Direct marketing is an interactive system of marketing or advertising. The main goal of direct marketing is to generate a response from the consumers targeted, according to TechTarget's "What is Direct Marketing?" overview. Companies use various media to elicit an order, create a visit (to store or website), or acquire information from consumers in the target market segment.
Direct Mail
Direct mail is the most common medium used to perform direct marketing. This is so true that many people mistakenly presume direct marketing occurs solely through traditional mail. People typically receive one or more pieces of direct mail (sales letters, surveys, applications, etc.) in their mailbox everyday. In his November 2010 Direct Marketing News article "Direct mail gains new potency as online marketing evolves," Mercury121 Chief Strategy Officer Andy Cutler points out that despite the online marketing revolution of the early 21st century, marketers still realize that direct mail is a viable and valuable tool needed for direct marketing campaigns.
Telemarketing
Telemarketing incorporates the benefit of person-to-person verbal interaction that is not present in direct mail or other common direct marketing media. While consumers often cringe at the thought of telemarketing phone calls, Business Link notes that telemarketing business advantages include the ability to gauge customer interest immediately, ask need identification questions common to personal selling and communicate challenging messages more effectively. Telemarketing is used for various purposes, including lead generation, new customer acquisition, add-on sales, service follow up, research and information gathering, and other interactive business pursuits. Government regulations on telemarketer operations, including limitations on hours and do-not-call registries, restrict opportunities for direct marketing through telemarketing.
One word describes growth in email marketing during the first decade of the 21st century -- "cheap." Business Link notes that you can send thousands of prospects and customers an email message for next to nothing. When marketers and companies compare this mass marketing tool with more expensive traditional media like television, their interest is easy to explain. You can send very attention-getting email marketing pitches and email newsletters thanks to advanced software resources, according to Business Link. Companies build or buy email mailing lists of targeted prospects. Similar to telemarketing, email poses disadvantages related to negative sentiments from consumers. Spam is a 21st century Internet word that describes unsolicited email communication from marketers. Despite government efforts to regulate spam, preventing it and enforcing penalties are a challenge.
