Direct marketing- a channel free approach to reach the Customers
Direct marketing is a channel free approach to reach the customers and
offer them products and services. This method of marketing is considered
to be a controversial sales method. The most common modes of direct
marketing are telemarketing, solicited and unsolicited emails, coupons,
leaflets, brochures, door drops and catalogs. All these sources are used
to reach the potential customers and make them aware about the product
or service being offered.
Companies used to market their product through advertisements on
television and radio but that was not cost effective because not every
person in the target market is watching the television ads or listening
to the radio when the ad is being broadcasted. To get the attention of
the customers the companies have to broadcast the ad again and again.
This activity requires a lot of financial backing. Whereas using modes
like telephones, emails, leaflets and brochures it makes sure that
almost all the potential customers have been reached.
Direct marketing helps to deliver the right message to the right person
at the right time through the right channel. Direct marketing can reduce
the market segment size to 1. Each individual customer is being
approached and focused. Direct marketing determines the differences in
the customers and then markets the products and services to them
according to their different requirements.
Social networking websites also give an opportunity to directly market a
product to the potential customers. The network spreads through social
marketing very quickly for businesses. A simple example to it could be
that whenever a natural disaster hits the world the social marketing
media raises funds and spreads the whole story to the world with in no
time. Social media targets individuals through community.
Now customers have become less responsive to the direct marketing as a
lot of direct marketing campaigns tend to entice the customers about a
product or service but do not fulfill the requirements of the customers.
People are now involved with online communities and they look for
recommendations made by the people about a product or service. Direct
marketers now use Facebook, Youtube, Twitter and other social networking
websites to reach the customers as the customer’s attention is now more
concentrated towards these means.
The competition have become so much tough that companies now keep the
records and maintain a data base of all the customers and related people
in the market so that they could contact them individually and promote
their business.