Direct marketing is a medium of which an offer is communicated and, where organizations share information directly to a specified customer and, provide a method for them to directly respond.
The history of direct marketing dates as far back as 1000BC, where an Egyptian landowner offered gold to whoever could find his runaway slave in an advertisement.
The success of direct marketing has been accredited to how effective it is at evoking a reaction from the target audience it is aimed at causing them to respond in a way which increases the sale of the product being advertised.
Although there are certain benefits to using other channels to get direct marketing across in this article we will be looking at the benefits of using magazines as a medium for direct marketing.
The shelf life and circulation of magazines is gold to an advertiser. Where in other mediums of communication there stands a chance of being forgotten when the phone call has ended or an email has been read, a magazine if looked after can last years. It is for this reason that advertisers use them to successfully directly market to their target audience.
With strong, appealing and captivating graphics the right content on the marketing material can impact the organization selling the products bottom line in a positive way.
Further to reach the desired target market in the magazine you position your material, is that direct marketing allows the client to directly communicate to the organization bridging the gap between them and building trust. In so doing, creating loyal first-timers as well as repeat business.
After communication has been established, the next communication sent can then be personalized toward that particular client, giving them a sense of well-being and making them feel known and special. Sending direct marketing through magazines cover advertising also helps to identify how many readers they have and what their preferences may be, improving the advertising process.
Tests and analysis can be done within the desired target market minimizing time and focusing efforts on enhancing the customer's overall experience. In a world where telemarketers acquire client information in unsavory and imposing ways, using magazines to market, gives the consumer the power to make the decision of whether or not to communicate or receive communication from the advertising organization.
It is therefore nonintrusive. The magazine itself can also benefit from direct marketing their own subscription by providing loyalty strategies to entice the potential client into committing to the subscription.
As direct marketing through magazines has been around for years, it’s a sure indication that it’s a method that’s tried, tested and proven to be successful. I think that it would be a fair assessment that as long as there are magazines, direct marketing would be linked to them.