Direct marketing allows you to generate a specific response from a targeted group of customers. It is a useful tool for small businesses as it allows you to focus limited resources where they are most likely to produce results, and measure those results accurately by analysing the customer response.

Direct marketing can help you to achieve:

• Sales to existing customer base
• Build customer loyalty
• Generate new business.

Leaflet drops

Handing out leaflets is probably the simplest and cheapest form of direct marketing. However leafleting brings in significantly lower response rates than direct mail. It is less targeted, and you have little or no understanding of the characteristics of the recipients. As a result it’s often best to use leaflets for products that have universal appeal.

A decision needs to reached as to whether a leaflet needs to dropped into every building, or if its more appropriate to hand information out on the street near your business.

In order to see a return on your investment you need to prepare your material carefully. The material should look professional, have clear content and contain useful information.

To gauge feedback from your campaign, it’s a good idea to include some kind of incentive for feedback. For example offer a prize for filling out a feedback form.

Telemarketing

Contacting potential customer over the telephone has a number of benefits.

• Assess the customers needs
• Explain messages more effectively
• Gauge interest

Along with the benefits come several disadvantages. People find marketing calls an unwelcome interruption at home, and any organisation should consider whether telemarketing fits their business images and whether they are willing to risk alienating customers using this method.

Telemarketing has a wider role in business to business marketing. People are more receptive of marketing calls as part of their work. Telemarketing is used in some form in every organisation as few sales are completed without some telephone contact. In addition using a telemarketing campaign can help your business to:

• Generate leads
• Keep in touch with customers
• Keep track on the activities of competitors

Telemarketing can usually be carried out in house, however staff need to be trained to maximise this opportunity. Some campaigns can be out sourced to telemarketing companies.