Your Questions About Direct Marketing Strategies

Jere answers:

Advertising is a single component of the marketing process. It’s the part that involves getting the word out concerning your business, product, or the services you are offering. It involves the process of developing strategies such as ad placement, frequency, etc. Advertising includes the placement of an ad in such mediums as newspapers, direct mail, billboards, television, radio, and of course the Internet. Advertising is the largest expense of most marketing plans, with public relations following in a close second and market research not falling far behind.

The best way to distinguish between advertising and marketing is to think of marketing as a pie, inside that pie you have slices ofadvertising, market research, media planning, public relations, product pricing, distribution, customer support, sales strategy, and community involvement. Advertising only equals one piece of the pie in the strategy. All of these elements must not only work independently but they also must work together towards the bigger goal. Marketing is a process that takes time and can involve hours of research for a marketing plan to be effective. Think of marketing as everything that an organizationdoes to facilitate an exchange between company and consumer.

Jere answers:

The Chinese market is extremely price sensitive, and COMPUTERS have become a commodity business, as Lenovo’s purchase of IBM’s PC biz demonstrates. Dell’s weak competences for innovation make it difficult for Chinese competition, so it is pretty much left with a penetration strategy- where it would focus on one particular niche or market segment in an attempt to create a beach head for further product deployments in the larger Chinese computer market.
I would think that it would do what it did successfully in India, which was agree to establish assembly plants or customer service centers in China in return for preferential access to some of the markets entrenched by Chinese firms. Dell can do this thanks to its size.

Jere answers:

Simple.

1. Direct Mail Niche Marketing. You find someone who provides niche marketing lists to your select audience then you hand write letters introducing your products and offer a discount to all responses through your ad.

2. Referral Marketing. Ask your friends and family members or your colleagues if they might know of anyone who would be interested in buying what you have to offer and tell them you will pay them a “finder’s fee” for any leads they can provide to you which actually make a purchase.

3. Networking. Look for other people in your area who are selling similar items to what you are selling and ask them if they wouldn’t mind joining forces with you to help promote yours and thier products together. Offer them a small cut of the profits if they help you display thier products and they should offer the same incentive.

Personally I would go with Option #1 because this is how I make the $300k a year I do right now.

Jere answers:

Here are a few Marketing 101 ideas:

Sharpen your focus by deciding who comprises your customer base, who are you trying to attract? It will make a difference in your marketing plan. Are you seeking seniors? Young families? Singles? Business owners? Real estate professionals? Then develop a marketing strategy that works best for that group.

Targeted direct mail
Telephone solicitation (keep it short, keep it simple)
Ask for referrals
Consider authoring a blog that showcases your insurance knowledge
Build and promote a web site
Twitter
Facebook page
You Tube
Advertise in church bulletins (inexpensive)
Join local non-profit community boards
Join business marketing groups
Write an article for the paper
Attend networking events
Join the chamber of commerce
Sponsor a local sports team
Join a golf league

Jere answers:

Breweries will deliver direct or through a distributor for a particular area. Because beer pricing is very competitive it might be difficult to get exact wholesale pricing from them. Try contacting the marketing department of a brewery and tell them your problem.