BecomingWhoYouWantToBe

Direct marketing represents a planned and organized system that uses various media supports in the attempt to build a two-way information exchange – from and to customers or potential customers. This form of marketing involves direct contact between producers and consumers, and of course, like any other marketing activity, its ultimate goal consists in promoting sales, based on a number of specific means (media, television, radio, coupons, direct sales, door to door leaflet marketing, voicemail, and direct mail, advertising campaigns).

Direct marketing focuses on a particular audience, promoting products, services and ideas through various channels of communication. Its main advantage is that the results achieved are measurable.

Marketing activities for each company are an investment and must have measurable results that justify the investment. Also, direct marketing involves indicators and methods for evaluating the results obtained in each stage and financial resources.

Direct marketing involves lower costs. The success of a marketing campaign can be evaluated in the moment when the client buys the product and not when he finds out about its existence.

The advantages of direct marketing have a great impact on any business. The possibility to test a product or an idea in real conditions has a vital importance. The results are very relevant. In fact, these tests can show if the campaign will fail or not. In these situations, you can change the campaign or stop it, without spending money unnecessarily.

Direct marketing offers the change to receive fast reactions from your clients, providing an effective communication. Also, a direct marketing campaign involves low costs, being more effective because you get in touch directly with customers.

Developing a successful direct marketing campaign requires some particular steps: :

Setting clear objectives is essential. Theodore Levitt, the famous marketing guru, describes the process of direct marketing as a way of “attracting and keeping customers.” In fact, direct marketing, being based on mail or phone messages, represents a way to build marketing relationships between company and clients.

Clear knowledge of the audience- it is extremely important to know your customers, their interests and problems, in order to communicate effectively with them. It’s necessary to learn more about the customers profile, taking into account the minimum knowledge you have about them: industrial or economic sector in which they operate and issues which require to be solved, geographic location, size of organization. Don’t forget that direct marketing uses intensively a data base.

The customers must understand clearly why the company’s products are more desirable than those provided by others. They must be attracted by the product’s efficiency and not only by the way in which it is presented.

Take into account the existence of a simple interface that allows you to receive feedback from customers.

April Kerr owns website Ecometrist which is all about subjects relating to direct marketing, tools for direct marketing etc.