Telemarketing is a pretty old business. Telemarketing got its start in the 1950s and has not changed much since it began. The laws that govern telemarketing have become stricter, so it has become necessary for the direct marketing industry to change their focus. One of the new avenues of business that telemarketers are getting into is an internet marketing strategy.
The earliest forms of telemarketing were generally used to sell magazine subscriptions to customers through the phone, using a system of database marketing. Gradually, more and more soliciting was done over the phone, until it got to the point that telemarketing calls were being made at all hours of the day and evening. At this point, the government stepped in and started invoking laws for direct marketing so that the telemarketing companies were not able to call as often. This was good for customers, but of course, it was bad for the telemarketing companies. Some of the laws that were imposed on the telemarketing companies encompassed things such as the time when they could call, being required to stop calling if someone asked to be removed from the call list, and introducing the national do not call registry. This enabled people to take themselves off of any telemarketing list, making it illegal to call them for any kind of solicitation. With so many people taking themselves off of the solicitation lists, the telemarketing companies have had to turn to other means of income generation to keep themselves in business. Now, many telemarketing companies are turning to online marketing to keep turning a profit.
The traditional telemarketing sales format is not used in an internet marketing strategy. Some companies are still using outbound telemarketing by having people set up appointments on the phone to be finished later with internet appointments. Another way to bring telemarketing into the future is through the creation of the virtual call center. This saves the telemarketing companies money because people are working from home for a reduced salary, thus reducing their overhead costs. Instead of using database marketing they just use online marketing. People are more likely to visit online advertising than they are to listen to telephone calls.
When the internet was first started, no one knew that it would be used to advertise as much as it is today. Many telemarketing companies are incorporating the idea of a virtual call center into their work strategies. Still other marketing professional companies are getting out of the phone business altogether. It is plain to see that an internet marketing strategy is required for the business of the future.
