calls.
This means that around 3 out 5 unchecked sales or marketing phone calls to consumers or businesses will now be to a TPS or CTPS registered number.
Businesses using the telemarketing without checking numbers against the TPS and CTPS registers first are now more likely to call registered numbers than unregistered phone numbers.
If reported, the caller could face legal action and even a £5000 fine, so businesses are being urged to check phone numbers first before they make a call.
To help, www.tpscheck.co.uk offers 1check, a low cost online checking service for individual numbers, and free Easycheck software to help businesses check whole lists against the Corporate and Telephone Preference Services from their PC.
Simple, Selective, Selectabase
London leads the way for high growth business
A survey of companies featured in the new Prospa list from Selectabase has identified where the UK's fastest growing businesses are located.
London is currently the UK's leading area for business growth and profitability, with almost 17% of the UK' fastest growing businesses were located in central London Postcodes.
The Prospa direct marketing list only includes details of UK companies which have experienced growth of between 10-1000%, and which have also registered profits.
These leads are seen as having greater value for direct marketing and sales purposes, compared to companies that may be growing rapidly, but are yet to achieve profitability. This makes leads from Prospa ideal to use for B2B sales campaigns and prospecting.
One of the next largest areas was the band just outside London, which included over 10% of the UK's fastest growing businesses in postcode areas such as GU, RH, TW and KT.
Scotland however came off worst in the survey, with the majority of Scottish rural postcodes coming last, although more growing businesses were to be found in Glasgow.
Free counts of Prospa business leads from your postcode area are available by calling Selectabase now on 01304 382211.
Simple, Selective, Selectabase
Potential Overseas Property Buyers Targeted
by New List
According to recent research, almost 6 million Britons now own a second home abroad or live abroad all year. 13% of consumers are considering making the move as well, according to a recent BBC survey.
Typical overseas property owners are either pensioners with their main residence abroad, or affluent over 45s with an investment or holiday property. These consumers are attracted by better climate, and a better quality of life.
Now Selectabase has launched the UK’s first dedicated direct marketing list to target these well-off consumers, before they make their spending decisions.
Overseas Home Buyers is a new marketing database from Selectabase, built from profiles of typical overseas property buyers. Data can be selected from over 2.6 million records using a range of selection criteria, including age, and the value or equity of the main UK residence.
Overseas Home Buyers now enables a wide range of businesses to target potential overseas property buyers, property developers, real estate agents, financial services, travel and leisure.
And it’s a market that’s set to keep on growing:
- The number of British citizens who chose to go permanently abroad doubled from 53,000 in 2001 to 107,000 last year - some 2,000 people a week
- The majority of expats live in Australia, Spain, the US and other English speaking nations. But in all some 41 nations each have at least 10,000 permanent British residents.
- A recent BBC survey found 13% of Britons were planning to make another country their home in the near future, almost twice the number asked the question in 2003.
- In less than 10 years time it is estimated an extra 2.3 million British people over the age of 50 will be retiring abroad.
- By 2020, one in five older people – an extra five million – will be living outside the UK, according to research by Alliance and Leicester International.
For more information about Overseas Home Buyers call the Selectabase B2C team now on 01304 382211.
Simple, Selective, Selectabase
UK business start ups grow by 10%
The number of people starting their own business saw an increase of more than 10% in 2006.
This is well ahead of general growth rates in the economy, and indicates that as a nation, increasing numbers of us are taking the plunge to be our own boss.
The findings come from research released by http://www.startupsplus.co.uk, a direct marketing tool for small businesses, which tracks the numbers of new start ups each month.
Startupsplus recorded 151,393 new businesses in 2006, compared to 137,720 startups in 2005 – an increase of 10.3%.
And as for the most popular type of business to start, pubs topped the league table once again, closely followed by hairdressers, builders, and driving schools.
All grew in popularity, but the number of new hairdressers grew by over 25% compared to the previous year.
March was one of the busiest times to start a new business in 2006, and August was one of the quietest.
Simple, Selective, Selectabase
Mailing, Telephone and Fax Preference Service registrations continue to rise
The Mailing, Telephone and Fax Preference Services have been set up to prevent unsolicited marketing being delivered to recipients that have specifically requested not to receive direct mail, unsolicited telephone calls or faxes.
Registrations are at an all time high with 13,363,557 numbers registered with the individual Telephone Preference Service (TPS) and 830,623 numbers registered with the Corporate Telephone Preference Service (CTPS).
Breaking the regulations has serious consequences for you and your business with fines of up to £5,000 levied against firms that breach the Telephone or Fax Preference Services.
Breaching the regulations damages the direct mail industry and will at best involve your company in a long and complicated dispute with the authorities that run the scheme.
Selectabase can help you keep on the right side of the regulations. All data supplied by Selectabase has been screened against the latest MPS, TPS, CTPS or FPS file.
If you have your own database Selectabase can screen your own data against the latest MPS, TPS, CTPS or FPS file to ensure you stay the right side of the regulations. Click here to explore the solutions available.
Simple, Selective, Selectabase
Selectabase comes top for customer service
Recent feedback from existing subscribers has highlighted the quality of service provided by the Selectabase team. Customers are particularly pleased with the way that Selectabase staff are so professional and accessible in helping them achieve more from their data and subscriptions.
For example Nick Tate from London says, "I have always received an excellent standard of service from Selectabase. Their people are always helpful and attentive but never pushy".
David Dixon from Hertfordshire feels that Selectabase staff "are always friendly and efficient, and are also responsive to suggestions". These views are also echoed by Matthew Stenson from Derbyshire, who is pleased to report that he "received excellent service from the team".
The final word goes to John Mayer from Avon who thanks the team for being so professional and helpful, encouraging them to "keep up the good work!"
Simple, Selective, Selectabase
Results matter for Startupsplus
Startupsplus is continuing to prove itself as a results-driven marketing tool for a wide range of different subscribers from many industry sectors.
Richard Stangroom is a director of a web design agency in Hertfordshire and feels that Startupsplus "is the most effective marketing tool we have used over the last two years. The business generated by Startupsplus far outweighs the expenditure on the subscription", which in itself Richard feels is "comparatively cheap when compared to other marketing opportunities".
Startupsplus data is also proving highly effective for many Business Links across the country. For example Business Link Devon and Cornwall report an average 10-15% response from their mailings to Startupsplus data.
Many accountants and financial advisers achieve impressive results from Startupsplus, such as John Paton a business owner in Lanarkshire who achieved approximately £5000 of new business from an initial £200 investment.
Helen Heath is a director with an accountancy practice in South Glamorgan and has been using Startupsplus for 3 years now and finds that they create an income of £3000 per month from the new leads.
Paul Bryan also an accountant in Milton Keynes has found that Startupsplus has provided 30% of his new clients in the past year and says "Startupsplus arrives on time and first with the new leads beating its competitors".
Simple, Selective, Selectabase
Startupsplus launch new gift industry subscriptions
A new range of specialist subscription packages have been launched within Startupsplus by Selectabase, to help suppliers of gifts and related products target new shop openings.
Subscribers can choose from a range of specialist retailer categories including Gifts, Jewellers & Leathergoods, Hobbies, Greetings & Party, and China, Glass & Home retailers.
To coincide with the launch of the new services, research undertaken from Startupsplus has revealed that almost 200 new shops open every month selling gifts and related products such as jewellery, cards, china and glass.
Until now there has been no readily available method for identifying and contacting these important new businesses. The new range of Startupsplus subscriptions for the gift industry enable suppliers, wholesalers and manufacturers to target new entrants to their industry, before their competitors have time to act.
For an equivalent cost starting at just over £36 per month, Startupsplus subscribers are emailed a regular monthly data file containing contact details of all the latest new shops opening, relocating and changing in ownership across the country. Startupsplus data is individually verified for accuracy and checked against the new Corporate Telephone Preference Service, so data is ready to follow up or pass on to local sales agents.
Managing director, Steve Sellwood, explains the launch of the new subscriptions saying that "in the gift industry it can be very hard to keep track of when and where new shops are opening. Most suppliers don't have the luxury of a national sales force to act as their eyes and ears, so our new range of Startupsplus services will prove really valuable."
Recognising just how important new shops can be, Steve added that "new businesses have a wide range of immediate purchasing requirements and also prove extremely loyal in the longer term, but only if your products or services are first through the door."
The new range of Startupsplus services from Selectabase are available now by calling 01304 382211 or by clicking here.
Simple, Selective, Selectabase
Lifestyle startups on the increase
New research from Startupsplus shows that the number of new lifestyle businesses opening up across the UK is on the increase. This year Startupsplus has identified 620 new lifestyle businesses, compared to only 524 for the same period last year.
Top lifestyle startups include Internet Bars, Cafes, Coaching & Mentoring, Wedding Planners, Conference & Event Management, Image Consultants, Lifestyle Management & Concierge Services and Fashion Designers.
Steven Sellwood, Managing Director of Selectabase Ltd providers of Startupsplus commented "More and more entrepreneurs are starting businesses in industry sectors that only 4-5 years ago would have been unheard of. Our Startupsplus service is an ideal marketing tool for companies that specialise in providing products and services to these new and growing industry sectors."
The research carried out on 19th July 2005 also highlighted a continued increase in I.T sectors such as Internet Web Design and Computer Services, Software and Security.
A new range of specialist UK subscription packages have been launched to target specific industry sectors and are available now by calling 01304 382211.
Simple, Selective, Selectabase
New startups operating from home
Figures released from Startupsplus today show a consisent number of new businesses starting up from home (home startups).
In 2004 Startupsplus identified 31,754 home startups and this figure is expected to rise by a further 11% in 2005.
The county which saw the highest number of home startups in 2004 was Lancashire with 1393, closely followed by Kent with 1333. With 4 months of this year still remaining Essex is currently leading the field with 1082.
The rise of the Internet over the past five years has dramatically changed how and where people can run their businesses. This together with lower start up costs, reduced travelling and increased time have made starting a new business from home much more attractive.
David Larkins, Senior Account Manager at Startupsplus comments "These new businesses have a whole host of requirements, and are more likely to outsource certain aspects of their business. Our Startupsplus subscriptions enable suppliers and service providers to reach these home startups at the earliest opportunity with a view to forming a long term business relationship."
Simple, Selective, Selectabase
Small business sector faces growing risks from cold calling laws
Small businesses are at increasing risk from legislation introduced to prevent unwanted cold calling.
The claim comes from direct marketing company Selectabase, operators of the 1Check service where registered numbers can be checked online.
Since new laws were introduced in June 2004 almost 300,000 companies have registered their telephone number with the Corporate Telephone Preference Service (CTPS), a register operated by the direct marketing industry.
If another business unwittingly makes an unsolicited call to one of the CTPS registered numbers by mistake, they run the risk of being reported to the Information Commissioner and potentially incurring a £5,000 fine.
The cold calling rules even extend to existing customers, and to complicate matters further some individual extensions can be registered in larger businesses, whilst others are not. And the potential risks of calling a CTPS registered number look set to increase, as new registrations continue at a rate of over 12,000 a week.
"The growing number of companies registering with the CTPS is posing a serious issue for any business that uses the telephone for telesales, telemarketing, follow ups or just as a general business tool," said Steve Sellwood from Selectabase.
Selectabase feel that smaller businesses face a particularly high risk. They rarely have the IT resources or infrastructure in house to cross-reference their internal database with the central CTPS register, which itself can be a costly exercise if undertaken on a frequent basis.
Steve added "This is why we set up the 1Check service, where users can look up individual numbers affordably online, to see if they are registered with the CTPS or even the Telephone Preference Service for the general public".
To subscribe to 1Check click or call 01304 382211.
Simple, Selective, Selectabase
Direct mail letter tutorial lands
billion pound contract
You need to get a mailer out, you have some pictures and a technical spec but you need some copy to really make the product sing. Some of the staff have had a go at it but quite frankly the last time they did any creative writing was with old Fotherington in form 2B twenty years ago and they weren’t that good then.
You would have a bash yourself but you have got better things to do.
Simply logon to the Selectabase member area and use
the on line direct mail letter tutorial to help you prepare great direct
mail letters, Simple, Selective, Selectabase.
