There are various ways for a brand to market their product and Direct Marketing is a timeless marketing strategy that is effective in acquiring new customers. Direct Marketing cuts out the middleman and third party entities in their outreach to their target audience. Instead, Direct Marketing is a style of advertising that uses direct communication with consumers through various avenues such as email, text, telemarketing, traditional mail, and much more. It’s a strategy to engage potential customers and existing customers that appeals to its consumers through direct and personalized approaches. One of the key features of Direct Marketing is that it engages with consumers through a call to action.
Direct Marketing Factors
Direct Marketing consists of several factors that are the foundation of this particular marketing strategy and the reason behind its use and effectiveness. These factors include:
● Targeted Audience
● Measurable Results
● Lower Cost
● Interactivity
● Personalization
Target Audience
In order to launch a successful marketing campaign it is crucial to identify the target audience for the product or service being advertised. Within Direct Marketing, the target audience is accrued through advertising based on age, gender, occupation, interests, location, and much more. With the use of Social media, targeting a specific audience is easier to achieve through apps like Facebook, that allow brands to advertise to audiences based on the aforementioned characteristics. Using online platforms is the go-to for many companies trying to reach potential customers, particular younger generations.
Measurable Results
Since Direct Marketing does not require the use of third party advertising or endorsements, the results of the campaign’s effectiveness is more accessible and easily determined. Since the Brand is in control of the marketing, and no one else, there’s less information to process and it’s organized and visible through engagements, source codes, clicks, and various other methods. These results help to track consumer engagement and allows marketers to improve on their campaigns based on the results.
Lower Cost
Although Direct Marketing will always require funding, this channel of marketing is more cost-effective. It simply does not cost as much as mass media or traditional advertising such as print, TV, and radio ads.
Interactive
One of the big benefits of Direct Marketing is that it is interactive which also aids in its measurability. Direct marketing whether through an email campaign strategy, text campaign, etc, allows the customer to respond or interact with the brand with ease. It can be as simple as subscription emails, to something as easy as interacting with a brand on social media through likes and comments. How does this occur? Typically through the use of a call to action which is essential in any Direct Marketing Campaign. A call to action simply prompts the potential customer to respond to an email, text, social media ad, or prompts them to purchase.
Personalized
The more likely route for a company to acquire sales is to personalize their Direct Marketing message. This could include an email that begins with a person’s name, or a social media ad that displays a customer’s location or a detail that relates to them personally in some way. Opting in and out is an important option to maintain for customers, even if you use personalized campaigns, so customers don’t ever feel irritated or inundated by a brand’s messaging.
Types of Direct Marketing
There are many channels through which Direct Marketing can be utilized. Some of the older choices includes catalogs, an outdated but still well-received option by older generations. Another style is direct mail. Especially when it is targeted towards consumers who may have purchased a new home, or moved to a new location, and so on. These small details on a physical brochure can attract consumers. Telemarketing has also been around for ages and simply consists of telemarketers calling households, usually within a specific demographic, to advertise a brand’s product or service. This method is not always welcomed by consumers of any age, but if the right audience is reached it still works well in a Direct Marketing campaign.
Email marketing, text marketing, internet marketing, and social media marketing are a few of the most recent Direct Marketing strategies. These digital attempts to reach audiences and interact with customers are used globally and attract consumers of all age ranges, particularly those of the millennial generation. The use of digital Direct Marketing is a fast approach to marketing, as it reaches millions within seconds through the click of a button.
Building a Target Audience
Building a Target Audience is fundamental in laying the groundwork for an effective Direct Marketing Campaign. The essential question to answer is what type of audience will be receptive to a brand’s products and services. As previously mentioned this can include, age, location, interests, gender, and even characteristics such as religion and buying habits. There are many factors that determine a target audience in a Direct Marketing campaign and the more specific the target, the greater the response. If a Direct Marketing campaign is too broad, consumers are more likely to be annoyed, and even offended, if the brand is directing messages at consumer’s who are simply not interested.
Direct Marketing Recap
● Direct Marketing is an advertising strategy that enables companies and brands to communicate directly with consumers.
● There are a myriad of channels in which Direct Marketing communication takes place; email, texts, social media, print, etc.
● It uses target audiences, personalized and interactive approaches, and is measurable.
● Requires a call to action to amplify interaction and ultimately sales.
