The direct marketing solution seems to have come taken on an entirely different face. First, there was direct mail marketing, which involved sending out flyers, brochures or postcards to consumers informing them of goods or services being offered by a company. This still is a marketing strategy used today, but the results are not very impressive.

Direct mail marketing is not cheap to execute. First, you have to pay for paper, printing, postage, and even return postage. The average cost of 1000 flyers or postcards is about $750 to $1000. The average response rate is only about 1-2%! That is quite disheartening if you are the one footing the bill to get your marketing information out to the public. The majority of these mailings end up in the trash can, with little response from consumers.

The Better Direct Marketing Solution

Moving onto telemarketing, which is just another form of direct marketing. This involves a telemarketing company making contact with consumers via the phone. Without any need for further explanation, you probably already know just how effective this can be. Most consumers resent being contacted in their own homes via the phone by solicitors. They find it annoying, aggravating, and downright intrusive. Obviously, making sales this way is not easy.

Finally, you can elicit the best direct marketing solution when you use optin email. Here, consumers play an active part in the marketing equation, as they have shown an interest in receiving emails from certain companies. This type of targeted marketing works because consumers have already expressed a positive interest in hearing from your company, so they are more receptive to purchasing a good or service from you. Ultimately, this type of marketing will increase your sales and your bottom-line!