How Does Social Media Apply to Direct Marketing?

GREAT question!

Direct marketing is just what it sounds like - taking a message and delivering it directly to the target audience. Various methods for this type of marketing looks like mailed materials, emails, links to a landing page, amongst others. But with today's fascination of social media, direct marketing has shifted.

Think of your personal social pages. When you created your profile, what was the first thing you did? Probably connect with friends and build your own network. Without even realizing it, you created an audience of people who will see content that you post and share. Along with more activity on social pages, observers can learn more about you, what you like and dislike.

This is exactly what makes social media so appealing to direct marketing.

Brands today have a greater task than just promoting a service or product to their consumers. Over three-fourths of Americans today value experiences over things - thus, there needs to be an emotional appeal to consumers as opposed to just a logical one. But to create that emotional connection, there needs to be an understanding of what our audience will respond to.

Social media is crafted to curate conversation and community. It can be easy for marketers to take advantage of the platforms to follow keywords and hashtags. Correlations can be drawn between engagement with different posts and what topics they address. There can also be a determination of what types of content earn engagement as well.

Influencers can also be reached out to so as to give a more personal pitch of your product or service to their followers. This can widen your reach to users who may not be familiar with the brand otherwise.

Social media can also allow your brand to interact directly with individual users through tags and direct messages. A personal message on social media can be much more meaningful when compared to mailed materials that gets tossed into the pile of junk mail.

Social media, by its nature, can be increasingly more personal and emotionally relevant when connecting with your audience. Take the time to learn how you can use various platforms to bond with your consumer and establish a relationship today!