Direct marketing - Not my favorite
by April 8th, 2008 Patrick GreerIf any aspect of market has come under attack in recent year it’s direct marketing. It often associated with junk mail, spam and broadcast faxing, etc. I’m also going to have to admit that I have been putting off writing about this aspect of marketing because it is my least favorite. I realize some involved in the direct marketing field may read this, react and defend their industry. As a business person I am tempted to use the form of marketing but as a consumer I am more often than not annoyed by it and it’s one reason I haven’t bought into such a campaign despite the fact it may bring a good return.
We have at times sent out postcards or similar media to potential customers within industries we have experience working to let them know we are here but other than general awareness I don’t beleive in intruding people’s live even if it does mean losing potential money. We have received better response by making personal contacts, adding value to our web site via this blog and referrals for satisfied clients.
What do I do with most of the direct market efforts that are “directed” at me?
- Stand over the trash can tossing right after I get the mail, actually I have transitioned into standing over the recycle bin
- Right after I wrote the above point I received a phone call on behalf of a congressman. It was for a cause I believe in. I hung up. I knew they were going to ask for money and I didn’t want to get on a list that would keep asking for more money.
- Constantly hit the delete button in my e-mail program but thankfully my e-mail programs junk mail filter and a new server based filtering program my company is now offering cuts about 98% of that stuff out.
- I never keep my fax machine turned on except when I’m faxing or someone I know is sending me one so that is a non-issue.
At one time direct marketing via the mail or print advertising was about the only way to get the message out to the masses but today we have so many more tools to more efficiently interact with current customers and to selectively develop relationships with new ones. Sorry, direct marketing is not one of our favorite means of doing business. Sadly I find the term, “Direct Marketing” to be misleading. I never feel as if it’s truly directed at me personally.
April 8th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
There are many great things about “junk mail” however. Who doesn’t like to get a 20% off coupon from Sears just as their washing machine breaks down? How about “buy one, get one free” coupons for that great new restaurant down the street? These are also vital strands in the DNA of direct mail, are they not? Yes, those solicitors that provide nothing but invitations to dig yourself deeper into debt need to step back and evaluate the effectiveness of their campaigns, but with the financial and mortgage crisis that has hit the USA, that’s kind of happening. Credit card issuers have scaled back on their mailings drastically in the past year. So, junk mail can be good in our opinion. Then again, our stance might be considered obvious since we’re both kind of in the business ;) Mike & Nate, Junk Mail Galaxy
April 8th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Well I said it was not my favorite. I do look closer at the coupons for the local grocery store of course. I haven’t really noticed a reduction in credit card offers sadly. That’s one form of direct marketing that has probably done more harm to society than anything else. I do however get a warped felling of satisfaction from throwing junk mail in the recycle bin. I just can’t be passionate about direct marketing and thus I have chosen to make other aspects of marketing my niche.
May 28th, 2008 at 11:44 am
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