Explain The Tools of Direct Marketing

Tools of Direct Marketing

The following are major tools of direct marketing:

• Face to face selling.
• Telemarketing
• Direct Mail Marketing.
• Catalogue marketing.
• Direct response television marketing.
• Kiosk Marketing.
• Online Marketing.

• Face to face selling:

Sales call is the oldest and original form of direct marketing. All the higher manufactures representatives & agents carry out the direct selling task. Examples of companies those involved in face to face selling are Avon, Amway etc.

• Telemarketing:

Using telephone to sell directly to consumers has become the major direct marketing communication tool. Telephone marketing now accounts for over 38% of all direct marketing media expenditures.

Telemarketing is increasingly used in business in as well as consumer marketing.

• Direct mail marketing:

It involves sending an offer, announcement, reminder or other item to person at a particular interest. Using highly selective mailing lists, direct marketers send out millions of mails each year-letters, ads, samples,  foldouts, etc. some direct marketers mail audio-tapes video tapes, CDS & computer diskettes to prospects & customers.

Recently, three new forms of mail delivery have become popular:

1. Fax mail
2. E-mail
3. Voice mail

• Catalogue marketing:

It occurs when companies mail one or more product catalogues to selected address. They may send full-line merchandise catalogue, specialty consumer catalogues, & business catalogue; usually in point form but also sometimes as CDS, videos or online.

• Direct Response Television Marketing:

Television is used by direct marketer in 3 ways in order to promote direct sales:

1. Direct Response Advertisement.
2. Home Shopping Channels.
3. Video Text & Interactive TV.

• Kiosk Marketing:

Some companies have designed customer order placing machine called kiosk & placed them in stores, airports & other location. Ex: hallmark use kiosk to help customers create & purchase personalized greeting cards.

• Online Marketing:

It is conducted to interactive online computer systems, which links consumers with sellers electronically. Two types of online marketing channels:

1. Commercial online services.