Direct marketing consists of direct communications with carefully targeted individual consumers to obtain an immediate response. Interactivity is essential to this process.
Major forms of direct marketing are summarized below:
i. Face-to-Face Selling
ii. Telemarketing
iii. Direct-Mail Marketing
iv. Catalog Marketing
v. Online Marketing and Electronic Commerce
i. Face-to-Face Selling
The original and oldest form of direct marketing
is the sales. Today, many companies’ still use salespersons or representatives
to reach their prospects, develop them into customers, build lasting
relationships, and grow the business.
ii. Telemarketing
In telemarketing telephone is used to sell
directly to consumers. Two general types of telemarketing include:1). Outbound
telephone marketing to sell directly to consumers.2). Inbound toll-free 800
numbers to receive orders from television and radio ads, direct mail, or
catalogs. 900 numbers are used to sell consumers’ information, entertainment,
or the opportunity to voice an opinion on a pay-per-call basis. Many customers
appreciate the offers they receive by telephone, however, because of the recent
explosion in unsolicited telephone marketing, lawmakers are responding with
efforts to control unsolicited telemarketing during certain hours of the day.
Most telemarketers support some form of legislation.
iii. Direct-Mail Marketing
Direct mail marketing involves sending an offer,
announcement, reminder, or other item to person at a particular address. Direct
mail is well suited to direct, one-to-one communication.
Advantages include:
1). High target-market selection
2). Personalized.
3). Flexible.
4). Allows easy measurement of results.
Even though the cost per thousand can be high, the people
who reached through direct marketing are better prospects than those who
reached with other media.
New forms of direct mail include:
1). Fax mail.
2). E-mail.
3). Voice mail.
iv. Catalog Marketing
Catalog marketing involves selling through
catalogs mailed to a selected list of customers or made available in stores.
A catalog is a printed, bound piece of at least
eight pages, selling multiple products, and offering a direct ordering
mechanism. Some stores offer a complete line of goods through their catalogs.
Most direct retailers have put their catalogs on the World Wide Web. Web
catalogs are passive and must be marketed themselves.
v. Online Marketing and Electronic
Commerce
Online marketing is conducted through interactive
online computer systems, which link consumers with sellers electronically.
There are two types of online channels:
1). Commercial online services offer information
and marketing services to subscribers who pay a monthly fee. The best known is
America Online.
2). The commercial online services are now being
overtaken by the Internet as the primary online marketing channel. The Internet
is a vast and burgeoning global web of computer networks. The World Wide Web is
a popular meeting place for consumer and business commerce.