5 Effective Direct Marketing Tips for Sales Teams

Direct marketing is valuable for reaching a wider audience and building your brand reputation. It helps you send personalized direct messages to target markets, fostering robust customer relationships and increasing brand awareness.

Knowing how to use direct marketing requires a deep understanding of your target audience across different mediums, which can be challenging and time-consuming.

In this article, you’ll learn how to use direct marketing. We explain what direct marketing involves, the different types of direct marketing and how to avoid common pitfalls to ensure success.

What is direct marketing?

The process bypasses intermediaries like retailers or mass media channels that broadcast to a broad and general audience. Instead, direct marketing delivers targeted messages to a specific audience, prompting an immediate response or action.

For example, you could encourage consumers to purchase, sign up for a service or engage with your brand.

What are the different types of direct marketing?

Let’s explore some of the different types of direct marketing and when to use them. We’ll also cover some real direct marketing examples for inspiration.

1. Email marketing

Email marketing is a common form of direct marketing. It involves sending targeted email newsletters, promotions or personalized offers to prospects or customers. For example, you could share a unique discount for someone using a free version of your service.

Take a look at this email from Grammarly as an example. It encourages subscribers to upgrade from its free service to the Pro option with a 50% discount:

Here are some examples of when to use direct email marketing campaigns:

• Nurturing leads through sales funnels. Guide leads through the sales process with timely and personalized content, nurturing them until they’re ready to buy

• Sharing updates on products or services. Announce product launches or updates directly to customers, informing them about your offerings and encouraging them to purchase

• Re-engaging inactive leads or customers. Send personalized messages or special offers to reignite interest and remind customers of your value

How to do direct email marketing in Pipedrive

Use Pipedrive to send personalized, automated emails to leads and prospects.

Start by integrating with your chosen email provider, Gmail or Outlook, then go to the automation tab in your Pipedrive dashboard.

Create an email automation by selecting a trigger event to prompt email dispatch. For example, if someone signs up for your newsletter or adds items to their online shopping cart.

Here’s the selection of trigger options:

Draft the email so it’s ready to send when a lead or prospect carries out the trigger. Here’s how the empty email template appears in Pipedrive:

In this template, you can add:

• The “To” field

• The email subject line

• The sending email address in the “From” field

• Any CC and BCC emails, if necessary

• An email signature

Learn more in our guide on how to create automated emails in Pipedrive.

2. SMS marketing

SMS marketing involves sending concise, time-sensitive text messages to recipients’ mobile phones. It puts your messages in their hands, boosting engagement and building trust.

Over 60% of business owners and marketing managers say text marketing produces higher customer engagement. In addition, 53.5% say it produces higher open and click-through rates than other channels.

Take a look at this example of SMS marketing from Twilio:

Following up after an abandoned cart encourages consumers to revisit the website and complete the purchase. Adding the link to the site makes it even easier to complete the sale.

Here are some other examples of when to use SMS marketing:

• Delivering urgent updates or reminders. SMS ensures timely notifications, like limited-time offers or order updates, get seen as quickly as possible

• Reaching customers on the go. Text messages are perfect for busy customers who might miss emails but often check their phones

• Re-engaging with warm leads. Sending personalized texts to warm leads helps reignite interest

3. Telemarketing (phone calls)

Telemarketing includes direct interaction with prospects over the phone to introduce products, follow up on past communication or close sales. For example, a sales rep calls a warm lead to discuss custom pricing options.

Here’s how that conversation might sound:

Here are some situations where telemarketing is an ideal choice:

• Building rapport with high-value leads. Phone calls allow for personalized, real-time interactions that establish trust and connections with prospects

• Qualifying leads before meetings. A quick call can determine if a prospect is a good fit and ensure productive meetings

• Recovering leads that didn’t respond to emails or texts. A phone call adds a personal touch that can re-engage prospects who have gone silent

4. Direct mail

Direct mail involves sending physical promotional and marketing materials to consumers. For example, you could send a brochure and handwritten note to a decision-maker at a targeted company.

The note thanks the decision-maker for reviewing the brochure and provides contact details for the sales rep. The process increases brand awareness and builds trust with consumers.

This type of direct marketing creates a tangible, personalized connection with customers. It also helps you stand out from competitors. When so much communication is digital, hard copies cut through the noise. Here are some examples of when to use direct mail marketing:

• Engaging with high-value accounts. Sending tailored packages or materials to key accounts adds a personal touch that builds stronger relationships

• Offering tangible experiences. Physical product samples allow customers to interact with your product in a way digital outreach can’t match

• Thanking clients or prospects with personalized gifts or notes. A thoughtful, handwritten note or gift sent through the mail leaves a positive impression, encouraging loyalty and repeat purchases

5. Social media direct messages

Social media messaging involves communicating with leads and prospects through LinkedIn, Instagram or Facebook. These messages allow you to send personalized, one-on-one communication to a consumer’s inbox.

Take a look at the below LinkedIn message as an example:

The message encourages the consumer to sign up for the course in a personal and casual way. It’s less pressure than a lengthy email detailing the course’s ins and outs. As a result, the consumer is more likely to trust the sender and learn more about the course.

Here are some other scenarios when messaging on social media platforms is a useful direct marketing tactic:

• Following up after social media interactions. Messaging someone who liked or commented on your post keeps the conversation going and builds rapport

• Prospecting and connecting with decision-makers. Social media messaging allows you to bypass traditional gatekeepers and reach the right person

• Following up after engaging with a prospect’s post or comment. A thoughtful message referencing recent content shows genuine interest and opens the door for dialogue

6. Paid search ads

Paid search (or pay-per-click) ads are a form of paid online advertising that appears when users search for solutions on search engines like Google. A business only pays for the ad placement when someone clicks the link.

For example, when searching “best accounting software for SMBs” on Google, Xero appears at the top of the page:

The ad puts Xero at the forefront of the user’s search, helping them reach a relevant demographic. Xero pays for the ad if the user clicks the link and heads to their website.

Here are some other examples of when paid search is helpful for business:

• Capturing high-intent leads. Paid search targets users searching for specific solutions, making it ideal for converting ready-to-buy prospects

• Reaching prospects searching for a competitor’s offerings. Targeting competitor keywords allows you to attract and convert users who are considering alternative options

• Attracting customers during peak seasons for your product or service. Paid search helps capitalize on seasonal demand by placing your products in front of customers at the right time

7. Retargeted ads

Retargeted ads “follow” users who visited your site or interacted with your brand online. For example, if someone visits your website, a retargeted ad appears on another website to remind them of your product or service.

Say you visit Sage’s website to learn more about their small business accounting software. The next day, you head to Facebook and see this ad:

The ad reminds you of the service, encouraging you to return to the site and continue on the customer journey.

Here are some other scenarios where retargeting is a useful direct marketing technique:

• Staying top-of-mind with warm leads. Retargeting keeps your brand visible to leads who already showed interest, increasing the chance of conversion

• Offering promotions or lead magnets to re-engage prospects. Serve ads with exclusive discounts or valuable resources to bring prospects back into your sales funnel

• Reinforcing brand awareness during long sales cycles. Consistently retargeting ads ensures your brand stays familiar and credible over extended buying processes

8. Door-to-door marketing

In door-to-door marketing, sales reps visit homes or businesses to promote products or services, provide information or generate leads.

For example, a local solar energy provider might promote solar panel installations to specific neighborhoods that fit their ideal customer profile (ICP). The sales rep visits potential buyers at their homes, shares details about the product and provides them with information on signing up.

This type of direct marketing isn’t as common as it used to be, likely because digital marketing has grown in popularity. However, building rapport with potential buyers is still valuable.

Although face-to-face conversation isn’t as prevalent in outreach today, it sets you apart from competitors. Here are a couple of examples when door-to-door marketing is beneficial:

• Introducing a new product or service to a specific community. Door-to-door outreach generates awareness and excitement in targeted areas where your offering is most relevant. For example, a home security company could visit neighborhoods with recent break-ins.

• Targeting higher-value customers who may need more persuasion. Personal visits allow you to deliver tailored pitches and build confidence in customers considering more significant investments.

How to overcome direct marketing challenges

Direct marketing has a lot of benefits, like personalization, building rapport and nurturing leads.

However, there are some disadvantages to be aware of. Let’s examine the challenges and how to overcome them.

High costs

Some direct marketing campaigns (like direct mail or door-to-door) can be expensive. The costs of printing, postage and travel all add up, not to mention the time-consuming aspect.

To counteract the costs, focus your direct marketing strategy on high-value prospects to maximize your return on investment. Prioritize door-to-door marketing for high-value or warm leads and use digital marketing methods (like direct messaging or paid ads) for low-value or cold leads. Combining digital and in-person methods can be more cost-effective and less time-intensive.

Negative brand perception

Direct marketing can feel intrusive. Constant unsolicited emails, phone calls or door-to-door visits can be overwhelming and frustrating.

To minimize frustration and prevent resistance, personalize your direct communications. When consumers receive personalized communications, it feels less like receiving a mass email or text message. It’s more personal, softening communication and making recipients more likely to engage.

Use customer segmentation and tailored messaging to make the communication relevant to each prospect. With Pipedrive’s sales CRM, for example, you can organize lead segments by:

• Location

• Buyer behavior

• Touchpoints

• Communication history

Use this customer data to create tailored messaging that nurtures leads.

Lack of measurable insights

Some direct marketing solutions, such as direct mail, phone calls and door-to-door marketing, make tracking performance and return on investment (ROI) difficult. Without these insights, it’s hard to know if your efforts are paying off.

However, you can use trackable elements like unique URLs, discount codes or phone numbers to trace response rates. Add these tools to catalogs to understand whether your efforts help the business.

5 tips for direct marketing success

Take a look at these tips on how to use direct marketing effectively.

1. Use omnichannel strategies

An omnichannel approach combines direct marketing channels like email, phone calls and social media to reach prospects throughout the buying journey.

For example, you could send a personalized email to introduce your product, follow up with a phone call to answer questions and use retargeting ads on LinkedIn to keep your brand in mind.

This process creates a seamless and consistent customer experience across all platforms and touchpoints. As a result, you’re more likely to convert leads into sales.

You must use the right channels at the right time to implement an omnichannel strategy. Here’s how:

• Understand customer preferences. Identify which channels your target audience uses most to reach them where they’re most active.

• Align channels with the buying journey. Use different channels at each stage to guide prospects through the funnel. Email works for initial outreach since it allows for more explanation and detail. Later, use calls for in-depth conversations and social media for ongoing engagement.

• Craft relevant messaging. Tailor your content to address prospects’ specific needs and concerns at each stage of the buying journey, ensuring relevance and value at every touchpoint.

2. Focus on timing and frequency of communication

Be strategic about when and how often you reach out to prospects to avoid overwhelming them with too many marketing messages.

Tracking customer engagement is one of the most effective ways to reach prospects. These insights tell you whether direct marketing works. If engagement levels are low, it could indicate you’re reaching out too often (or too little). You can adjust timing to maximize impact if you notice lulls in engagement.

Use Pipedrive to track engagement levels across marketing communications. Create email engagement notifications, monitor live chats with consumers and use the AI Engagement Score to identify which deals to prioritize.

3. Leverage automation

Automate repetitive tasks like follow-up emails, lead nurturing and appointment scheduling to save time and increase efficiency.

In Pipedrive’s CRM, you can create custom email automations for leads and prospects based on specific triggers, such as signing up for your newsletter.

Instead of manually sending an email to confirm a subscription, the system sends it for you. It’s personal and timely, freeing up your schedule to focus on other work areas like closing deals.

Automation can also help you personalize direct marketing, ensuring leads and prospects receive the right communication at the right time. Say a lead has received:

Using automation, you send a final email reminder about an upcoming demo. Prospects who get this reminder at the right stage of the buying journey are more likely to sign up for the demo.

4. Craft strong calls to action

Ensure every communication has a clear and compelling call to action (CTA). Whether scheduling a call, making a purchase or signing up for a demo, a strong CTA drives action and moves leads through the buying journey.

Here are some tips for creating effective CTAs as part of your direct response marketing strategy:

• Use action words. Encourage immediate action with phrases like “download now”, “book a call” or “claim your offer”

• Make it stand out. Use contrasting colors, bold text or strategic placement to ensure it’s easily visible

• Demonstrate the benefits of clicking. Highlight value by specifying what the user gains, such as “save 20% today” or “access free insights”

5. Monitor and analyze performance

Track metrics such as open rates, click-through rates and conversion rates to assess the effectiveness of your direct marketing campaigns. This process allows you to identify trends, refine targeting and optimize your messaging for better results.

For example, a high open rate but a low click-through rate indicates your email subject lines are effective, but the email content or CTA needs improvement.

Pipedrive lets you track the progress and performance of your marketing efforts in real time. Our insights reports can track your activities and email performance.

Final thoughts

Direct marketing is ideal for building connections with prospects, nurturing leads through the sales funnel and increasing conversions. However, to get the best results, you need to use the right channels, timing and formatting.

Use Pipedrive’s sales CRM to plan and manage your digital direct marketing activity. Schedule emails, use SMS communication and make phone calls to leads and prospects, all from the same system. Sign up for a free trial today.