Direct marketing
Also called: dialogue marketing, direct response or push marketing
Direct marketing is a form of marketing in which a company interacts directly with individual (potential) customers. For example, by using mail (direct mail), telephone(telemarketing), e-mail, mobile platforms and discount coupons. This is also known as below-the-line marketing. In a broader definition, direct marketing also includes communication by advertising in newspapers, magazines, websites, search engines, radio and television.
Because direct marketing involves direct contact with the customer, it is also known as dialogue marketing. New possibilities, such as the use of social media, mean that this dialogue can be seen more and more literally.
The way in which direct marketing can be applied depends on the extent to which a company has resources to contact its target audience. Consider (postal) addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses. Direct marketing aims to incite an action, such as visiting a Web site or calling a phone number. The link between direct marketing activities and customer responses makes the result of direct marketing relatively easy to measure.
