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Direct marketing - the ultimate guide to traditional marketing for a modern audience

More Than Words Marketing, a B2B marketing agency based in the North East, discusses the main advantages of employing traditional marketing strategies in a modern marketplace.

To be a forward-looking, innovative business, companies must constantly strive for innovation - sometimes at their own expense.

Newer doesn’t always mean better.

In both B2B and B2C transactions, buyers are seeking higher quality, easier access, and lower costs. Value for money is a far greater determinant of a product’s success than its newness.

Selling to any audience, but especially to B2B audiences, is about persuading them that your products and services offer more value than those of your competitors.

The way they perceive your business starts with their first interaction with you.

But is it possible for businesses to control the narrative from the outset of a prospect relationship?

We at More Than Words Marketing believe that it is. Through direct marketing.

The term “direct marketing” refers to outbound marketing strategies, where your business makes direct contact with a decision maker.

Direct marketing starts with business data

An effective direct marketing campaign relies on a strong UK business database- a list of potential customers to target.

One of the reasons that direct marketing can fail is that businesses use a scatter-gun approach to send marketing messages to anyone and everyone, in the hopes that one will stick.

Not only is this inefficient and ineffective, but GDPR regulations make it essentially illegal to do, and it can seriously harm your online reputation.

Getting a warm reception when approaching cold is the key.

Compiling bespoke UK business data lists for clients is part of More Than Words’ service.

Rather than simply compiling a mailing list from Companies House listings, our research includes multiple fields of information with each data record, allowing our clients to narrow their search.

Our UK schools database, for example, is divided into categories such as primary school, secondary school, MATS, higher education and independent schools.

Likewise, you can search contacts on our UK Public Sector database by the type of organisation or department they work for (local authority, cabinet office, home office, etc.), financial data and by the geographical regions they serve.

Our clients are able to not only find prospects more easily, but also tailor the marketing messages to each individual, using one of three direct marketing channels - telemarketing, email marketing and direct mail.

Being a telemarketing company, we understand the reactions the word ‘telemarketing’ provokes in many marketing circles.

But this is actually a prime example of using innovation to improve and refine the traditional.

At More Than Words we use telemarketing for a number of different purposes, including appointment-setting and market research.

You learn more about your prospects and customers by conducting market research, setting appointments, and validating the company information you already have.

This information can be used for improving customer service, promoting future products and meeting product development objectives.

As consumers grapple with an increasingly overburdened stream of information on social media, 2022 will be a year that you need to own your audience.

It is here that email marketing shines.

A resurgence in email marketing is in evidence at the moment thanks to its easy automation, personalisation, and privacy features.

The cost of email campaigns from an email marketing agency (including email list, web design, copywriting, dispatch, and reporting) is often less than that of a single telemarketing campaign or postal mail campaign.

The effectiveness of a campaign can be measured, using a custom landing page so the URL can be directly linked to the campaign.

Email marketing also allows for A/B testing and personalised offers to different audience segments.

Direct mail offers many of the same benefits as email marketing, as well as the advantage of more freedom of creativity and engagement.

With digital channels, there are no tactile aspects, and things like web banners or social ads are often limited by size and what can be changed - and it’s not just about satisfying the eyes, mail can engage you in all five senses.

Direct marketing is, in our opinion, the best way to begin the B2B buyer’s journey.

You can customise each customer’s experience through direct marketing, thus maximising conversion rates.

Direct marketing can be used to create a mindset of value for customers that will make them more willing to be guided from the discovery stages all the way through the conversion stages.

Finally, the personal nature of direct marketing allows audiences to feel more strongly connected with your business.

Any direct marketing campaign in which a customer is directly affected will have a far greater impact than indirect campaigns that are simply out there trying to catch the attention of potential customers.

To book your direct marketing campaign with More Than Words Marketing contact our team on 0330 010 8300