DIRECT & INTERNET MARKETING

DIRECT & INTERNET MARKETING

DIRECT MARKETING

v   Direct marketing describes this interactive communication with the end user.

v  The most effective direct marketing takes place when there is a clear connection to reach the target market.

v  This may include using a direct sales force, catalogs, websites, email, direct mail, telemarketing, seminars, trade shows, and other "one-to-one" techniques to communicate and sell to their customers and clients.

ADVANTAGES OF DIRECT MARKETING

1. Advantages for buyers:

v  Comfortable

v  Easy and private

v  Product access and selection

v  Interactive and immediate

2. Advantages for sellers:

v  Flexibility

v  Reduce cost

v  Effectiveness

Direct Response Advertising

Direct response advertising is communicating with potential buyers through television, radio, magazines, and newspapers. The prospective consumer watches, hears, or reads about the product or service and initiates a call to a toll-free number to place their order. Television, for example, offers a wide range of exposure, from a 30-second commercial to a 60-minute infomercial.

Direct mail

Direct mail is described as sending information about a special offer, product or sale announcement, service reminder, or other type of communication to a person at a particular street of electronic address. Historically direct mail has existed in the form of printed materials, but CDs, audio tapes, video tapes, fax mail, email and voice mail are also used in direct mail campaigns. For example, America Online experienced a highly successful campaign through mailing out CD-ROMs to prospective customers. Direct mail permits high target-market selectivity; it can be personalized, it is flexible, and it allows early testing and response measurement to take place. A highly selective and accurate mailing lists often determines the success of direct mail efforts to enhance response rates and control costs.

Telemarketing

The process of contacting people on a qualified list to sell services over the phone has grown in popularity to the point that the average household receives 19 telemarketing calls each year. Successful telemarketing campaigns depend on a good calling list, an effective script and contact structure, and well trained people that are compensated and rewarded for making calls that result in sales. The telecommunications industry including AT&T, MCI/WorldCom and Sprint has used telemarketing extensively to attempt to increase their market share.

Internet Marketing

The Internet has revolutionized direct marketing for promoting the sale of products and services to targeted audiences. Access to the Internet provides users with services in four basic areas: information, entertainment, shopping, and individual and group communication.

Online channels can eliminate geographic considerations. With this capability people around the world have the same access as the person across the street. Many businesses that can sell their products and services through downloading or can economically ship those products have discovered an entirely new way to market.

The Internet makes direct marketing easier, more targeted, more flexible, more responsive, more affordable, and potentially more profitable than ever. Virtually every business should seriously consider the Internet as a part of their marketing mix and determine if it is a viable fit for direct marketing.

Direct Response Advertising Mix

Sustainable Communi-cation

Face to Face

TV Commer-cial

Abroad Marketing

Direct Mail

                                                              

Conclusion

Direct marketing applies to product and service oriented businesses, and to nonprofit organizations. In all situations, there is no intermediary involved. Direct marketing describes this interactive communication with the end user.

Some of these direct marketing methods have grown dramatically, especially with the growth of marketing over the Internet. There is evidence that other direct marketing approaches have diminished, such as reports that the response to direct mail is often below one percent compared to the five-plus percent response rate numbers more commonly experienced in the past.

Therefore, direct marketing has positive and negative side. It depends on its product life cycle. For example, the stronger and more well-known product company, it does not need promotions in TV commercial. Nowadays, whether big or small company ought to have website in order to promote its product.