Why Direct Marketing is better than Traditional Marketing

A few years back, traditional marketing techniques were aimed at creating brand awareness about the product/ service. Fast forward to the present and several factors have led to the concept of direct marketing. The customer now has a distinct identity and is very clear about his product needs. With the availability of sophisticated analytical tools and software, it is now easy to analyze data related to the marketing techniques and customer behavioural patterns. Hence it becomes absolutely quintessential for the marketer to reach out to his customers and cater to their demands. Welcome to the era of direct marketing!

Reasons for the Growth of Direct Marketing

The emergence of the “me” generation is one for the biggest reasons of the growth of direct marketing techniques. Other factors contributing to the growth of direct marketing is-

• Market fragmentation - Smaller segments have more distinct needs that have to be addressed on a personal level

• Increase in the availability of data with retailers and businesses to target individual consumers

• Growth of computer and internet technology that makes the business-consumer transaction seamlessly convenient

• Sophisticated analytical tools that allow marketers to monitor, assess, and analyze the consumer and make business plans accordingly

• Direct marketing techniques are cost-effective and significantly lower the sales costs.

Marketing Trends in 2017

With all forces of law and the center of gravity concentrating on the internet, it has become vital for marketers to be noticed by Google. In 2017, companies should be geared towards internet marketing practices like content marketing, SEO rankings and influencer marketing and other marketing techniques that help them surface prominently and fetch higher ROI. Small businesses will have to plan their budget effectively and spend on resources that lead to conversions.

Some marketing trends that will gain momentum in 2017:

1. Videos- Studies show that about 43% of marketers are expected to use video for marketing in 2017. In addition to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram will also showcase live streaming videos and brands should be using them to increase their engagement with the audience.

2. Messaging apps- With 4 billion users using messaging apps like WhatsApp, Webchat, and Facebook messenger worldwide, brands can leverage the presence of these apps to establish one-to-one connects with the audience.

3. E-commerce- Social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest are all platforms where brands can sell their products/services. Call-to-action, gift ideas, hampers, and questionnaires are some of the tactics that encourage online shopping.

4. Mobile advertising will grow- People are surfing on their smartphones much more than before and using mobiles as a means of direct marketing has already caught up and the trend will grow in 2017. Brands should focus on designing better interfaces and designs for mobile –friendliness.

5. User experience- Pleasant UX designs will continue to lure consumers to websites and developers will think of creative and innovative ideas to enhance the user experience even further.

6. Social media is ‘the’ platform- Social media has surpassed other direct marketing techniques and will continue to rein the markets in 2017. If you want your brand to get noticed, you have to be active on Facebook. Customers greatly rely on social media platforms for reviews, opinions, and support which largely influence their purchasing decisions.

How Direct Marketing can Improve your Business

The internet has opened bigger and better marketing opportunities for businesses with smaller marketing budgets. Consumers and businesses interact with each other without physically meeting or touching the products. Online marketing has slowly emerged as a vital channel for marketers to communicate and markets their products using limited budgets. Some of the direct marketing channels are direct emails, telemarketing, direct response advertising, and online marketing. Marketers can communicate with the buyers about the products, offers and company policies using the email options.

Ease of use and affordability are the two most important factors that have led to a boost in internet marketing as the chief means of Direct Marketing. Social media is increasingly being integrated with direct marketing channels like emails, telemarketing, and direct response marketing. Successful marketing campaigns are the ones that not only ask the viewers to like and follow them on social media, they provide codes to people to give them a chance to win prizes. Social media channels like Facebook, Youtube, LinkedIn, and Twitter have become popular and effective channels for direct marketing.

Social Media Marketing in 2017

Small businesses have to sustain themselves amongst the big fish in the highly competitive sea products and brands. Social media channels like Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp become a highly effective medium of advertising at cost-effective prices. For example, an upcoming star can showcase his talent on Facebook via a live video. Using this medium he can reach out to a larger crowd which could increase their market credibility. Moreover, when you directly communicate with consumers on social media, it makes them feel important. You can understand their needs and wants better. Users can communicate the current hurdles they are facing and the changes they would like in the products and services. This one-to-one communication and its effective dealing can greatly boost the business sales.

Wrap-Up

Online advertising is not just economical, it also gives businesses loads of data to review, analyze and accordingly work on. Direct marketing sets up a direct correspondence with consumers, again, not possible with traditional methods. Hence traditional marketing, that involves large amounts of revenue in this competitive market, is being largely replaced by Direct Modern Marketing techniques.

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