Direct response marketing, also known as DRTV marketing, is an effective way to advertise products and gain new customers. We are focusing on gaining new customers and building existing customer through other communication channels besides just TV. An all-in-one direct response marketing solution enables you to achieve strong customer relationships through efficient communication processes.

Engage Customers When They're Not Watching Direct Response TV

In order to build long-lasting and loyal customer relationships, you need to connect with your customers even if they are not currently watching your direct response TV ads. Once effective way to build and maintain this ongoing relationship is by providing personalized emails. Emails are able to be automatically personalized for each customer based on their purchase history and personal preferences.

With marketing automation, each customer's individual interactions are tracked and recorded in their personal profile. This enables the solution to send personally targeted campaigns to each customer. This increases the chance that a customer will make a purchase and it also increases the amount they will spend.

Create email messages using a pre-made template. Messages are sent out automatically based on your specification. Customers receive messages that are relevant to their own needs and interests. After each automated email campaign, review the reports that are generated to see how effective your messages are.

Provide Highly Personalized Messages Based on Each Customer's Purchase History

Personalized messages that are targeted to each customer based on their own needs are more effective than mass messages. When they are receiving a personally targeted message, a customer is more likely to open and read the message, make a purchase and spend more on the purchase than if they get a non-personalized message.

Marketing automation makes it possible for any business, even a small business, to personalize their customer messages and ongoing marketing campaigns. You can have emails automatically sent out that include personalized messages and offers for each of your customers.

How does this process work? Your automated direct response TV marketing solution collects data from each of your customers and dynamically updates each of their personal profiles. The solution stores data about each customer's past purchases, activity and history on your website, personal preferences, personal information such as age and location and all other relevant information that is available. It uses this information to send out messages that are based on each customer's personal needs and interests.

Create Simple Online Signup Forms

An online signup form is a very simple way to gain opt-in subscribers for your text message marketing campaigns and email marketing campaigns. As you know, there are very strict rules around who you can and cannot send messages to. If you gather all your subscribers through a signup form, your marketing automation solution will automatically collect and organize all subscriber data. It will store all relevant data in each contact's personal profile.

Having all contact information organized, including the date and way that customers signed up, means that it is readily available if you ever need to prove that you had consent to send your messages. If one of your contacts ever reports you as a spammer or tries to pursue legal action, you can easily access the contact information in their personal profile to prove that they did indeed sign up and that you did not send them messages inappropriately.

Create a signup form using a pre-made template, which makes the process very simple. Then take the signup form and place it on your website and your social media pages. This enables visitors to quickly and easily sign up to receive your messages. How do you get people to sign up, besides providing a signup form? List a few of the most powerful benefits right beside the signup form, for example: "Receive exclusive weekly promotions and bonus discounts". If you can provide this in a video form, that is even more engaging. If visitors are contemplating signing up, this information may help convince them.

Offer Exclusive Text Message Promotions

Text messages are a very immediate way to connect with your customers. Most text messages are opened within five minutes of being received, while emails may be missed or deleted and calls may go unanswered. Because of their instant nature, text messages are ideal for coupons, limited time promotions and contests.

Tie your automated text message campaigns in with your ongoing direct response TV ads. Tell viewers to text in to receive a special coupon that they can use for an exclusive additional discount. Just like with email, customers need to subscribe in order for you to be able to send to them. Otherwise you may face fines.

In order to make it worthwhile for your customers to subscribe to your text message and email campaigns, you need to offer exclusive promotions that are only available by subscribing. You can send out a new campaign each week or each month. Test different send frequencies in order to see which frequency gets the best response from your customers.

Exclusive promotions build excitement and loyalty. They make it more likely that customers will make a purchase. Encouraging customers to sign up for promotional campaigns also keeps them updated on new products and special seasonal offers, which is covered in the next point.

Email Customers Updates on New Direct Response TV Products

In your monthly emails, keep customers updated on your new products and new lines. Emails are a great way to convey new information because you have a lot of content space to work with. You can include links to video product demonstrations, customer reviews, images and diagrams for new products, instruction manuals and more.

As well as explaining and marketing your new products, include a special deal or promotion to encourage customers to try out the new product.

Interest New Potential Customers on Your Direct Response TV Social Media Pages

Social media is a great way to reach out to new customers. It is also effective for keeping your current customers connected when they are not actually watching your direct response TV ads. Before purchasing a product, many people will check out a company's social media pages in addition to their website. This is a public space where you have the opportunity to really highlight your unique products, your friendly staff and your growing company.

Social media posting is very easily automated. With a marketing automation solution, you create a series of automated social media posts in advance. Your messages post over time according to your specifications. After each message is posted, you can then view detailed reports to see which posts got the most interaction so you can improve your future posts. The automated solution keeps your social media pages up to date and shows customers that you are active.

Here are just a few of the marketing tasks you can accomplish on your social media pages.

• Build customer loyalty by posting real customer reviews. It is fine to self-promote your products, but it always sounds better if the information comes from an unbiased third party. Customers trust reviews from other customers, building loyalty and increasing the chance that they will make a purchase of your products or services.
• In addition to posting positive reviews, also post a negative review or a review with a critique of a product every once in a while. Include a polite and informative message that tells other customers how you are dealing with the issue. This shows that you are focused on excellent customer service and that you will stand behind your products. If the fault is due to customer error, let the customer know how they can fix the issue by providing a link to complete instructions. If the fault is due to the product, offer free shipping for the customer to return the product and a free replacement.
• Post product videos that show how new and current products work. Comparison videos are especially effective to show customers how your product is more effective than another similar product. Videos are likely to be shared on social media, spreading your message much wider than you ever could just by posting it on your pages. Videos also create a personal connection with your customers. They engage visitors to your social media
• In addition to videos, other types of visual content are also very engaging and likely to be shared on social media. This can include pictures of your staff and of real customers using your products. Infographics are another very popular visual content item. An infographic presents tidbits of information in a visual layout so it is more interesting than just tweeting or posting text. Infographics are easy to create and distribute.
• Contests are one of the best and most popular ways to use social media. Contests really give your customers the chance to interact and get involved. This builds customer engagement in a fun way, and it's a great way to spotlight your customers. Ask customers to send in pictures or videos of themselves using a product for a chance to win an awesome new product or a gift basket of accompanying items. Try to avoid asking customers to simply retweet or like your posts for a chance to win. There are strict rules on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms around these types of contests and you may be banned if you are not following the rules properly. Also, simply clicking "like" or "retweet" is not very engaging. It gets your message shared to a wider audience but it does not build interaction or get customers truly involved.

Provide Instant and Direct Online Answers to Customers

When people are browsing your website, often they have questions about products or delivery time. When people call in, they face long wait times and it also wastes your staff's time. Online live chat on your website is an ideal way to answer customers' questions very quickly and efficiently. Our own live chat solution is called EngagerLive and it is free for all users. Add a single line of code to your website and you're all set.

Start providing instant answers to your customers while they're on your site. Advertise this functionality in your direct response TV ads. "Visit our website now to chat live with a customer service representative! We will answer all your questions and provide quick service."

Try Automated Direct Response TV Marketing for Free

Connecting with your customers through consistent, personalized messages keeps your customers connected even when they're not watching your direct response TV ads. Sign up for a 14 day free trial of SimplyCast 360, our automated direct response TV marketing solution. Our team is always here to give you a free demo so you can explore all the possibilities of automated marketing.