Nowadays, companies improvise direct marketing strategies to win over their customers. While some companies use third-party advertising agencies to promote their products, others use special strategies to reach out to their customers.
In Nigeria, business owners constantly seek ways that could help them market their products/services well. Here’s why today, we will be shedding light on certain strategies that can bring you closer to your customers.
In this guide, we will take a closer look at several effective direct marketing strategies for Nigerian businesses. So whether you’re just starting a business or you’ve attained a certain level of business success, you’re at the right juncture. With no further ado, let’s get right into business!
Table of Contents
What is Direct Marketing?
Direct marketing simply means the method a company adopts to inform their target audience directly about their products/services without involving middlemen or retailers.
Sometimes, a company may depend on intermediary sources to help them market their products. However, in direct marketing, the company markets their products themselves.
Direct marketing.
In direct marketing, companies employ one-on-one means of communicating with their customers to market their products. They accomplish their goals via calls, text messages, emails, etc.
Any company that intends to get the best out of direct marketing must first understand its target market. Thereafter, such a company can use appropriate strategies to reach its customers.
Top 8 Direct Marketing Strategies for Nigerian Business Owners
Direct marketing can lead to customers visiting your site frequently, making more inquiries, and increasing your company’s sales. Thus, you must know how to go about marketing your products or services with the right strategy.
You need to identify your wants and determine the strategy to attract the right market. Many direct marketing strategies can help you out in your business journey. Let’s have a look at some of them.
-
Telemarketing
Telemarketing finds its root in two words, “telephone” and “marketing.” In simple words, telemarketing means reaching out to your customers directly through phone calls. On the other hand, automated telemarketing means reaching out to a wide range of customers at the same time and within a short period.
In Nigeria, telecommunication companies such as MTN, Airtel, and Glo use this strategy to contact and inform their customers about their new packages. Telemarketing can occur in two ways:
- Inbound (where your customers can reach out to you) and
- Outbound (where you can reach out to your customers).
In any case, you are in touch with your customers. This makes the telemarketing strategy one of the most efficient.
Read also: How to Create a Marketing Plan
-
Email Marketing
Email marketing is one of the most commonly used strategies in direct marketing. Over 81% of businesses around the world use this direct marketing strategy. Here, you can either purchase a list of customer emails that have been verified by a mailing service company or get customers to subscribe to your company’s email list through your website.
The main aim is to send emails to your customers and inform them of your products/services as often as you need to. Examples of email marketing include newsletters, advertisements, etc.
-
Text Message Marketing
The use of text messages to market products and services is a common direct marketing strategy in Nigeria. Companies adopt this strategy because a greater percentage of their target audience have mobile phones. They believe most customers are always pressing their phones, which makes it easier to market to them via it.
When sending information through text messages, you can discover different messaging plans to reach your customers. Text message marketing includes notifications your customers receive from you, and a poll where your customers can reply to questions you ask them. You can also add your company’s website link to the message so they can access more information about your company.
-
Direct Selling
In this type of direct marketing, companies send marketers into the field (homes or other businesses) to reach out to their customers. The marketers are sent anywhere their target audience is.
In the field, marketers are most likely to meet old and new customers who could become long-term loyalists of their brand. This method improves the awareness of a company among customers.
-
Social Media Marketing
There are hardly any businesses that do not have a social media page. Even individuals build up their social media followers so they can act as an intermediary for companies that want to promote their products. In this direct marketing strategy, you can build followers on your company’s page organically or by paying for it.
You can also use the power of social media to display what you offer and build trust in your brand. Using social media as a means of improving awareness for your products or services has a lot of benefits. One of them is that it is cost-effective, especially when you have a large social media following.
-
Direct-Response Marketing
In this direct marketing strategy, you give your customers or your target audience an attractive offer that’ll make them want to purchase a product or service in a short period. Your primary aim should be to increase leads for your company. Hence, your call-to-action statement must be on point.
An example of a company that uses this strategy in Nigeria is Jumia. They offer attractive discounts on products, especially during Black Friday. These attractive offers make customers purchase more products during that period. Harnessing direct-response forms of marketing through broadcast or any other medium to fully push your agenda improves your customer base and helps you increase sales.
Read also: Steps to Sustainable Marketing for Businesses in Nigeria
-
Brochure
The use of brochures as a means to directly market your products is not as famous as the other strategies, but when used, it has a tremendous impact. As a Nigerian business owner, you could design an advertisement leaflet with beautiful colours and pictures that best describe what your business is about.
A brochure should contain information about your products or services, your vision, and your mission statement. You can also add other information you deem fit to put your company in the best light and then distribute it at events to your target audience.
-
Outdoor Marketing
Outdoor direct marketing strategy refers to the external media options such as billboards, signposts, posters, etc, that you can take advantage of to increase your customer base and increase sales. Many businesses use outdoor marketing extensively.
Typical examples include shopping malls such as ShopRite, hotels, fast food restaurants, etc, that put up billboards and signposts to increase their brand awareness among the locals. This form of advertisement has always proven effective in building brand awareness and increasing the customer base.
3 Major Challenges of Direct Marketing
As you engage in direct marketing campaigns, you need to be aware of some challenges you may experience. Knowing these challenges ahead of time will give you a heads-up on what to expect and how best to optimize them. Major challenges of direct marketing include:
-
Competition
Just as you’re trying to reach out to your target audience, keep in mind that other companies are trying as well. As a result, your target audience may receive tons of emails, brochures, and different brand advertisements. This could make it tough for them to make their choices and for you to get your intended results.
Thus, to ensure you don’t get ousted amidst your competitors, ensure your brand and value proposition is unique.
Read also: 7 Things Entrepreneurs Should Know About Marketing
-
Environment
Another major challenge you may face when engaging in direct marketing, such as using brochures or flyers, is that they get disposed of improperly. This in turn pollutes the environment.
You need to ensure that your brochure or leaflet materials are recyclable to make them environmentally friendly.
Looking for a place to get the best tips about business, marketing, tech and lots more? Join our WhatsApp community.
-
Low Responses
Another major challenge of direct marketing campaigns is low responses. This can be a result of reaching out to people who are not interested in your products, especially through direct selling and text message marketing.
You should be more focused on your target audience when marketing rather than just being general in your approach. This will help you avoid wasting your time and resources.
Final Thoughts
Aside from the conventional use of third parties to run campaigns, direct marketing proves to be an excellent alternative. You can do more with direct marketing using the strategies featured in this guide. All you have to do is find the method that works best for you. This guide also spotlights challenges you can face as you engage in direct marketing. Thus, be objective in your approach and intentional about how to make direct marketing work for you. Good luck!
To keep track of more business or marketing insights like this, kindly subscribe to our newsletter. At Insight.ng, we got your back.
About Author
- I am an enthusiastic content and creative writer. I harness opportunities to make fact-based, fictional and SEO-enhanced creative content that are captivating, interesting and worthwhile.
Latest entries
CampusDecember 11, 2023Who is a Notary Public, and Why Might You Need One as a Student
EntrepreneurNovember 30, 2023All You Need to Know About Venture Capital As a Nigerian Entrepreneur
CareerJuly 26, 2023How to Become a Business Intelligence Analyst in Nigeria
Business InsightsMay 17, 2023Top 8 Direct Marketing Strategies for Nigerian Business Owners