Your Questions About Direct Marketing Definition

Jere answers:

First decide on a portfolio balance. Essentially this is the proportion of your portfolio that is placed at risk (invested in stocks) versus not placed at risk (invested in bonds and cash equivalents). A fixed proportion allows you to periodically rebalance the portfolio back to the target proportions in order to benefit from bargain prices when the market drops or to lock in profit when the market rises effectively buying low and selling high in much the same way that dollar cost averaging buys more when low and buys less when high. Mind you bonds are long term investments so they may not have the liquidity when it’s the most advantageous for you to rebalance even laddering the bonds may not allow you the flexibility to take advantage of a market crash so apply for margin on your account, that way when the opportunity arises due to a market downturn, you can purchase stocks at bargain prices to rebalance the portfolio without have to sell the bonds right away and simply allow attrition in the bond ladder to catch up with the margin over time. You should always try to not hold a position with your margin, it’s greatest value is providing you with liquidity so you should never use margin just to leverage a buy and hold strategy but rather keep it available instead of used.

Most of the discount brokers provide a reasonable degree of service, established ones such as Fidelity are certainly reliable but these days even your banks can offer you direct investing accounts. Just keep in mind that they will try to push their own high load mutual funds on you, often with an outrageous front or back end load. My parents were sold a fund with a 6% backend load before I could point out that a 1% load would be considered extravagant. Companies like Vanguard specializes in no load and low fee mutual funds. For the least amount of fuss, you can go with an index fund, by definition they will beat half the investors out there and they have the lowest fees as there’s really nothing to do in terms of fund management. There’s no need to go with a bank’s fund that offers management by anonymous bank employees for an extravagant fee when a low cost index fund will beat half the professional fund managers out there and certainly the inexperienced unknowns that the banks would be using. But investing through you bank may be convenient if it’s the bank where your savings accounts are.

Jere answers:

It is a form of direct mail marketing where the marketers use databases to gather customer information and slice and dice that information to do market segmentation. With database marketing, data is key — and how the marketer applies that data to result in a profitable customer relationship

Here’s a good definition of database marketing http://searchcrm.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid11_gci939072,00.html

————————————–
– Database marketing is a systematic approach to the gathering, consolidation, and processing of consumer data (both for customers and potential customers) that is maintained in a company’s databases. Although databases have been used for customer data in traditional marketing for a long time, the database marketing approach is differentiated by the fact that much more consumer data is maintained, and that the data is processed and used in new and more sophisticated ways. Among other things, marketers use the data to learn more about customers, select target markets for specific campaigns (through customer segmentation), compare customers’ value to the company, and provide more specialized offerings for customers.
————————————–

Jere answers:

Both the Direct Marketing Association (DMA-UK ) and the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) are strong advocates of permission based marketing. Even the ICO states that, legislative definitions notwithstanding, their good practice advice for any type of marketing would be to avoid sending people marketing they do not want. If you read the websites and marketing collateral from Bluetooth marketing companies they also will assert their commitment to permission based marketing. So – what’s the problem?

When a consumer walks by a Bluetooth enabled poster their phone will buzz or beep and display a message, “Do you want to receive content from xxx?” It is this invitation message which is the subject of much discussion and debate. Should the consumer have given their opt-in permission before receiving this invitation? Both the DMA and the MMA say, “Yes.” – Bluetooth marketing companies say “No.”.

Many Bluetooth marketing companies assert that if your phone has Bluetooth turned on and visible then you have given an implied consent to receiving contact from them. The counter argument states that just because your have a public listing in a telephone directory it can not be implied that you wish to receive telemarketing sales calls

Jere answers:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Marketing
Key concepts

Product • Pricing • Place • Promotion
Distribution • Service • Retail
Brand management
Account-based marketing
Marketing ethics
Marketing effectiveness
Market research
Market segmentation
Marketing strategy
Marketing management
Market dominance
Promotional content

Advertising • Branding • Underwriting
Direct marketing • Personal Sales
Product placement • Publicity
Sales promotion • Sex in advertising
Promotional media

Printing • Publication • Broadcasting
Out-of-home • Internet marketing
Point of sale • Promotional items
Digital marketing • In-game
In-store demonstration • Brand Ambassador
Word of mouth
This box: view • talk • edit

Marketing management is a business discipline which is focused on the practical application of marketing techniques and the management of a firm’s marketing resources and activities. Rapidly emerging forces of globalization have compelled firms to market beyond the borders of their home country making International marketing highly significant and an integral part of a firm’s marketing strategy.[1] Marketing managers are often responsible for influencing the level, timing, and composition of customer demand accepted definition of the term. In part, this is because the role of a marketing manager can vary significantly based on a business’ size, corporate culture, and industry context. For example, in a large consumer products company, the marketing manager may act as the overall general manager of his or her assigned product [2] To create an effective, cost-efficient Marketing management strategy, firms must possess a detailed, objective understanding of their own business and the market in which they operate.[3] In analyzing these issues, the discipline of marketing management often overlaps with the related discipline of strategic planning.

Jere answers:

One way of thinking about this question is to consider direct marketing (“DM”) a precursor to customer relationship management (“CRM”). Direct marketing techniques – such as a postcard delivered by postal mail with an specific offer – are used to get a prospect to respond and either demonstrate interest in a product/offering or make a purchase.

Once a target demonstrates interest, they often get categorized differently (i.e., they are considered higher value than someone that hasn’t demonstrated interest) and their ongoing management can be considered “CRM” – , which is the process of nurturing the relationship over time. Sales/marketing executives use the term CRM to describe the system or process employed to communicate and interact with customers and prospects over time.

All that said, there is overlap between what the marketplace would consider “direct marketing” and “customer relationship management”, so a precise definition or explanation doesn’t truly exist, as the understanding of the terms are subjective.