by Direct marketing consists of three components: the development of an effective customer database; direct response advertising which leads to the sale; and the direct building of customer relationships to increase sales and profits. Direct marketing is an approach to marketing which is driven by a database which implies that the company knows who its customers are, and communicates with them in appropriate ways through enhanced and refined means of communications; the driver is the database. It is a highly targeted approach to marketing which also implies that the company knows who are not among its customers. Customer information management is critical and two-way communication with customers may lead to high loyalty.
Components of Direct Marketing campaign
Target Audience Development: Who is your audience/target market? Identify specific characteristics/needs/wants of your ideal customer and develop ways to appeal to those characteristics.
List Management: Your prospect database is the single most important body of information you possess. Outdated or inaccurate prospect lists waste expenses in lost leads and time.
Graphic Design: Visual appearance is the key to making a positive first impression and gaining your prospect’s attention long enough to convey your written message.
Copywriting: The critical element to compel your target audience to act (buy, call, browse website or catalog).
Copy Editing: Trim the fat and polish your language to make sure your message hits home. Nothing destroys your credibility faster than shoddy or amateurish copy.
Distribution: The impact of your campaign and your cost-per-lead are directly affected by the way you distribute your message, whether by direct mail, email, phone calls, etc. You must know, based on your knowledge about target audience, what approach will be most effective while minimizing cost.
Tracking and Follow-Up: The most important step to seeing real return on your marketing investment. With good tracking and consistent follow-up, you will emerge from this process with qualified leads and sales.
Essential components of successful direct marketing.
1) Deliver a Compelling Sales Message
Several elements go into creating a compelling sales message. Successful sales letters and other marketing content must be relevant, useful, and persuasive. Marketing content that works grabs your prospect’s attention, shows uniqueness, and builds trust with your prospect. Employ these three elements in all your direct marketing content.
2) Follow-up Leads Promptly to Attract and Engage Your Prospect’s Attention
You might have a lead-generating sales letter, but if you don’t follow-up, valuable leads will slip through the cracks. Follow-up a live event with a phone call, an email, or a letter that invites the prospect to take the next step.
Offer a free demonstration of your product or service. Set up an appointment with a subject matter expert who can go into greater detail on how your company’s solution works, and why it’s better than the competition’s. Then, before the scheduled demonstration, send a white paper that explains your product in detail.
3) Promote Your Brand
Benefits from branding give companies and edge over competitors that don’t brand. Branding helps position your product or service favorably. It also gives you pricing and distribution power. The takeaway is: never miss an opportunity to brand.
Direct marketing affords you many online and off-line media to build brand awareness. Online media:
(1) Banner advertising
(2) Blogs; (3) Email
(4) Website.
Off-line media:
(1) Print advertising – sales letters, postcards, brochures
(2) Press Releases
(3) Public Relations.
4) Nurture the New Customer Relationship
Lead nurturing is just as important as lead acquisition. Most companies want to develop long-term relationships with customers. That’s because they become repeat customers. And, over time, repeat customers generate more sales and profits to your bottom line.
Outbound marketing provides many ways to build and maintain a thriving lead nurturing program. You can employ email, direct mail, social media, mobile, podcasts, seminars, phone calls, and videos.
5) Integrate and Synchronize Online and Off-line Direct Marketing
To optimize your message and direct marketing budget, success lies in finding the right mix of online and off-line methods. One method isn’t necessarily better than another. Instead, the secret sauce to successful direct marketing depends on how you weave these various methods together.
You can integrate and synchronize these methods along the sales cycle beginning with message delivery. Start with a sales letter, follow-up with a phone call or email. Refer your prospect to your website for deeper marketing content, and don’t forget to brand throughout this process.
Achieving the right marketing mix produces a “multiplier effect” that helps you close sales faster and easier. Employing different media in a consistent and coherent manner working towards the same goal optimizes your marketing efforts.
