Marketing is the satisfaction of the product or service of certain population groups for which the company was created.
In the era of information technology and competitive business warriors, marketing is an integral part of business management, because the right strategy can always take a company to a new level or prevent its ruin.
Direct marketing is a type of marketing communications that is aimed at a dialogue with an individual consumer and is designed for an instant response from him. Direct marketing can be carried out by: individual sales, mail-letters, phone calls or mailing lists, in general, anything that can entice the consumer to buy or act.
Direct marketing can be divided into:
Single-step - the consumer responds to the advertising message by purchasing the product.
Two-step - before buying, the consumer must take some action, for example, present a coupon or receipt.
Negative choice - consumer willreceive messages until a written denial is sent.
Direct marketing is becoming increasingly popular in Russia, because it allows you to convey information to the consumer at minimal cost. Also, one of the main advantages is the individuality of the message. A company that owns a database with information about consumers has the ability to address and write letters as if personally for the addressee, which increases the effectiveness of communication by almost 100%.
Every day you go to your email, you see letters in the spam folder or booklets in the mailbox - this is direct marketing. Many messages do not reach the addressee or, having reached, they are immediately sent to the trash. In order for a person to assess whether the information is interesting to him, he needs only 2 seconds. After the first 2-second evaluation, he starts reading or throws it in the trash. Entire teams work to create presentations of products and services so that the consumer at least reads the message, and it is an art to write a letter so that the consumer responds.
Direct marketing does not only consist in sending offers to various mailboxes, it is also a personal communication between a sales manager and a client. This type is one of the most popular types of direct marketing in the world.
Let's look at direct marketing technology using COLIN'S store strategy as an example. In 2006 COLIN'S introduced a discount card system. Cards were issued on the condition of purchase and filling out a questionnaire. According to the results of the received questionnairesdata, an analysis of buyers was carried out and the target audience was identified. COLIN'S stores are a federal chain, so each region and store has different target audiences. Direct marketing (COLIN'S examples show that the choice of strategy must be approached comprehensively) was effective in this case.
By knowing its customers, the company has developed an effective direct marketing strategy - SMS, telemarketing, e-mail marketing, which allowed the company to always stay "in touch" with its customers.
From this example, we can see that any type of marketing, including direct marketing, is a complex multi-level process that includes market research, identifying a clear target audience and defining a strategy.
