PR agencies don’t often look to Direct Marketing as a communication vehicle of choice, but there is much that each marketing discipline can do for the other.
For example in a B2C product marketing environment, where the PR effort is often directed at product placement in key consumer publications, the primary objective is usually to get eyes on products and raise brand awareness. But a secondary objective can also be added; that of generating records for a direct marketing database.
All PR activity could be accompanied by a dedicated phone number for receiving more information, which is directed to a call centre where data is then collected and added to a direct marketing database. Alternatively PR activity could always quote a website address, and the front page of the site could be designed to show a prominent data capture feature.
This would then create a further benefit from the PR activity of building a DM database for future use, which helps PR agencies by providing further justification for the investment in their services.
There are also other examples of ways in which PR and Direct Marketing can support each other.
For example in the event of a PR disaster for your business, direct marketing can be used to help keep existing customers and contacts on board and overcome negative perceptions of your brand.
This is because direct marketing allows you the opportunity to talk with your audience individually on a one to one basis, providing the ideal way to get your point across in your own words without interruption or interference.
These are just a few examples of direct marketing can be easily incorporated into any marketing mix.