What does direct marketing involve?

Direct marketing is characterized by direct communication between a seller and an individual customer, allowing for personalized and targeted messaging. This approach enables businesses to engage with potential customers one-on-one, fostering relationships and responding to preferences and behaviors more effectively.

In direct marketing, the emphasis is on reaching consumers directly through various channels, such as email, postal mail, phone calls, or even text messages. This method allows marketers to convey specific offers or information tailored to the recipient, which can lead to higher conversion rates compared to more generalized marketing efforts.

The other options present different marketing strategies that do not fit the definition of direct marketing. Indirect selling through third-party retailers involves intermediaries, which dilutes the direct relationship between the seller and the customer. Online advertising through social media is often more mass-oriented and may not focus on individual interactions, while mass marketing techniques concentrate on broad audiences rather than personalized communication. Thus, the core essence of direct marketing lies in building a direct dialogue, making the chosen answer the most accurate representation of the concept.