Direct Marketing – Bridging the Gap between Consumers and Businesses

It is generally said that the customer is the “king”. Each and every business is dependent on customers. Various products are manufactured by business houses keeping in mind the tastes and preferences of their prospective consumers. The businesses are required to market their products to make the customers aware of their arrival and availability in markets. Marketing a product is not an easy job. A lot of research needs to be conducted before starting a particular marketing campaign.

Manufacturers need to select a target group or a section of society to which they want to cater their products. This is known as market segmentation. Basically the main motive of marketing a product is to make people aware about its distinct features, price and usage. Marketing is therefore a process of promoting or advertising a product. The main purpose of marketing a product is to increase its sales and generate revenues. Direct marketing is one such way to bridge the gap between the producers and potential consumers. The various forms included in this kind of marketing are telemarketing, dropping leaflets, email marketing and direct mail marketing. Some businesses may also advertise their products through various magazines.

Direct marketing is one of the most cost-effective forms of marketing which helps in generating consumer response with the help of limited resources. This form of marketing uses various advertising tools that are highly instrumental in establishing customer loyalty and creating new customers as well. Some of the tools that can be used effectively are as follows:

➢ One of the most economical ways of promoting a product is through distribution of leaflets and handouts. This is the most convenient way of providing product information to the potential customers. Leaflets can be distributed in large numbers to local areas or areas nearby. This method of direct marketing is quite useful for businesses that want to generate leads in huge numbers for their products having universal appeal. However, this method of marketing fails to have a personalized effect and it may not generate desired results. The information about the products must be presented on the leaflets in such a way as to instantly catch the person’s attention. In order to ensure that more and more people read such leaflets or handouts, one could attract prospective buyers by offering attractive special promotions like discounts etc in order to generate more and more customers for the products.

➢ Telemarketing is one of the most effective ways of direct marketing. This form of marketing involves contacting prospective customers personally on telephone and explains them about the products’ features and usage. Through this method needs of various customers can be assessed which later can be used by businesses to make products as per the needs and requirements of the customers.

➢ Another very effective way of conveying product information is through direct mail. This method is one of the most frequently used methods in direct marketing. It makes sure that the information is reached directly in the hands of the people. These mails must be accompanied by certain enclosures like brochures that help in a better understanding of the products.

Direct marketing is one of the cheapest forms of promoting a product to a large number of people. It is economical and highly effective at the same time. However, one needs to make sure that the marketing procedure has been properly planned and well-organized to ensure desired results.