No matter how techno business becomes these days, the direct marketing tactics used since the emergence of trade are still as viable. Luckily, these tactics have only been automated, made easy and less costly by the emergence of the information age. This eventuality might be the single reason why direct marketing agencies are still very relevant to modern business practices.
Direct marketing agencies help businesses to directly market their products or services to their customer. The direct marketing agency thus eases the process a business takes in marketing its products and services by directly linking that company with its target market. That seemingly simplistic role has a lot of activities involved. The role begins with conducting research and analyzing findings in a bid to identify the particular customer base to target. You can never create customers from everyone and that is why the agencies must first identify their objective market niche.
The marketing agencies then starts on planning for the exercises that would turn the target market into actual clients for the business. If any are converted, the direct marketing agencies must then work on the ways of retaining these clients while still extending the market reach. The core principal role ate play here is that the marketing agencies must facilitate an increased turnover rate during the tenor of their contracts. That is why they will endeavor to their target market in the know when new products or services are launched.
Some popular strategies in use today by most direct marketing agencies include the following broad and very common advertising techniques:
Direct mail Sending out unsolicited advertising mails to a mass list.
Telemarketing Calling a huge phone list and giving them and advertorial message on a particular company. Its products and services etc.
Database marketing Keeping an updated database of the target consumers a company targets, profiling their trends, tastes, characteristics etc.
List broking such as buying mailing lists, databases etc to be used by a company in marketing.
Unaddressed mail Sending unsolicited advertising mails without personal addresses to a mass of people.
BTL-event support.
Client/customer loyalty programs.
Electronic mail Sending out unsolicited advertising emails to a mass list etc.
Promotion drives to regions within the target market.
Point of sale advertising where sales persons talk directly to the clients.
Direct marketing agencies have an extremely important role in modern business setups. They can work alone or in complementation of in-house marketing/advertising department. Their role is wider than just advertising since it involves creation, management and increment of a companys clientele base on a long-term basis. That is why their place cannot be replaced in the modern corporate market.