It’s great news that you are considering direct marketing – because it means you already recognise the vital part that marketing plays in growing sales and market share.
In the highly competitive window market, it’s the firms that shout most effectively (not necessarily the loudest!) that will grab the greatest attention and the best chance of attracting new business. So what makes direct marketing such an effective medium?
- Only direct marketing lets you choose exactly who you want to sell to. With other media, you pay for a wider audience and have to accept that a proportion of your scarce marketing budget will be wasted on people outside your target market.
- Only direct marketing enables you to address prospects on a one-to-one basis. Letters, emails and faxes can all be personalised, so you greet each person by name and talk directly about how their company can benefit from your products.
- Direct marketing is the most effective way to test new products, pricing offers and advertising copy.
- Direct marketing gives you the exclusive attention of your prospect, whereas in magazine or directory advertising your message is fighting to be seen above surrounding content.
- The results of direct marketing are quantifiable, making it easier to track conversion rates and helping to plan future campaigns more effectively.
- It is ideal for micro-marketing. If you have products or services that have a particularly limited number of potential users, direct marketing is the only cost-effective way of targeting them.
- Direct marketing can be very fast to initiate. Unlike directories (lead time of up to 12 months) or magazine advertising (lead time 2-4 weeks), it is feasible to set up a special offer in the morning, email it to people at lunch time and be taking enquiries and orders the same afternoon! You can even send out letters one day and be taking orders the next day. It’s a great way to fill unexpected production gaps, move surplus stock or take advantage of market circumstances.
- Email marketing provides the most detailed, direct feedback. Monitor not only how many people ‘open’ your e-shot or click links – but who they are! It’s also possible to set automatic responses based on the activities of your prospects, such as sending them more information on a product they looked at, thus building on their interest and turning interest into action