Tweet

Tips when developing your Direct Marketing Mix

Guest post by: David Anthony Watson

Article Overview: If you are a beginner to direct marketing or just setting up your own business, it is important to develop a plan to achieve your business objectives. Direct marketing is a type of marketing that communicates directly with the prospect or customer. It will have a clear call to action and is often measurable. It is generally used to acquire or retain profitable customers. In this article I will cover some key offline direct marketing channels and how you can use them effectively within your business.

Tips when developing your Direct Marketing Mix

Direct Mail Every household in the modern world no doubt receives several mail shots per year. This is often referred to as junk mail generally because many people don't like receiving it through their letterbox. Because of this negative connotation it is critical that any Direct Mail that you send is highly targeted and personalized. The more personalized and relevant your mailing is, the higher your response rates will be. If you have a large customer base, it is beneficial to segment them based on the data you hold about them. This way you can try and personalize your message to that particular group.

Within your letter you need to have a clear call to action so customers know how to buy your product or service. If you are a complete beginner it would be beneficial to employ a creative agency to support you, however this could be costly.

The biggest advantage of Direct Mail is that it is completely measurable so you can track how it is performing incrementally. You would need to set up a no contact control cell within your mailed population in order to understand who would have bought your product anyway. In terms of cost, Direct Mail is generally more expensive than online channels due to the postage costs so it is probably an option for a more established business with a larger marketing budget.

Door drops

Door drops are less targeted mail shots or flyers delivered through your letterbox. They are not addressed to the householder personally. You will have seen local takeaway and taxi cab firms use door drops and they can be effective as a localized marketing strategy for acquiring new customers. If you can offer a discount this will increase your response but don't expect to see great results.

Telemarketing

This is another form of direct marketing that can be intrusive so proceed with caution. There are outbound and inbound options depending if you call the customer or they are calling you. You must ensure that you have permission to contact them by phone otherwise you could be breaching data protection laws. It is beneficial to position the call as a courtesy call prior to offering any product or service. This will put customers at ease and make them more receptive to talking to you. This can be an expensive channel as you have the network charges to cover as well as staff if you don't have time to make the calls yourself.

Email marketing

Email marketing follows the same principles as direct mail in that you are mailing to your prospects or customer base. Again this is a measurable channel and is cost effective as you don't have the postage costs to consider. The barrier to email marketing can be the filters that classify emails as spam. This could mean that your prospects don't actually receive your email. This channel is a great way for you to connect with your customers or prospects and offer them real value.

Direct Sales

Direct sales is not specifically direct marketing as it generally involves sales agents selling your product or service but it is another option for your marketing mix. You could employ a direct sales agency to sell your product on your behalf for a fee. This channel can be cost effective if you have the right staff and a relevant offer for the customer.

These are a handful of direct marketing channels to consider when you are planning your marketing activity. Each one has their own merit depending on your objectives for your business and your budget. Always bear in mind that it is important to have more than one marketing channel in your portfolio in case you start to see a reduction in your response rates. This can often happen when you are in a saturated marketplace.

Related Articles
  “Strategic Marketing Tips From Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach”
  7 Direct Sales & Home Party Marketing Tips
  Three Business Etiquette Tips You Absolutely Must Know In Network Marketing
  Why email marketing is the right answer for your business
  “Ten Strategic Tips For An Effective Internet Marketing Strategy From Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach”
  How To Run Effective One to Ones
  O is for Outsourcing
  When you're thinking about using a marketing company
  Helpful Sites for Helping Online Business Owners
  Online Home Business Marketing Tips: Are You Focusing on Targeted Traffic?
  Internet Marketing Tips To Increase Traffic To Any Business
  Preparing for an email marketing campaign
  7 Direct Sales Tips
  Turning a Trip to the Market Into a Marketing Opportunity
  The Overall Value of Direct Marketing
  Bookkeeping Tips on Tips
  How Does pURL Marketing Work?
  HUMAN CAPITAL FORMATION BY MNES AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFERS
  5 Ways To Find Affiliate Programs To Match Your Home Business
  Domestic farm support programs in developed countries: Provisions of Agreement on Agriculture

Article Tags: direct marketing mix, ideal marketing mix, marketing mix, setting up your own business
Referred by: http://jaykubassek.com/



Related Forum Posts
Business Tips - How about: Tips for managers to handle employees more effectively? Tips on how to deal with difficult customers? Tips on how to deal more effectively with suppliers? The only three I have in mind right now, but will try to come up with something else. Chris
Re: Newbi here - thanks for your responses guys.. I really appreciate it. Well, I have learned from realhomebasedsuccess dot com that there are home based business opportunities and ideas that could be our option such as: -Selling Goods or Providing Services Online -Making Money through Direct Marketing -Becoming an Affiliate Marketer -Getting Paid on a Click Thru but I was thinking which is the best one and most effective in terms of generating consistent Ongoing Profits. What do you think? do you have any insights?
Hi everyone! - Hi everyone! I'm a freelance Flash Developer and Website Designer. I'm working on developing an internet venture. Someday, I hope to start developing more mobile applications. I have one completed already and is on the marketplace.
niche forum categories - I think Kevin just touched on the point that I was going make... and that is developing 'categories' that stick. Sales and Marketing may be too broad for example. However I can almost guarantee you that you would see many more sign-ups if you tailored a category to 'internet marketing' for newbies. I've seen this work on other forums, however, [i:1i903wkn]it can get a little frantic[/i:1i903wkn]... Fine tuning the categories, or expanding the scope should be effective. I think a lot of IM folks are surfing right on by because they're not finding what they're looking for here... Just a few thoughts: Better Blogging Developing Info Products Internet Marketing Presentation Skills More How to's Another point is... a lot of people don't know that they can benefit from participating in forums. The signature links to their site - if they have one - can / should be motivation enough to get more involved. The more internet savvy members that have signatures seem to stick around more... Don't you think?
Re: What is your Business? - We are running a Online Marketing Firm and we have some good clients to which we are offering a complete Digital Marketing strategy like Search, Mobile Marketing, Branding and Design. I think in Online Marketing company online presence can be a wining factor for the success of the company.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

BUILDING A HIGH PERFORMING TEAM

Why SEO is important for your online success

The Strong Leadership Formula

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.