What is: Direct Marketing

Definition of Direct Marketing

Direct Marketing is marketing with a specific target audience in mind. Essentially what this means is that every effort of the marketing campaign is to grab as much of that target audience as possible, rather than reaching as wide of an audience as possible.

This is an effective form of offering a product or service to an audience that is more likely to be interested in your goods, and without the burden of using a third-party advertiser to organise a campaign.

The appeal of the direct marketing approach is prevalent. In 2010, the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) reported that over half of all marketing expenditures went towards direct advertising.

Direct marketing takes many forms, while many more general advertising campaigns focus on using billboards and television adverts, the direct approach is uniformed to find its way straight to a potential customer. This is done via, email, post, telephone calls, face-to-face selling, catalogues, text messaging and promotional coupons.

It’s generally accepted that the most responsive responders to direct marketing campaigns are those who have voluntarily opted into a business mailing list. This bodes well for the popularised Call-to-Action approach to enabling targeted audiences to be marketed to. Through a Call-to-Action, visitors are offered an incentive to subscribe to a mailing list of offers and catalogued services. Given that the users are willing to sign up for a freebie, it can be observed that they would be more likely interested in the business’ product or service as a result.

Establishing target markets is made effective by Search Engine Optimisation through content too. If your website’s articles can be found by relevant engine searches, then your customers can come to you – and through an effective Call-to-Action, can bring your business plenty of email opt-ins.

Tip: Be sure to establish your target audience by inviting them to opt into a mailing list. It’s a non-intrusive way of gaining email addresses for direct marketing. Consider offering an incentive like free digital goods or a small eBook sample of your services if they sign up. Developing an audience that is more likely to be interested in your product paves the way for a higher rate of emails read, and thus, exposure for your products.

Further Reading:

1. What is: Call-to-action (CTA)

2. How To Build & Grow an Email List in WordPress With Bloom

3. Affiliate Marketing in 2017: Trends and Tips for Brands & Affiliates