The power of the personal approach: Popular approaches in local direct marketing

In a world inundated with a flood of advertising and media, a personal approach and customer loyalty are becoming increasingly important for companies to stand out from the crowd and be noticed. Direct marketing offers approaches that focus on personal connection and ensure long-term loyalty - even in an environment characterized by constant distraction. 

The term direct marketing, also known as direct advertising or direct response advertising, refers to all advertising measures that address potential and existing customers directly and contain a clear invitation to respond (call-to-action). In contrast to mass advertising, direct marketing measures involve sending individualized advertising material, often e-mails or letters. These customized mailings are designed to motivate recipients to respond and enter into a dialogue with the company.  

In this article, we explain why it is worth using local direct marketing and which specific measures are best suited for this.

The most important advantages of direct marketing at a glance 

Direct marketing offers a number of advantages for companies that want to target their local customers. One of the biggest advantages is that companies can achieve a high level of target group security through customized and directly delivered advertising measures and ensure that the message reaches the right people and that there is hardly any wastage. Another advantage is that - unlike some other marketing strategies - the success of direct marketing campaigns is comparatively easy to measure. Companies can track the response to their campaigns, for example by tracking the open rates of email or SMS campaigns or monitoring the response rate to their direct mailings. 

Direct marketing also makes it possible to build personal relationships with customers quickly and easily. The private approach and individual offers make (potential) customers feel valued and can turn them into loyal regular customers. Companies can also receive direct feedback through the responses to their campaigns and the dialog with the target group and quickly notice which offers or promotions are particularly popular and successful.

Here are the most important advantages at a glance: 

• High target group security and hardly any wastage 

• Simple evaluation and measurability of success 

• Building a personal bond through an individual approach 

• Direct feedback on the campaigns

• Promotion of exchange through direct invitation to respond 

The most popular measures and methods in direct marketing

Individualized emails are an effective measure in direct marketing as they enable direct communication and are cost-effective and time-efficient. The emails can be designed to be based on specific interests and previous customer behavior. In addition, emails allow for quick feedback and interaction from the recipient, which means that customer queries can be answered immediately and exchanges can be encouraged. 

During a personal phone call, your local sales partners* can gather more information about the customer and their preferences. The conversation provides personalized advice and support, and tailor-made solutions can be developed for the customer's specific needs and requirements. In addition, personal telephone calls offer an opportunity to draw direct attention to products and promotions and increase sales.

Direct mailings, such as letters with promotional product inserts or small packages with giveaways, offer the advantage that the physical marketing materials capture the attention of recipients more strongly, in addition to addressing the target group directly. By personalizing print mailings, companies can increase the relevance of their message and increase the likelihood of a positive response. 

Finally, personal SMS and WhatsApp messages, with their high open rates, enable direct and immediate communication with customers. Thanks to the brevity and conciseness of text messages, companies can use SMS marketing to convey important information quickly and efficiently. In addition, SMS messages and WhatsApp texts also encourage quick interaction on the part of the recipient, as most people carry their cell phone with them at all times and usually read the short messages immediately. 

How direct marketing software can support the implementation of measures 

With marketing software such as the Local Marketing Platform, you not only have direct marketing software at your disposal, but also a comprehensive marketing tool with which your local sales partners* can manage and carry out all marketing activities. Using ready-made templates, your sales partners* can customize the advertising measures for their direct marketing campaigns independently and in line with your corporate design. Direct marketing software also facilitates coordination and communication between you in the marketing center and your local sales partners* by simplifying the exchange of information and resources. In addition, direct marketing software offers functions for analyzing and evaluating the success of your direct marketing activities so that you can continuously improve their effectiveness. 

If you would like to find out more about which direct marketing measures you can use via the Local Marketing Platform, please contact us.