Robot-speak won't cut it. Real people speak like human beings. So, too, should your automated email messages.

"...the key to getting someone to read and react to your email is to make it easy to scan the content for information that is relevant to them - there's nothing worse than a wall of text to make an email recipient reach for the "delete" button..."

"In Britain, by contrast, our favourite pastime is knocking ourselves. Those who know about these things say British engineers are among the best in the world. But can you imagine a British comedian making a joke about British excellence? Of course not. The joke is only funny if the punch-line involves ridiculing ourselves..."

A totally involved agency enables the company to stay flexible and within budget...firms that use their agencies for more than simple publicity find that a single agency - a strong agency - doing more for the firm is not only worthwhile, but also very cost-effective.

* Most larger industrial and scientific companies have made a really unimpressive job of their online presence. As smaller competitors, you still have every chance to establish yourself as one of the best-known names.This is not about big budgets. It's about being smarter, faster and more efficient. And that's something your company is already. * Remember the days when a £500 advert got you 30, 40 or 50 enquiries every time? Chris Rand does – he was Editor of an engineering magazine which produced those sorts of results regularly. But how do you get sales enquiries that cheaply in the industrial and scientific sectors, 20 years on?

"We’re seeing a lot of companies changing their strategies from opt-in to opt-out, with good results...."