The roots of Direct marketing can be traced back to 1000 B.C in Egypt. It involves a papyrus pamphlet, a creative landowner, and his search for his runaway slave. Believe it or not, but this is one of the oldest direct marketing examples in human history.
In this article, we will delve deeper into:
- What is direct marketing?
- Types of campaigns in direct marketing.
- 5-Direct marketing examples of 2021.
What is direct marketing?
This question has a very simple answer, which can seem complex: Businesses forming a direct relationship with their customers without a middleman is essentially what direct marketing is all about. To enhance the effectiveness of this marketing strategy, a more customized message is designed and targeted at a specific kind of audience with a call-to-action.
The call-to-action can be anything, from reading a blog post to buying a product. It is simple and communicated to the targeted consumer in the quickest possible way.
A natural question that might be popping in your head at this point would be- What is included in direct marketing?
To put it simply, text messages, emails, telemarketing calls, pamphlets, social media, and even door-to-door selling are some of the common examples of direct marketing. It is almost impossible to be unaware of these marketing tactics, they are everywhere!
For example, open your email account and you might see a personalized ad of a product or service that might interest you. Have you noticed how you see ads of things that might attract you on websites and apps that you visit, get calls and messages about new products, and also witness a sea of colorful pamphlets of businesses around you?
In today’s day and age, building customer loyalty and speaking to them directly is of utmost importance for any business to succeed.
Types of Campaigns in Direct Marketing
Before deciding on a marketing campaign, a business needs to understand its needs and decide on the required call to action. To succeed in any strategy, it is important to decide the goals first and then form a strategy.
Once you understand your business, you can choose from various direct marketing campaigns based on your needs and budget. Here are some examples:
Email Marketing
Email marketing is one of the most cost-effective and easiest ways of talking to your target audience. If you come to think of it, almost every internet user has an email account. This gives a wider scope for a message, information, or promo to reach your audience directly. The trick of the success rate in email marketing lies in its quality of customization.
For example: If you are a business dealing in imported goods and groceries, you can target an audience set of people who have recently shifted from a foreign country.
Adding a touch of every user’s name in the email will push forward the conversion rate of your email campaign.
Similarly, you can plan your email campaign based on your audience demographics and your business goals.
Catalog Marketing
Sometime around 1440, Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in Germany, and so started the commercial journey of catalog marketing. Catalogs are one of the oldest ways of marketing, which is still in use today.
They contain all the information about the business, its products, and services and have an important goal to achieve: for the consumers to place orders after coming in contact with a catalog.
Social Media Marketing
Here’s an interesting fact, according to Statistica, Malaysia will have close to 30 million social media users by 2025. This is enough to explain why social media is an example of direct marketing.
Businesses are stepping up with innovative ways to interact with their users on social media platforms.
Social media sites are an excellent platform for brands to establish their voice and communicate important information to their audience. Brands can also keep their audience updated regularly and get their feedback directly.
Text Marketing
With a boom in the number of mobile phone users, Text marketing is a rock-solid method to talk to your users and transfer essential information like promos, coupons, and updates. This method helps to increase engagement levels and solve consumer-related issues quickly.
5-Direct Marketing examples of 2021
With the changing time and situations, some brands have brilliantly executed direct marketing tactics. Here are some direct marketing examples of 2021:
Kit-Kat (ref article for pictures: kit kat)
Kit-Kat has come up with unique and strategically placed ads to encapsulate the lockdowfulfiln days which creatively feature another brand, Zoom. The main idea behind the ad is to feature Kit-Kat’s famous tagline: Have a break. Have a Kit-Kat. The ad features an entire day’s plan full of Zoom meetings with two slots sneakily featuring Kit-Kat around 3 pm.
Nike (ref article: Nike)
Nike has recently used the medium of short films featuring 7 of their staff members for promotions. In these films, Nike has highlighted the fact how their staff workers are also athletes and full of passion. This has helped to humanize their campaign and form personal connections.
IKEA (ref article: Ikea)
A blend of social media and catalogs, IKEA has used Pinterest to digitize its catalogs. With a built-in questionnaire, IKEA has showcased how to create a personalized user experience using Pinterest boards.
World Water Day (ref article: world water day)
Worldwaterday.org utilized clear and concise calls to action on their website. They created three clear goals on their site: Learn, Share and Act. To spark conversations around their campaign for world water day 2021, the organization encouraged users to use #worldwaterday in their social media posts. Along with that, the ‘Learn’ option was used to increase awareness and the ‘Share’ option was used to share their resources like toolkits, posters, certificates, and logos.
McDonald’s (ref article: Mcdonald’s)
To establish itself as a go-to late-night food solution, Mcdonald’s Singapore creatively used the symbol of a window-lit dark building. Mcdonald’s used print advertisements along with a short film to highlight their staff who work late at night and their special offers.