Small Business Marketing Kit For Dummies, 3rd Edition

Using One-to-One Marketing

When you employ one-to-one marketing, you bypass mass media vehicles and take your ad straight to the mailboxes, telephones, and computer screens of individuals who are prime prospects for your product or service. You may hear the terms direct marketing, direct mail, direct-response advertising, and database marketing used interchangeably in discussions about one-to-one marketing, but they each represent different aspects of the direct marketing arena. For the record, here are definitions of those terms and others:

Direct marketing involves a direct exchange between a seller and a buyer, without the involvement of retailers, agents, or other intermediaries.

Direct mail is the primary means of direct marketing communication. It involves sending promotional announcements in the form of letters, postcards, packages, or e-mails directly to targeted prospects.

Direct-response advertising announces a promotional offer and invites consumers to respond directly to your business — by phone, in person, or by clicking a QR code to reach a landing page on your website — to make a purchase or obtain additional information.

Database marketing entails compiling detailed ...