You are what you read

Magazines and newsletters play a significant role in the mix of communications which help to build and sustain relationships with customers and employees. They can provide different voices and create a rich texture of messages in surprising and engaging ways. In a world saturated with information and trivia, too often these corporate publications are destined for the recycling bin. So how do we win over employee and customer audiences, raise expectations and deliver real value, interest and engagement against the rising scepticism of people who have heard it all before?

Naturally, it is about content: understanding what will engage an audience and then stimulating real interest in the business story. Today, that engagement is not simply off the page. It can be delivered in exciting ways through a whole variety of channels, on-line and offline, passive and interactive, paper and electronic.

We think first about what you are trying to achieve rather than how. This avoids getting trapped in solutions which may not hit the mark or be cost effective. Our experienced consultants will help you develop an effective strategy for delivering value to your target audiences. We can help develop the pilot solutions and test employee and customer responses, using solid feedback to guide the final solution. You can’t manage what you can’t measure.

Internal publications must recognise the unique employee communities which exist in large organisations and respond appropriately. Our journalists and writers are experienced in gathering news, interviewing employees worldwide and capturing the challenges, achievements and, frustrations. We contribute story ideas, develop unique features and create opportunities for increasing employee involvement.

We help you to get closer to your customers by planning and delivering a range of focused materials designed to engage, inform and entertain. Newsletters and magazines provide an ideal way of building understanding for your products and services, and developing your corporate reputation. We research, write, design and produce these publications using our own team and commissioning thought leaders and subject experts to contribute valued opinion and insight.

Our experienced project management takes full control of the whole publishing process. We work with you to identify and agree outcomes and targets and a process of input and approvals. We provide regular progress updates, obtaining the necessary approvals, and work to create lively pages both online and offline. We also ensure that production and fulfilment of printed publications is competitive, timely and to the highest quality.

Our clients include several large corporations as well as UK government agencies and SMEs. Current Saffron House publishing engagements include a magazine for the 46,000 employees of global IT services giant Atos Origin. Our experience with Xerox, the Training Standards Council and Adult Learning Inspectorate has ensured a variety of challenges for our talented writers. Working closely with our development partners, we have implemented internet and intranet projects, creating news and feature assets. We have been able to successfully tailor our services to match a variety of budgets and so can provide alternatives to conventional fee-based charging.

We design and build websites, mainly for smaller and medium-sized organisations wanting to gain direct business benefits. Our websites are often an integral part of an eMarketing strategy and may also include discrete microsites and portals. Our approach embraces linked websites, email marketing, site advertising, and eNewsletters, usually brought together in a single strategy. We will also link with direct mail and repurpose other client assets.

We have more than eight years’ experience of designing and implementing employee communication programmes for clients such as Xerox, Philips, UK Home Office and Atos Origin. These have included many HR projects: change management initiatives, diversity, business excellence and high performance teams.

We can supply translation services for all content, publications and corporate literature. This is business-focused to ensure that your messages are appropriately interpreted in a range of languages. We can also manage the distribution, localisation and brand integrity via a web-based platform. This ensures that you retain quality and content control over your corporate materials.

Saffron House has been providing successful communications and marketing consultancy and creative services to clients since 1994.

Our clients choose to work with us in relationships which are informal, responsive and pragmatic. For this reason we don't employ the usual agency structures. We keep our organisation tight and virtual, with the emphasis on high value and performance.

If you prefer the comfort (and premium) of a large agency then we won't be your choice. If, however, you want a catalyst - people who challenge the status quo and are prepared to think differently about your requirement - Saffron House can offer you this.

For more details of our approach contact:

Kevin Mangan - Managing Director
Kevin@saffronhouse.net T: +44 (0)1285 644425