Direct marketing

Given that the current trend is toward a more targeted marketing or one to one, more and more companies are adopting direct marketing Either as a primary focus of marketing or to complement other approaches. Thus, trying to reach customers more efficiently and carefully defined to create stronger relationships, more personal one on one with them

The direct marketing can be viewed from two perspectives: 1) As a form of direct distribution, ie a channel that does not include brokers and 2) As an element of the marketing communications mix that is used to communicate directly with consumers

According to the Dictionary of Marketing, Cultural SA, direct marketing is a "Interactive marketing system that uses one or more direct media to get a response or transaction at a particular time and place

Operation Direct Marketing

According to Kotler and Armstrong, the companies that make direct marketing communicate directly with customers, often on an individual basis (one to one) and interactive

A direct marketing effectively starts with a good database (which is an organized collection of comprehensive data about individual customers or prospects, and includes geographical, demographic, psychographic and behavioral). Once you have a good database can identify small groups of customers to match offers and marketing Services communications to their specific characteristics

One of the main objectives to be achieved with direct marketing. In addition to contribute to building brands and images, is to seek a direct consumer response, immediate and measurable

Media Direct Marketing:

• Marketing phone: It is the main tool direct marketing and is to use the telephone to sell directly to consumers and businesses. [1]. A well known example for the vast majority are 800 number entry without any charge to the caller telephone. In contrast, other companies offer 900 numbers for sale to consumers with information, entertainment or the opportunity to express an opinion, under a pay-per call.
• Direct Mail Marketing: This involves sending an offer, an announcement, a reminder or a person in a specific address (your home, office, fax or e-mail). The advantages of this medium is that it allows to reach a very targeted and customized to the target market, besides being very flexible and allow easy measurement of results. However, for this medium is effective enough, requires a well-made mailing list, so that way, reach those who really should get
• Catalog marketing: Traditionally and according to Catalog Age magazine, is printed and bound piece of at least eight pages that offer multiple products and provides a mechanism to order directly. Today, with the stampede to the Internet, increasingly are becoming electronic catalogs.
• Marketing Direct Response TV: It is a medium that takes one of two ways: 1) television ads in 60 or 120 seconds long (there are also 30 minutes) that persuasively describe a product and provide customers with a toll-free phone with which may be ordered. 2) The television and home shopping channels dedicated to selling products and services
• Kiosk Marketing: It consists of placing information and ordering options, special machines (as opposed to the machines that make delivery of goods). This type of machine, also called kiosks are located in shops, airports and elsewhere. An example of this form of direct marketing are those machines that let customers listen to music before buying
• Online Marketing: It consists of using a website on the Internet as a channel to provide updated information to customers about products and services market (for example, online catalogs) as well as a distribution medium (eg to deliver digital products like e-books, music, software or games through a download page on-line). A website can also include forms for the customer to make one or more orders to be delivered within reasonable time (between one day and one week).

The operation of direct marketing is based on the use of databases containing very detailed information of each customer or prospect in order to match offers and marketing communications to the needs of narrowly defined segments and even individual buyers.