Direct Marketing is a strategy. Not a tactic.” Lester Wunderman,1996
That’s settled: Direct mail is a tactic.
The efficiencies of the direct marketing strategy led to a long success rate for many business marketing and advertising firms and, importantly, how to make them work for a specific for any size business today.
In businesses today, B2B, healthcare practitioners, start-up companies, and retailers, advertising to the masses is possible but not likely effective. In fact, even in a small business, advertising was and still is harder for a small business to function properly and to sustain growth, and even worse in the pandemic.
There is a lot of noise created by the thousands of mid-to-large companies trying to get the attention of any person and convince them to buy their products. There is no room for a small business to even think of trying the big business market.
More about noise. In a business, you need to use strategic marketing
Did you ever travel with your favorite sports team to be the visitor? I bet the noise was deafening whenever the home team had the ball, was at bat or handling a puck.
That is a metaphor for the present state of business advertising today. For your message to get through the clutter, you must shout louder (become strategic) than the home team. Another disadvantage, you already know, is a smaller business can never match the advertising dollars of the much larger companies.
Build a stronger marketing strategy
Let us look at some basics of direct marketing strategies and plan to use a combination of communication channels, which are your tactics. Hint. Shouting louder is a waste of time but reaching out on other channels that customers use or prefer increases interaction. Testing a small sample size of prospects and customers that may share information about purchasing your products to see if you are on the right path is a wise thing to do. Plus, you can determine if competition is snooping around your customers.
According to a recent article in social media, some mid to large corporations are looking to use more effective direct marketing strategies in their advertising and sales. Yet, a small business should enhance their discovery methods and should upgrade direct marketing strategies in all their advertising and sales to increase customer information.
Today, any business is ideal for using direct marketing strategies.
Specifically, direct marketing has a variety of tactics to reach customers. A marketing message can gather the reader’s attention with captivating copy, an impactful design, and crafting an offer that is hard for anyone to refuse.
Everything marketing starts and ends with your customers.
If you believe that this is the “age of the customer,” then it is the perfect time for you to behave like a customer you would love to have as a customer. Ask your customers daily. Knowing what type of marketing works well today is not a guarantee for tomorrow. However, when you stay true to your commitment to gaining a better understanding of your customer’s needs and wants, you will always know when a change is in the wind and figure out how to react to it.
