Philip Kotler, the father of modern marketing according to the American Marketing Association, defined direct marketing in his classic manual . According to Kotler, direct marketing is nothing more or less than directly contacting carefully selected customers .
This contact has certain particularities. It is interactive, one-on-one, and allows companies to adapt their offers to the needs of the database selected for communication.
The response to direct marketing communications is intended to be direct, immediate and measurable. The relationships created are bidirectional, but companies expect a specific action from their customers. For example: making a purchase, filling out a form, visiting a blog , etc.
Kotler uses the example of Amazon's costa rica phone data direct marketing in his manual. Amazon.com contacts its customers directly on its website and app to help them with their purchasing process or suggest new products. These personalized recommendations are achieved through collaborative filtering technology (it was the first company to use it).
Collaborative filtering studies previous purchasing behavior and purchases made by other customers with similar profiles , thus offering product recommendations that are tailored to each user.
You received a message from your favorite company: What is direct marketing for?
The goal of direct marketing is not the sale itself. It is actually more about converting leads into customers, retaining the ones you already have and increasing your database.
So, what is direct marketing for? These actions allow you to achieve high conversion rates without large investments of money. In addition, it can help you boost your follower base, consolidate opinions and facilitate the most recurrent purchase processes.
We can analyze the functions of direct marketing according to whether they help you get new clients or retain those who already choose you.
An example of direct marketing to get new customers could be an email or a publication that helps to transform those leads into customers. Another example, but to build loyalty, could be a discount or the gift of an extra bonus for performing a certain action.
Direct marketing also has the ability to help you in important areas of your business. It can help you keep your database up to date and store information about the contacts that have existed between your company and a client. It can also integrate all your communication efforts in order to achieve a more effective dialogue.
Not to mention its role in the customer lifecycle: direct marketing can be a goldmine for generating value.