Consumer Direct Marketing
One of the most effective models of consumer direct marketing has been the ages old farmer's market found in towns across the US and around the world. The smart farmer learned a long time ago that in many cases dealing directly with the public on a Saturday can be much more profitable than selling to a broker. This is especially true for the small business truck farmer. But of course, consumer direct marketing isn't just the truck farmer's bailiwick; it has become the staple for multi level selling, clubs that offer straightline buying from manufacturers and telemarketing. Additionally, many other well known brand name products are being directly marketed to consumer as never before and companies seek ways to reduce costs and increase profits.
Because of the sophistication of lists that have been compiled by promotional firms over the past twenty years, businesses have more opportunity than ever before to use a rifle shot approach directly pinpointing specific consumers rather than the scattered shotgun approach from years ago. This means that advertising money can be narrowly targeting the exact demographic that is sought. This can be for direct mail, telephone, email and other specific forms of communication. Unlike radio, television and newspaper ads that provide the shotgun approach, specific targeting to certain consumers makes more profits for less effort possible. If you have ever used the excuse that you have to get things straightened out before coming to Christ, keep these words from Paul in mind. "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3: 13, 14)
Straightline promoting has been the bread and butter of multi level marketing businesses for many decades. While recruiting has been the real driving force behind multi level selling, there remains the lesser goal of selling product. This has typically occurred during conversations over fences, at parties, in offices and anywhere people gather. The recommendation of products by family and friends or trusted colleagues has been the mainstay of multi level promotions or consumer direct marketing since its inception. The absence of large advertising budgets and a stable full of promotional and sales staff is a very attractive feature of the multi level promotional strategy, giving more profit to the associates who are recruited for the business.
Consumer direct marketing is a call to action placed squarely in the shoulders of the buyer. Call here, click here, buy here, send this in and other calls for the consumer to do something that moves him towards a buy is defined as direct marketing. Mailboxes full of advertisements, spam emails, unwanted telemarketing calls and flyers on your windshield are all forms of consumer direct marketing. And that certainly is the downside to this kind of promotional strategy. This is in your face marketing, and it is easily offensive, easily irritating and also easily dismissed. Telling telemarketers that they had reached Vatican City was always a favorite!
The oldest form of consumer direct marketing is the snail mail using the US Post Office. With the price of paper and printing services continuing to rise, it has become a highly expensive method to reach consumers directly. However, as in other modern methods of advertising, the databases have become quite sophisticated and the ability to finely tune the audience makes direct mail more feasible again. Gender, age, geographic location, education, income, hobbies and occupation can all be dissected and placed into a highly focused promotional effort. Knowing that an eye appealing straightline mailing will be going to all males over the age of fifty with college degrees and incomes over fifty thousand dollars with interests in golfing within a fifteen mile radius of a golf equipment store is a pretty exciting possibility. The direct mail campaign's call to action for this business will ask consumers to call the store and register for a workshop on techniques for the short game.
But direct consumer marketing can now take advantage of cheaper ways to reach consumer directly, and that is through a targeted email campaign. The same kinds of very definitive list available for direct mailings are also available for emails calling for a response from the consumer. The business owner wanting to conduct a consumer direct marketing campaign does face two choices: a bulk mailing option or a targeted option. The targeted list will be much smaller than the bulk list. Bulk lists can be up to fifty million email addresses and the cost for sending them can be under three thousand dollars. But the bulk mailing option faces the same fate as most unsolicited direct mailings. The waste can, the trash receptacle, the delete button or the spam blocker will be the destination even before they are read. But now the initiator of a consumer promotion email campaign has some hope.
The business has the chance of choosing a relatively small email list that has been vetted and has had an "opt-in" choice given to the recipient. What this means is that all the names on a targeted list will be those who have said they are willing to receive emails form a particular source. They have opted in or agreed to the email. This thoroughly changes the consumer direct marketing campaign based on a vetted email list. And when a company using this form of direct emailing and also provides another opportunity in that email to delete it or opt out, they are developing integrity for future promotional successes.
Because of the sophistication of lists that have been compiled by promotional firms over the past twenty years, businesses have more opportunity than ever before to use a rifle shot approach directly pinpointing specific consumers rather than the scattered shotgun approach from years ago. This means that advertising money can be narrowly targeting the exact demographic that is sought. This can be for direct mail, telephone, email and other specific forms of communication. Unlike radio, television and newspaper ads that provide the shotgun approach, specific targeting to certain consumers makes more profits for less effort possible. If you have ever used the excuse that you have to get things straightened out before coming to Christ, keep these words from Paul in mind. "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3: 13, 14)
Straightline promoting has been the bread and butter of multi level marketing businesses for many decades. While recruiting has been the real driving force behind multi level selling, there remains the lesser goal of selling product. This has typically occurred during conversations over fences, at parties, in offices and anywhere people gather. The recommendation of products by family and friends or trusted colleagues has been the mainstay of multi level promotions or consumer direct marketing since its inception. The absence of large advertising budgets and a stable full of promotional and sales staff is a very attractive feature of the multi level promotional strategy, giving more profit to the associates who are recruited for the business.
Consumer direct marketing is a call to action placed squarely in the shoulders of the buyer. Call here, click here, buy here, send this in and other calls for the consumer to do something that moves him towards a buy is defined as direct marketing. Mailboxes full of advertisements, spam emails, unwanted telemarketing calls and flyers on your windshield are all forms of consumer direct marketing. And that certainly is the downside to this kind of promotional strategy. This is in your face marketing, and it is easily offensive, easily irritating and also easily dismissed. Telling telemarketers that they had reached Vatican City was always a favorite!
The oldest form of consumer direct marketing is the snail mail using the US Post Office. With the price of paper and printing services continuing to rise, it has become a highly expensive method to reach consumers directly. However, as in other modern methods of advertising, the databases have become quite sophisticated and the ability to finely tune the audience makes direct mail more feasible again. Gender, age, geographic location, education, income, hobbies and occupation can all be dissected and placed into a highly focused promotional effort. Knowing that an eye appealing straightline mailing will be going to all males over the age of fifty with college degrees and incomes over fifty thousand dollars with interests in golfing within a fifteen mile radius of a golf equipment store is a pretty exciting possibility. The direct mail campaign's call to action for this business will ask consumers to call the store and register for a workshop on techniques for the short game.
But direct consumer marketing can now take advantage of cheaper ways to reach consumer directly, and that is through a targeted email campaign. The same kinds of very definitive list available for direct mailings are also available for emails calling for a response from the consumer. The business owner wanting to conduct a consumer direct marketing campaign does face two choices: a bulk mailing option or a targeted option. The targeted list will be much smaller than the bulk list. Bulk lists can be up to fifty million email addresses and the cost for sending them can be under three thousand dollars. But the bulk mailing option faces the same fate as most unsolicited direct mailings. The waste can, the trash receptacle, the delete button or the spam blocker will be the destination even before they are read. But now the initiator of a consumer promotion email campaign has some hope.
The business has the chance of choosing a relatively small email list that has been vetted and has had an "opt-in" choice given to the recipient. What this means is that all the names on a targeted list will be those who have said they are willing to receive emails form a particular source. They have opted in or agreed to the email. This thoroughly changes the consumer direct marketing campaign based on a vetted email list. And when a company using this form of direct emailing and also provides another opportunity in that email to delete it or opt out, they are developing integrity for future promotional successes.
Consumer Direct Marketing
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Reviewed by Anonymous
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12:20 PM
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