Download Advantages of Direct Vs. Indirect Marketing

Advantages of Direct Vs. Indirect Marketing
by Ann Bransom, Demand Media
For a typical small business, a healthy marketing plan will include both direct and
indirect forms of marketing.
George Doyle/Stockbyte/Getty Images
Generally, the ways you can market your products or services can be sorted into two
distinct categories: direct and indirect. Direct marketing involves any marketing strategy
that targets a demographic for the purpose of making a sale at that time. Indirect
marketing refers to marketing strategies that aim to establish a business as an expert in
its field and build a following that will convert to sales over time. Both have advantages
and disadvantages.
Advantages of Direct Marketing
Direct marketing strategies make the desired sale obvious to the customer. Examples of
direct marketing include mailers, telemarketing calls and coupons. Since the sales pitch
is obvious to consumers, one of the advantages of direct marketing is that it typically
works quickly. That is, you either get the sale or your don't at the time of the marketing
pitch. This also makes these techniques highly measurable, another advantage to direct
marketing.
Internet Marketing
Disadvantages of Direct Marketing
In light of how immediate the payoff is for effective direct marketing, the mediums used
for direct marketing can be more expensive than those for indirect marketing. Television
ads, large-scale direct mailings and contracting telemarketers can be costly, particularly
for smaller businesses that haven't done extensive market research before launching a
campaign. Furthermore, consumers may perceive heavy-handed direct marketing as too
pushy, turning them off to your company.
Advantages of Indirect Marketing
Indirect marketing refers to marketing strategies that offer potential customers benefits
outside of the product or service your company is offering, such as entertainment or
expertise in your field. Examples of indirect marketing include blogging and social
media. One advantage to this technique is that potential customers are invited to
engage at the level they feel comfortable, so you can avoid hard-selling tactics. These
techniques also tend to be inexpensive.
Disadvantages of Indirect Marketing
Because indirect marketing relies on building relationships and trust, these marketing
strategies can take a long time to start working. Another disadvantage to indirect
marketing is that it can be difficult to measure. For example, you could measure the
number of Twitter followers your company has, but that doesn't necessarily translate
into sales. Finally, indirect marketing techniques rely heavily on content generation and
creativity, something your company may not have the resources to handle.
ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION: (AFTER YOU READ THIS
ARTICLE)
1. What is Direct Marketing?
2. What is Indirect Marketing?
3. List 2 Advantages of Direct Marketing
4. List 2 Disadvantages of Direct Marketing
5. List 2 Advantages of Indirect Marketing
6. List 2 Disadvantages of Indirect Marketing