Marketing is a multifaceted process, and there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for all businesses. Each business operates with its unique budget, goals, and target audience. Effective business plan writers typically incorporate a combination of both direct and indirect marketing strategies tailored to the specific needs and characteristics of the company. The two types of practices differ when it comes to the nature of the message and the way you reach the target audience. Having a good understanding of the core of both practices can transform the marketing efforts of your local business for the better, and that is exactly what this guide will help you with.
Direct Vs. Indirect Marketing
As you can tell from the name, direct marketing is a strategy that directly addresses an audience, without any intermediaries. It includes channels like text messages, letters, and telemarketing, and the activities are usually aimed at specific segments of the entire target audience.
On the other hand, indirect marketing refers to a set of practices with a broader messaging style that captures all segments of your target audience at once, and sometimes they even include some individuals on the edge of the audience group. The best examples of indirect marketing activities are SEO, reviews, royalty programs, influencer, content, and social media marketing.
The Benefits of Indirect Marketing
In the era when the inboxes of consumers are flooded with new emails on a daily basis, it is smart to find a subtle way to remind your prospects about the products and services of your business. Indirect marketing relies largely on online content and other media, which makes it much harder to annoy consumers even if you decide to boost your efforts and branch out to multiple channels. In fact, indirect marketing can actually help you build a strong customer base with a high loyalty potential. For instance, if you invest time and effort in creating a blog with helpful and informative content, people will continue to visit it, and after a while, they will create some sort of relationship with your business.
This strategy is used by companies from all corners of the world, and Etsy, a well-known New York-based e-commerce business is one of them. Even though Etsy had to overcome the challenge of incorporating all of the product categories into its blog while staying true to its identity, it managed to create a diverse platform where consumers of all interests can gather and get inspired.
Are SEO and Branding Best Practices in Indirect Marketing?
SEO is definitely one of the most favored online course marketing strategies among local businesses, and there are brands that really nailed it when it comes to their efforts to rank high in search engine results. Nike, for example, is a large scale-brand with localized stores in cities like Miami, San Diego, New York, and many others, and they continue making an effort to keep the customers engaged by using a strong keyword strategy paired with attractive photos that are bound to stimulate the curiosity of each visitor. Learning from such large companies can help you develop a variety of SEO strategies on your own, especially if you own a local business in a small town with fewer competitors. However, if you’re looking to compete in a big city such as Miami, you should consider reaching out to a professional marketing agency such as Hansa Global where you can get a personalized strategy for your local business.
Another great example is the involvement of influencers which was embraced by the companies like Audible and Adidas in order to raise brand awareness. Also, the above-mentioned content marketing is largely used by a number of businesses including Coca-Cola, Equinox, as well as Kimpton Hotels with venues in major cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, New York, Miami, and many more.
The Value of Direct Marketing
The main benefit of direct marketing is the fact it can bring fast and efficient results. If you have a good understanding of who exactly your target audience consists of, you can figure out where they spend most of their time and reach out to them with personalized messaging. For example, you may know that the subscribers on your email list have different preferences and interests, you can segment the list in a way that will allow you to send out relevant content to each one of them.
Therefore, it is clear that direct marketing allows you to entice the prospects to make a purchase immediately, instead of just making an effort for them to keep your business in mind. On top of that, direct marketing is also cost-efficient, since it eliminates the involvement of middlemen and allows you to communicate with the consumers directly. Plus, it allows for precisely measurable results where you can usually track the campaigns in real time.
Real Direct Marketing Strategies
PPC advertising is one of the most prominent direct marketing strategies and companies from all sorts of industries get involved in it, mainly on Google, Facebook, and Instagram. And what’s even more interesting, some brands pair PPC with some more traditional advertising methods. For instance, Burger King, a fast-food conglomerate headquartered in Miami, relies much of its efforts on social media PPC ads, while they continue to entice customers in physical stores with attractive discount coupons. As for other direct strategies, email marketing ranks pretty high, even though it can easily become spammy when done without care. However, brands from all over the world swear to its efficiency, and 89% of marketers consider email marketing to be their primary channel when it comes to actionable lead generation.
Both direct and direct marketing have their valuable benefits, and it is up to you to evaluate which strategies work out the best for your business. The majority of companies choose to combine the two categories in order to maximize their results. That way, they can enjoy the immediate benefits of direct efforts while they wait for the indirect strategies to develop and turn into measurable outcomes.
