Marketing is the satisfaction with the goods or services of certain groups of the population for which the company was created.
In the era of information technology and competitive business warrior, marketing is an integral part in managing a business, because the right strategy can always bring a company to a new level or prevent its ruin.
Direct marketing is a type of marketing communications that is aimed at dialogue with an individual consumer and is designed for instant response from him. Direct marketing can be carried out: by individual sales, mail-letters, phone calls or mailing lists, in general, all that can prompt the consumer to purchase or action.
Direct marketing can be divided into:
Single-stage - the consumer responds to the advertising message with the purchase of goods.
Two-stage - before the purchase, the consumer must take some action, for example, present a coupon or a check.
Negative choice - the consumer will receive messages until the moment the refusal is sent in writing.
Direct marketing is becoming increasingly popular in Russia, because it allows you to convey information to the consumer with minimal cost. Also, one of the main advantages is the individuality of the message. A company that owns a database of consumer information has the ability to contact and write letters as if personally for the addressee, which increases the efficiency of communication by almost 100%.
Every day, going to e-mail, you see letters in the spam folder or booklets in the mailbox - this is direct marketing. Many messages do not reach the addressee or, upon reaching, are immediately sent to the trash. For a person to evaluate whether the information is interesting to him, he needs only 2 seconds. After the first 2-second assessment, he starts reading or throws it into the basket. Entire teams work to create presentations of products and services so that the consumer at least reads the message, and the whole art is to write a letter so that the consumer responds.
Direct marketing not only consists in sending offers on various kinds of mailboxes, it is also personal communication of the sales manager with the client. This type is one of the most popular types of direct marketing in the world.
Let's look at direct marketing technology using COLIN'S store strategy as an example. In 2006, COLIN'S introduced a discount card system. Cards were issued subject to the purchase and completion of the questionnaire. Based on the results of the received personal data, a customer analysis was conducted and the target audience was identified . COLIN'S stores are a federal network, so each region and store has different CAs. Direct marketing (the examples of COLIN'S show that the choice of strategy should be approached comprehensively) in this case was effective.
Thanks to the knowledge of its customers, the company has developed an effective direct marketing strategy - SMS distribution, telemarketing, e-mail marketing, which allowed the company to always stay in touch with its customers.
From this example we can see that any type of marketing, including direct marketing, is a complex multi-level process, which includes market research, highlighting a clear target audience and determining a strategy.