Click here to get this post in PDF
Evidence has it that highly targeted marketing is still effective. What happens when you are interrupted by a positive message? The interruption has two contradicting effects; if you are interested in the idea or product, you will be impacted positively. Conversely, if not interested, you will be negatively impacted. How annoying is it to receive a phone call during dinner just to be informed about a product in which you are not even interested? Establish online platform to start marketing your products. The good thing is that you can buy social media services for marketing campaign; buy Facebook likes and other related sellers to start. Even so, there is more than what’s meets the eye; there are positive feelings that the phone call can create.
Advantages of Direct Marketing
1. Direct marketing provides you with several options
There are several ways of direct marketing; contacting people by telephone, through direct adverts, or even by online means. You can as well write emails to the target and discuss your value propositions. Having options is a gate to opportunities. Think about this, you are just relaxing in your house in the evening when a stranger walks in with amazing products. Because you are just one person, the seller will give you all the attention you need. Moreover, she will ask for any concerns or even products you think she can bring you the next time. With this, you connect on another level.
2. Direct marketing offers the required specific information
“Am Felix and am from Palto firm. Wedding planners hire us to help them have succinctly planned weddings and delightful experiences.” This will allow you to dig deep and ask the sellers why and how the firm does this. This normally isn’t the case in other forms of marketing.
Other forms of marketing use elevator pitches. Not bad. My only issue is just how much can someone learn from elevator pitches. “I am Felix, and we plan weddings”, they would say. Just what can you learn from this statement? Moreover, you are far from your target, and no attention is given to them. Lace your marketing with personal interactions with the customers and reap more.
3. It allows the opportunity for asking questions
To feel comfortable with a product, up to 90% of a consumer’s research is individual. Think of the last time you purchased furniture. You looked online, compared the competition, and thoroughly examined the firm’s reputation. Moreover, you asked for some information from the firm regarding the product. How adverse will it be if you fail to avail the so much needed information by the customers? The level of trust may reduce. This is usually the situation in marketing. Failing to be present when the customers need you may be detrimental as they fail to get the information they need.
4. Direct marketing is still affordable
Trying to drum up some local business? Have you considered direct marketing? When starting a business, you need early adopters who can help sluggards gravitate towards your product. Early adopters are loyal customers who are the first to embrace your products. So how can you have some? Pick up a phone and call! How simple? Even better, it doesn’t cost so much to print some brochures and take them to your neighborhood, right? Here are great opportunities for small businesses to establish themselves in highly competitive industries.
Disadvantages of direct marketing
1. Targets many people who aren’t interested
Have you received junk emails about products that you’ve never seen and you don’t even want to see? Now many companies are always caught in the rut of sending direct marketing messages to anyone. Some people have no interest and end up being offended. Just pause for a moment and think about how costly this is.
You hire people to print the brochures even after buying them. You send them out to take the brochures to different areas. Keep in mind that the company bears all the costs incurred by those sent to the field. After doing all these, what do you get in return? Hatred and negative comments about your products. This is very painful, let alone being costly. Before going for direct marketing, do market research and have data to back up your plans.
2. Direct marketing has low response rates
What are the usual response rates of direct marketing? The figures usually hover around 1 or 3%. Just imagine, for all the research you do and come up with data, for all those you hire and send to the field, you only get an outcome of 3% conversion rates. Interestingly, some online marketing platforms tend to have the same conversion rates. This is the caveat though. People tend to see 3 % as positive in online marketing but as a negative response in direct marketing. It’s difficult to take low response. It’s like rejection. Save yourself time and money by only using direct marketing when backed by data.
Giving direct marketing the required platforms lands you other opportunities. There may be disadvantages to overcome, even more than the requisite marketing efforts. Therefore do the required research and bag the benefits of direct marketing.
You may also like: 4 Marketing Trends That Will Be Big in 2022
Image source: Pexels.com