The different instruments in direct marketing
Direct marketing not only helps you as a founder to win customers, but also to bind them to you over time and to look after them as regular customers. There are a few instruments available to you that you can use effectively.
| instrument | description |
| A common instrument in direct marketing is the so-called mailing. Companies in the e-commerce sector in particular use it as an instrument. But it is also becoming more and more interesting for offline companies. When advertising with e-mail, you use messages to address potential customers or existing customers directly. Mailing can be very diverse. You can inform about a new product, make a service known, but also initiate competitions or bonus campaigns about it. It is also important when mailing the newsletter, with which you make important information about your company accessible. | |
| SMS / MMS | The SMS advertising also represents a direct address. You can of course also send an MMS. It should be noted here, however, that this instrument is only possible if the addressee gives his consent. As with e-mail advertising, you can use the addressee’s data if he or she is already a customer with you and his contact details are stored with you. |
| phone | The telephone is one of the most important instruments in direct marketing. However, it is important to secure yourself well before it is used. If there is no explicit consent from the called party, you can quickly face fines or dunning procedures . |
| Brochures and letters | Direct marketing with brochures or sales letters does not cost a lot of money. From the point of view of competition law, too, it is the least dangerous and there are fewer possible penalties. It is important that your advertising material is of good quality. You can either distribute this advertising material yourself or deliver it by post. In this form, a distinction is also made between the mass letter and the personal letter. |
| Public advertising | As the founder of a shop, this could be a good tool for your direct marketing. But here, too, you have to make sure that the legal requirements are complied with. Any direct approach in the form of an advertising campaign must also be clearly recognizable as such. |
| Doorstep advertising | The so-called Door2Door campaigns are used here. However, this form is still very controversial and is not welcomed by many. Just think of the notorious “push columns”. If you want to use this instrument, you should plan and organize it very well in advance. |
Problems with direct marketing
In direct marketing, there is a lot to consider with regard to legal principles, possible penalties and also the effectiveness of the individual instruments. There are studies that show that, for example, almost half of all emails sent end up in the recipient’s spam folder. That doesn’t make it easy for you to actually reach your customers or potential customers. Therefore it is important for you that when choosing this method you make a distinction between “normal” email address and spam email. Not easy for a layperson, because it is important to have appropriate knowledge of the patterns and filters of spam emails. If you don’t know your way around here at all, you can get help from a mailing service provider who is really familiar with sending emails. He can also provide you with specific support when planning your campaign.
Observe legal regulations for direct marketing
It is undisputed that direct marketing is a very important tool for customer loyalty and customer acquisition . For many it is an instrument that cannot be done without. But especially from a legal point of view, by far not everything is allowed here. The UWG stands above everything. The UWG is the law against unfair competition . There is hardly any other form of marketing in which the risk of violating the law is as high as in direct marketing. There are still a lot of gray areas here, especially when it comes to direct marketing with e-mail and telephone, that are not precisely defined.
Important: Before starting a campaign, always check the legal aspect carefully, or even better, have it checked. Calls to a potential customer are not allowed without their consent according to § 7 UWG .
Consumers enjoy special protection via fax or SMS. So under no circumstances can you send wild faxes or SMS. If you want to use this tool, you must definitely get in touch with a specialist lawyer and clarify your plans with them. Alternatively, there are also experienced service providers who plan your campaign and carry it out in a legally clean manner. You really have to make sure that everything is legally clean here. In this area in particular, you will get a fine or a warning faster than you think. And that can quickly lead to a financial fiasco, especially for a founder.
As a perhaps inexperienced founder in the field of direct marketing, you are well advised to rely on sending letters, distributing flyers or distributing brochures at the beginning. In this way, you can easily reach potential customers or regular customers without breaking any legal principles.
Important:
If the addressee objects to a previously given declaration of consent, you must immediately stop direct marketing for them. Because the data security of your customers comes first!
