Welcome Back

We had a staggering 1247 readers last month - apologies to everyone who requested the 'good business guide' - it's had to be re-written and has taken a while longer to produce than planned - we have your requests on file and it will soon be ready - promise!

This month we have news on how the new postage prices will affect your business and a few ways we can help you save money!

How being smaller can save you money - The new postage system.

Changes in the new Royal Mail postage system are intended to extract more money from the business world. With A4 being the most popular size for brochures, folders and marketing literature, the majority of business post travels in C4 envelopes.

The current 1st class price for a C4 envelope under 60g is 32p, From August 21st that price will raise to 44p but you will be able to send up to 100g. This is an increase of 12p or in real life terms an extra £120 on a mailing of 1000 addresses.

Royal Mail's current advice is to 'fold things in half' where ever possible, not always easy with a brochure or folder!

As always - The Factory have a great idea!

Why not go small on your literature, lower print costs, lower postage and better for the planet (less tree's). We have a huge range of A5 brochures, leaflets, envelopes and back pocket folders to bring your postage costs down.

1,000 A5 16 page booklets - from £739
10,000 A5 Mass Marketing Leaflets - from £199
500 A5 Silk Showcards - from £119
1,000 C5 windowed envelopes - £462
Oversize A5 Budget Folder - from £408

To find out more about how we can save your money £££'s on your marketing, call Tim Chorlton or Emma Southorn on 0113 290 9244.
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Christmas is coming!

With all the hot weather and summer all around Christmas may be the last thing on your mind but we all know how fast it comes around. So our advice to you is to be prepared this year and start your Christmas campaign early.

The run up to Christmas is the most lucrative time of year for most businesses, in particular leisure and retail and it is one of the most important dates in our social calendar.

There is no such thing as starting your Christmas campaign too early!

If you are offering Christmas parties, starting early simply creates the illusion that your customers have to book early, which they will for fear of leaving it too late and being left out. Your customers don’t want to get left behind so will snap up offers as soon as they come in. This not only means that you have guaranteed custom over the festive season but you also have an increase in cash flow, now as people give you deposits.

Some of our more pro-active clients have already had their promotional material designed, printed and distributed. If you want to discuss your plans for Christmas (and I don't mean dinner with the in-laws) then call Tim or Emma on 0113 290 9244
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SBS Funding

After a period of uncertainty the Business Link grant funds have been released for this year. As we are SBS registered and now ITC registered, we can sometimes secure you funding for marketing or web design projects.

To quickly find out if you are eligible, click on the following link and enter your postcode.

www.objectivetwo.co.uk/home/

As a rule of thumb, if you are business to business rather than business to consumer with plans to expand your business and your postcode gets a green tick then you could be up for some funding - it isn't a guarantee but it costs nothing to find out.

Give either Tim Chorlton or Emma Southorn a call on 0113 290 9244 if you have any questions.

Champagne for all our customers!!

" Thanks for the confirmation telephone call earlier, I must confess to have had the best service to date. If only all businesses treated their customers like you do!" Asif - Mafia Silk

If you are regular customer of The Factory you will no doubt know how highly we place customer service. We are looking for referrals and as an incentive, we are offering you a free bottle of Moët Chandon and the person you refer 10% off their first order.

If you haven't had your blue referral card in the post and you want a free bottle of Champers, give Emma a call on 0113 290 9244 - bottoms up!
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50% off business cards - August only!

Half Price - 1,000 for £59!

Our new business cards aren’t just gloss laminated – they’re Fabu-Gloss laminated. A thick silk artboard is topped with a front lamination that’s so glossy, you’ll have to stop people trying to lick it! To celebrate the launch of Fabu-Gloss Business Cards, we’re doing them HALF PRICE during August.

Don’t forget that every order counts towards the Printing.com great big goal of planting 10,000 trees with David Bellamy and Tree Appeal.

If you would like to place an order or see a sample give Emma a call on 0113 290 9244.
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10% discount for Leeds Chamber of Commerce members
If you have been wise enough to join the Leeds Chamber of Commerce then we would like to offer you 10% discount on your next order with us. Simply quote your membership number when ordering.

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Win a Bike
In this day and age, having a demonstrable green policy for you business can help sway business in your direction. We are encouraging our customers to exchange their regular marketing literature for an 'environmentally friendly' version. Not only do we plant a tree for every 8th order we receive - you could also win a mountain bike in our grand prize draw to be held at the end of September.

We offer a wide range of recycled products from business cards and stationery to leaflets and e-mailers (no print at all!).

For more details on how you can 'green' up your corporate image, call Emma on 0113 290 9244.

New products and lower prices from Printing.com

The new product range from Printing.com has now been released and due to the growing popularity of the service - many prices are now even lower plus there are a host of interesting new products to help grow your sales.
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At last - an affordable E-Commerce Solution

E-commerce has always been an expensive leap for small businesses but we are now working with a supplier that can offer a full e-commerce solution from only £269.00. We've checked it out and it's a brilliant service on offer.

It means we can now design you a web site that will be effective at attracting customers, then add on a stylish and affordable e-commerce section so your customers can stay and shop.

To find out more give Tim Chorlton a call on 0113 290 9244 or forward his details on to anyone who you know may want to sell goods on the internet - at this price it would be foolish not to start an online shop!

We know that all you really want us for is our bad jokes and silly sites!

As always, can we state that we aren't responsible for the content on the sites we post below - please view them in the light-hearted, fun way they are intended - if you are the type who is easily offended and likely to complain you might want to go here www.knitting-and-crochet-guild.org.uk instead - everyone else - enjoy!

To get you started…

With all the sadness and trauma going on in the world at the moment, it is worth reflecting on the death of a very important person, which almost went unnoticed last week.

Larry LaPrise, the man that wrote "The Hokey Cokey" died peacefully at the age of 93. The most traumatic part for his family was getting him into the coffin.

They put his left leg in. And then the trouble started…

Funny Site of The Month

This needs the sound on but some are very good indeed. Enjoy.

www.ebaumsworld.com/morepranks.html

Time wasting thing of the Month

How good is your memory? This fantastic link from the BBC web site gives a short test (20 mins) to see how well your little grey cells are performing. In the end you will know if you have either a long or short term memory or whether your gold fish can out think you.

Very interesting!

www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/memory/index.html

Return of the really bad jokes

Bit of a visual twist to the bad jokes section this month. These were submitted by Harold Rose at Master Tailor (www.mastertailoruk.com) who can create a snug fitting suit for you but can't tell a joke to save his life! After several attempts he sent us these which we have agreed to put in this months emailer just to stop him sending us jokes!

Submissions welcome

As usual - if you can do better (and we should hope so) send us your gags (keep em clean) and we'll give you a mention (unless you request anonymity - could be for the best!!!). Email working@the-factory.co.uk with an email titled "to make you laugh".

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