Small Business Marketing Kit For Dummies, 3rd Edition

Direct Sales: Do-It-Yourself Distribution

The name says it all: Marketers who employ direct sales strategies sell to consumers directly, without involving middlemen, retailers, agents, or other representatives. Instead, they use direct response ads, direct mailers, catalogs, and e-commerce (see Chapter 10) to communicate one on one with prospective buyers.

Following are a couple of examples of how direct marketing tools can generate direct sales for small businesses:

Direct response advertising: A jewelry maker advertises his wares by placing small, black-and-white magazine ads. But instead of aiming to build general awareness, the ads invite readers to call toll-free to purchase the featured item or to visit the jeweler’s website to view and order from his complete line. Either way, the instructions in the ad lead straight back to the jewelry maker and not to any retailer or other intermediary.

Direct mail: The self-publisher of a book featuring lists and ratings for summer youth camps promotes the book by sending direct mailers to a subscriber list rented from a major parenting magazine. She also works with bloggers and uses social media and online ads to build a network of inbound ...