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The Web and Other Media Interesting how times have changed. It used to be that "electronic media" meant radio and television. Some even included telephone in the category simply because they didn't know what else to do with it. And now, we have the worldwide web and e-mail at the top of the list…at least for direct marketers. And that, of course, is our perspective. And whatever electronic media you use, it will almost always be integrated with other media. With this in mind, here is how we see the various electronic media in the direct marketing mix. Television – By and large television is a consumer medium. While there are exceptions, it works best for direct response where the item being advertised has broad appeal, a relatively low price point and fits into the "impulse purchase" category. Radio – The use of radio for direct response in a local market can be very productive, thanks to psychographic as well as demographic profiling. If you choose radio in your mix, be prepared to stick with it as it often takes multiple exposures to get response. (Radio also offers ample opportunity for negotiating trade-outs.) Telephone – There's a big difference between telephone selling and telemarketing…as well as between inbound and outbound telemarketing. All uses of the telephone can be very profitable when used correctly. In a business-to-business environment, telephone sales are an accepted, even preferred, way of doing business for many firms and their customers. Telemarketing, on the other hand, has been so used and abused that it's constantly on the defensive with legislation and bad publicity for consumer fraud and annoyance. Web Marketing – The web is a powerful and growing means of communicating with customers and prospects alike. While the uses vary with the type of industry, it is almost inconceivable today that any business can afford to ignore the benefits of having a website. But, like any media, it requires careful planning and execution to get the desired results. Above all, a website is seldom successful on its own. E-mail Marketing – A powerful form of communication, this is unquestionably a great way to communicate with customers and active prospects. But, like telemarketing, it has an unwanted and risky side affect. While it gets results, often at extremely low cost, if used as a "broadcast" medium (spam), the backlash can be significant. And, like telemarketing, legislation and legal remedies for unwilling recipients pose a growing threat to users. Other media – The variety of other media on the horizon bear watching if not active consideration. For now, we'll stick with those where enough experience has been logged by direct marketers to give us confidence in forecasting results. Our goal is always to achieve the maximum predictability to advertising. |
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