Often, direct marketers are placed in the same category as sleazy, pushy snake oil peddlers. A century ago, peddlers would travel from town to town selling their wares with the sole goal of selling as much and as fast as possible in order to leave town quickly, thus avoiding the inevitable wrath of their dissatisfied customers. That stigma still exists today. However, that fear is easily justified. There is no doubt that scamsters exist online.
Markets are more accessible, which makes easy prey easier to find.
But a good dose of credibility-building can make a direct marketer shine. This is where branding comes in. Directional marketing should include various branding elements that are often used in the offline world. Direct marketers with poorly designed, inconsistent looking sites will have a tough time in building repeat and referral sales. Consequently, they may need to spend more dollars and energy upfront on creating new customer relationships.