DIRECT MARKETING reaches individual customers directly via mail, email, phone, even door-to-door. It differs from other marketing in its emphasis on highly measurable response results. Each campaign stresses a specific call-to-action to spark company-to-customer "relationships."

Direct marketing is often seen as invasive and wasteful. Yet as new technologies emerge, it is becoming a cost-effective marketing ticket that’s hard to reject. Brawny databases allow for in-depth processing of customer lists, while digital media let you connect with ever more unique customer segments. Campaigns can target countless mixes of demographic data, and the results are fully trackable.

What’s more, the flexible speed and scope of direct marketing enable endless optimization. You can test, measure, and redesign any given campaign for better response rates. The variety of media options suits any budget, while your specific request for action — call, web visit, card response, P.O., survey — can be customized to your business formula.

The Guru can help you decide who needs to get which content, delivered through which channels, and for what purpose:

Clear-cut agenda. Direct sales? Lead generation? Traffic building? Fund raising? Sales support? Loyalty?

Relationships. Customers respond 4X-6X more than prospects. Do you manage your databases to support reconnection with valuable customers, at the right time with the right message?

Personalization. Do you address customers personally and tailor to their needs based on previous transactions and data?

Call-to-action. Does your campaign quickly, clearly urge your customer into action by offering an appealing benefit?

Tact. Any campaign that directly invades your customer's or prospect's personal space risks alienating that person. Is your campaign too aggressive, or have you carefully tailored it to avoid affronting your target?

Preparation. Do you build up sufficient resources to quickly manage and fulfill customer responses?

Measurement. Direct marketing is numbers-oriented. Do you measure customer response against your goals and costs, to check a campaign's level of success?

Ethics. Do you safeguard your customers' data?

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