Dialogue Marketing

Since the 1950s, marketing strategists have stopped thinking of the consumer as the recipient of advertising. In fact, more important than the message sent to the client is the feedback. Already other classic forms of direct advertising, such as targeted advertising letters or direct mail catalogs, are addressed personally to customers and ask them to contact them. Dialogue with consumers helps attract new interested audiences and strengthen relationships with existing customers.

Sending targeted advertisements is an increasingly important trend in the marketing world. Especially now, in the Internet age, dialogue is a greater necessity than reply letters, pre-set forms for placing orders, subscriptions or even direct telephone services. Interactive customer relationships show their full potential. In this article, we will discuss Conversation Marketing in the context of e-commerce.

What is Dialogue Marketing?

Dialogue Marketing is a discipline of Direct Marketing, but in colloquial speech it is increasingly used to the detriment of the latter. While classic Direct Marketing focuses primarily on dialogue with customers, Dialogue Marketing reaches the next level, that is, the mutual exchange of information between the bidder and the consumer. The definition of a Marketing Dialogue looks something like this:

Dialogue Marketing is the epitome of any marketing initiative that uses the media to establish interactive relationships with people. The goal of Dialog Marketing is to evoke a measurable and individual reaction (technical term: response) in the subjects to whom the message is addressed.

Addressing individual clients, Dialogue Marketing presents the historical development of commercial distribution, from mass marketing to niche marketing. Today, target groups are reduced to individual users. Instead of advertising campaigns that follow the principle of giving to all customers stored in their own database, individuals reach out one by one through various conversation-oriented communication channels.

With the growing importance of online channel marketing, both sales and customer support are placing dialogue at the center of commercial distribution. "Dialogue Marketing" has become a general term that today includes classic "Direct Marketing" activities such as broadcast advertising and telephone sales. This shift in focus has led to changes in the world of work in terms of job openings and the creation of new professionals.

How Dialogue Marketing works

In Dialogue Marketing, advertising and sales professionals focus on the interests and needs of potential customers, who are approached with offers of products or services tailored to each individual, thus creating better customer relationships. To do this, we mainly use advertising channels that allow users to respond and therefore allow us to study the customer's response. For example, you might be interested in a customer who spontaneously calls a direct line service, clicks on an online ad, or scans a QR code using their mobile phone camera.

The scope of interaction opportunities varies significantly depending on the means of communication. While promotional tools such as coupons or sweepstakes only lead to dialogue, the concept can be fully understood by talking to customers on the phone or at trade shows.

The most common Dialog Marketing tools:

• Advertising broadcasts are addressed in whole or in part;
• E-mail marketing (newsletter);
• Telephone marketing (inbound/outbound);
• Loyalty cards and programs and reward programs;
• Customer magazines, information brochures and mail-order catalogues;
• Couponing (online / offline);
• Search engine marketing (SEA);
• Online advertising (content advertising/media advertising);
• Classic advertising with an element of response;
• TV or radio commercials with a response element;
• Profiles on social networks;
• Company or product websites;
• Exhibitions;
• Selection or sampling.

To be able to engage in dialogue with customers, you must make responding to advertising as simple as possible. Thus, typical response elements are telephone helplines or open-ended written responses. Dialogue Marketing often focuses on economic incentives to elicit customer responses. Classic sales strategies:

• Discounts when sending coupons;
• Money back guarantee;
• Early bird offers (that is, offers at competitive prices for early arrivals);
• Recommendation through friends and acquaintances. 

Response elements allow you to measure the success of promotional activities through customer feedback and therefore improve them if they are not performing well enough. So, for example, a money-back guarantee for your customers that shows your intent to create a trusting relationship also informs you whether a particular product is satisfying customers. A current customer who attracts new customers from their circle of friends is an important indicator of satisfaction and trust.