Consumer Direct Marketing (CDM) is a form of marketing in which the consumers go directly to communications about a brand's products and services. In the age of information, there are numerous channels for Consumer Direct Marketing, which is the primary reason for its rising popularity.
Consumer Direct Marketing aims to achieve a specific action in a selected group of consumers (for instance, an order, store or website visit, or an information request) in response to a communication action done by the marketer. This communication can take many different formats, such as postal mail, telemarketing, point of sale, etc. One of the most interesting methods is direct email marketing.
An essential aspect of direct marketing is that the consumer response is measurable. For example, if a brand offers a discount on its online store, it should include some kind of cookie which will let it know if the user has used the code.
The goal of Consumer Direct Marketing is to persuade customers to take action. Decades ago, this advertising method was limited to physical marketing materials, such as leaflets, catalogues, and brochures. Today, brands can leverage the internet to reach their target audience through Consumer Direct Marketing.
Examples of Consumer Direct Marketing
The most powerful and innovative Consumer Direct Marketing strategies aim to elicit a reaction within the target audience using content delivered directly to the consumer, both physically and through email marketing. A very striking graphic design, a surprising product, or a video that touches the heartstrings of the listener, can elicit a direct response from the consumer.
Let's review some great examples of Consumer Direct Marketing below.
Toyota Corolla
Consumer Direct Marketing is a great opportunity for brands if implemented in the right way, but it is also a good way for marketers to show off their chops. If they put all their creativity into the strategy and use shocking advertising techniques, the campaign will be long remembered by the public and attract potential customers. A great example of this is the Synced Direct Mail campaign by Toyota for the launch of the 2015 Corolla.
Land Rover
World-renowned vehicle manufacturers, Land Rover, used a novel way to invite customers to the opening of their new Liverpool showroom. Balloons were put inside boxes and sent to 100 customers. Tags were attached to the balloon strings, which delivered the company’s marketing message together with an invite to the event.
Chunky KitKat Mail
Nestle used Consumer Direct Marketing as well. They sent out a mailer that was made to look like the card left by postmen when they’re unable to deliver a parcel. Instead of saying that a package couldn’t be delivered, however, the mailer claimed that the package (KitKat chunky) was unable to be posted as it was ‘too chunky for your letterbox’. The lucky recipients were able to exchange their card at their local news agency for a free KitKat Chunky chocolate bar.
Benefits of Consumer Direct Marketing
Consumer Direct Marketing allows brands to promote their products or services directly to their target audience and measure results quickly, but the benefits don't stop there. Here are some of the advantages that digital direct marketing can bring to a brand:
High segmentation and targeting: One of the great advantages of this type of marketing is that brands can reach specific audience segments with personalized messages. For brands that want to succeed in this, they should invest time to research and identify the consumers most likely to convert and thus direct their efforts to actions that work effectively.
Optimized marketing budget: Addressing online direct marketing to a specific audience will enable brands to set realistic goals and improve sales on a tight budget. If brands properly optimize their direct campaign, they will achieve results with only a small percentage of the cost of traditional advertising.
Upgrading loyalty strategies: Direct contact with customers will allow brands to customize their promotions, emails, and offers to create an instant bond. To maximize results, brands can combine their direct marketing methods with their loyalty program.
New business opportunities: Consumer Direct Marketing will allow brands to adapt to market demands at all times and respond more effectively.
Test and analyze results: Direct response campaigns gives brands the opportunity to directly measure results. They can avail the opportunity to squeeze the most of tests and make decisions in real-time.
How to Fire Up a Consumer Direct Marketing Campaign
Developing connections: The first step in developing a direct email marketing campaign is knowing who to target. To generate leads, brands can try an inbound marketing campaign based on content (such as downloads of an eBook) or lead generation ads on Twitter.
Creating the ideal mail: Subject, text, icons, and call to action ... Nothing in an email marketing campaign should be random. Brands should remember to align creativity and segmentation.
Entering a code or identification pixel: As mentioned above, one of the keys to Consumer Direct Marketing is the ability to precisely measure all the results. To do this, brands need to include a pixel code in their emails that identifies users who have come to their site through a particular campaign.
Testing: Brands should take advantage of their email campaigns to test and discover what works with their audience and what doesn't.
Putting out an on-going campaign: Brands should send a test email to make sure everything runs smoothly and launch their campaign. As with social networks and other tools of digital advertising, brands must send it at an ideal time and day to avoid idle time if they want to avoid falling into oblivion.
Brands should always keep in mind that good planning and preparation are the keys to success in this digital world of ours.
Consumer Direct Marketing can elevate brands to the next level and help them expand their reach. When done right, it will strengthen a brand and increase sales. It not only allows brands to connect with new customers but also helps engage the existing customers while keeping them informed about the latest offers and events.
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