Offers are designed to motivate the reader to take action: place an order, request more information, etc. Making an offer is one element that distinguishes direct marketing from general advertising and other types of marketing. There are three key elements of successful direct mail: making an offer, selecting the target audience among customer lists and databases, and creating the direct mail package. In addition to making sales, business-to-business direct mail can be used to generate sales leads and reinforce the personal selling effort. Imaginative packages are often used to get through to hard-to-reach executives whose mail is screened by their secretaries. Since business orders are usually of larger value than consumer purchases, it often takes more than one mailing to make a sale. More recently, direct mail has been used to offer consumers a range of financial services, coupons for discounts on packaged goods, and requests for donations to a variety of nonprofit organizations.ĭirect mail is also an effective medium in business-to-business marketing. Some of the earliest examples of direct mail were seed catalogs sent to American colonists before the Revolutionary War. The primary application of direct mail is to reach consumers with offers of traditional goods and services. While most advertisers use third class mail, a significant number of mailings are sent first class, making it difficult to arrive at accurate statistics about the volume of advertising mail being sent. USES OF DIRECT MAILĭirect mail is the most heavily used direct marketing medium, and its popularity continues to grow despite postage increases. Another advantage of direct mail is that it is testable, so that entrepreneurs can try out different sales messages on various audiences in order to find the most profitable market for a new product or service. Owners of start-up businesses may find direct mail an effective method of creating awareness and interest in a new product, while owners of existing companies may find it useful in generating new business outside of their usual customers or geographic area. For example, a small business could use direct mail to inform potential customers about its offerings, then follow up with a phone call or a visit from a salesperson. Direct mail can provide the basis for a business, or it can be used to supplement a company's traditional sales efforts. Direct mail is simply one advertising medium that direct marketers employ, although it is among the most frequently used.ĭirect mail is a particularly attractive option for small business owners, as it can communicate complete information about a product or service and reach almost any conceivable target group, all for a relatively low cost. It may also use direct mail to send out advertising messages or catalogs. A mail order business delivers its products through the mail. Mail order is a particular way of doing business, like retail or personal selling. In direct mail, advertising and other types of messages are delivered through the mail. Print media messages are delivered through the printed word, usually in newspapers or magazines, while broadcast media messages are delivered through the airwaves, on television or radio. The best way to distinguish these similar, yet different, terms is to remember that direct mail is simply an advertising medium, like print or broadcast media. The terms "direct mail" and "mail order" are often used interchangeably. Direct mail is a type of advertising medium in which messages are sent to target customers through the mail.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |