Many small businesses only have a limited amount of marketing resource and a small amount of marketing budget.  In such cases, you really need to make sure that the marketing you undertake is as easy to execute as possible and generates results.

Direct Marketing

For most types of business, direct marketing will be the most cost effective form of marketing they undertake. This is because direct marketing can be targeted, is trackable and you can see exactly what return on investment (ROI) you generate for your business.

Telemarketing

Telemarketing is a type of direct marketing - and even if you are the only person in your company, you should be able to co-ordinate a successful telemarketing campaign quite easily.  All you need is an accurate, targeted business data list of prospects and you can start calling potential customers straight away.  By recording any sales in a well organised spreadsheet you will be able to see exactly what return on investment your telemarketing campaign gives you.

Direct Mail

Direct mail is another form of direct marketing which many businesses use to great success. And if you want to maximise your telemarketing response rates you could look to send out a direct mail campaign first and then follow up with a telephone call.  This is otherwise known as an integrated marketing campaign.  By doing this, your telephone call will be warm rather than cold and you will have a much better chance of converting the prospect into an actual customer.

Two common myths about direct mail are that it is time consuming and costly.  It is true that you can spend a lot of time and money on direct mail campaigns, but it is equally true that you can put together a campaign quickly and cheaply.  All you need is an accurate, targeted data list and a one page letter introducing your company and the key benefits of your product.  It really needn’t be difficult – a professional letter can be created easily in Microsoft Word and provide an ideal introduction. 

Plus if you use a specialist direct mail application, like B2B Direct Mail, you can mail merge your data and letter and organise for printing, inserting and posting with just a few clicks of your mouse.  No stuffing envelopes required!

Email Marketing

If you’re considering telemarketing and direct mail, you really should consider email marketing too.  Email marketing continues to grow in popularity with both small and large businesses as it is often cheaper and quicker to execute than direct mail.  Furthermore, the response is more instantaneous as you don’t have to wait for the post to deliver your message.

Small businesses might feel they don’t have the expertise in-house to execute an email marketing campaign, but just like telemarketing and direct mail it isn’t as difficult or costly as you might think.  A creative agency can help you design and build the email itself (you’ll need both html and text versions) and a specialist email marketing application, like Email Marketing from IDS Direct Marketing, can help you send and track the success of your email campaign for you.  With accurate results at your fingertips you can then work out the ROI generated by your email marketing campaign.