Reach has always been the biggest pain point for small businesses. Unlike their bigger counterparts, such entrepreneurs couldn’t afford newspaper pages or airtime when it comes to advertising. They’re also limited by physical geography; unless they’re an online shop, they won’t reach customers from a wider radius. As a small business owner, how should you approach this situation?
Enter direct marketing.
Direct marketing is a strategy that aims to deliver your sales pitch to potential customers directly. It’s a classic way of marketing and remains an indispensable tool in reaching clients.
Here’s how your small business can reach more prospects through direct marketing.
Straight to the point
As blunt as it is direct, this type of marketing goes straight to the point. Whether you’re offering coupons or promo codes, you’re still attempting to sell your product or service utilizing directly appealing to their purchasing needs and wants. It’s transactional; it builds the customer relationship through successful purchases and service provision.
Precision targeting of interested parties
Another reason direct marketing is effective is because you can target precisely who you want to buy your products or access your service. For example, you can provide discounts and promos for students from a particular school. Or target one particular area that responded well with a particular product or service. The insights your potential and current customers provide can give you an idea on who to promote your business to, instead of the otherwise broad range mass media grants.
Can drive revenues quicker
Doing direct marketing right can create a better return on investment due to its transactional nature. Promotional discounts are enticing, especially if it’s targeting the right kind of audience. Some people are just waiting for their purchase decisions be reinforced; with an appealing price and a hard-to-drop offer, it’s only just a matter of time before they contact you and ask for more details or just straight up give you their money.
More cost-effective than advertising
Costs are one of the biggest factors why small businesses use different tactics against bigger business firms. Direct marketing campaigns, such as direct mail, flyers, or even an email marketing campaign, costs way less than priming your small business in the airwaves. They’re also more cost-effective than buying a portion of a page in a newspaper. If your company’s looking for a way to extend your reach at the right cost, there’s always the tried and tested method of direct marketing campaigns.
You can gauge interest easily
As fast as it can return investments, it also eases up the way you can gauge client interest. For example, in email marketing campaigns, you can measure your success based on how many clicked through your call-to-action buttons and signed up for the service. Another example, for print campaigns, you track how many customers you’ve tended to that used a coupon included in the flyer. It’s a lot easier to track than mass media advertising.
Despite the advances in technology and the increasing ways to generate interest, direct marketing isn’t dead. It’s still a billion-dollar industry. From small businesses to national politicians, the right direct marketing campaign targeted to the right people can improve your small business’s reach and generate visible return on investment. Combining it with other marketing strategies can further improve your chances of reaching more customers.
