At present, advertising media are growing like flowers fed by rain, or rather advertisers' money. And, of course, as the business grows, so does the advertising budget. Advertising itself is paid for by the company selling the product (service). And when a potential buyer purchases an advertised product (service), he also pays for advertising, the cost of which was included in the price. It turns out a strange conflict: the person himself pays to be pursued by advertising. On a global scale, this leads to the development of immunity in people to such videos. They watch them on TV, but they don't see them. They listen on the radio, but they don't hear. We can say that the advertising market has overheated. Already few people count the return. Most advertisers have long come to terms with the fact that with a circulation of 1 million copies, no more than 200 calls go through, and about 10 people actually buy the product. The remaining 999,990 customers are simply lost, although money was paid for them. That is why now more than half of advertising money has flowed into the field of direct marketing, or direct marketing.marketing. What is it?
Definition
Direct marketing is a personal and selective appeal to the consumer through a letter (regular or electronic) or telephone communication. It is considered by some to be an effective strategy for finding new clients. And existing direct marketing will inform you about new discounts, presentations, the appearance of a new product, etc. It also helps build the company's image in society and maintain relationships with customers: their needs are clarified, as well as their attitude towards the company and its products. The analysis of this data will best adjust the trade offer and increase the competitiveness of the enterprise.
Types of direct marketing
It is quite clear that all possible means of communication (television, radio, magazines, etc.) are used for advertising purposes. But direct marketing technologies are most effective through telephone and mail. Let's take a closer look at them.
Telemarketing
In this case, the telephone is used to inform potential customers. It is clear that this method costs money, but it makes it possible to focus on those to whom the advertising message needs to be sent.
Mail direct marketing is the compilation, production and distribution of advertising messages to specific people of interest as potential consumers. In terms of one presentation of a service (product), it turns out to be quite expensive. On the other hand,the high selectivity of the treatment makes this method a very effective tool.
Benefits
1. Targeted customer selection. Perhaps this is the most important advantage of direct marketing. No other promotional tool delivers results like this.
2. The ability to "catch" customers at their location. When customers are at home, they can be "reached" through television. On the way from home to work and back, advertising signs and radio will help. At work itself, you can be influenced by business magazines. Tele- and mail direct marketing is an opportunity to influence the audience regardless of its location.
3. Fast response. Telemarketing allows you to test the effectiveness of an offer within a few hours. Advertising on radio and television makes it possible to evaluate only after a few days.
4. Psychological selectivity. Telephone direct marketing, examples of which are regularly encountered in business, allows you to reach certain psychographic groups. In simpler words, for people with a certain way and style of life. Magazines and newspapers are also published for specific groups of the population, but they do not provide high selectivity.
5. Various response options. The more opportunities for customers to respond, the faster and more willingly they will place an order. When using telemarketing, they can order a product over the phone. For email, send a request. Broadcast media do not provide such an opportunity. ATIn most cases, only one method of treatment is offered. The problem with all broadcast media is that the viewer can't go back if they haven't recorded the phone number. In such cases, the response is zero. And when advertising on the radio, when a potential client is driving a car, it is simply impossible to write down the number, because this can provoke an accident.
6. geographic selectivity. In most cases, some specific regions are chosen for direct marketing. And this is where mailing and telemarketing is 100% effective. After all, you see, it is stupid to advertise in a magazine that is distributed throughout the country if 90% of your audience is located in only one city.
Conclusion
Many people associate direct marketing exclusively with call centers and flyer distribution. But this is just a stereotype. In fact, direct marketing is a way of building a long-term relationship with a client, and not at all a tactic of promoting certain companies and promotions. In fact, all means of advertising influence using direct contact with the consumer fall under this concept.
