E-Communications in Direct Marketing

E-Communication is essential in today’s world. We use it every day, whether it is for business purposes, or just for personal endeavours. It is drilled within our society and it is here to stay. This type of communication involves numerous resources found on the web, such as e-mail systems, websites, social networks, wikis, and many more. It helps to share information and connect people that might be located in different cities, countries, or on the other side of the world in a quick, easy, and usually inexpensive way. It greatly reduces costs, and allows direct markets to approach consumers using different methods.

With the development of new technologies and new channels of communications starting to appear, some of which we might have never dreamed of in the early stages of e-communications. Below is a list of some of the e-communication channels that exist today, including the very basic ones

• E-mail

• Websites/YouTube

• Blogs

• Social Networks (Facebook, Twitter)

• Instant Messaging (Messenger, AOL, Yahoo, etc)

• VOIP Services(Skype)

• Short Messaging Systems (SMS)

(Free eCommunications Guide, 2010)

“Marketing strategies that were successful in the 1980’s cannot be expected to achieve the same results today. Companies that hesitate to adopt new approaches to the market run the risk of losing touch with customer’s altogether” (Cronin,1994, p. 114). This applies to all sectors of marketing, not just intermarketing (internet marketing). A company, or even a salesperson, must be able and willing to adapt to the ever changing culture and technological advancements that come out. Adaptability is one of the key predictors of success for any business.

With the freedom to pick and choose the topic of the website in which your ad can go on, you can now segment your target market with greater ease. “Advertising, the mainstay of most companies’ marketing strategy, was designed to be broadcast to a large number of potential...