Direct vs. Indirect Marketing: How to Approach Your Customers

Written by: Advantage IM
July 16, 2019

The term “direct marketing” typically makes people think of door-to-door sales and similar up-close-and-personal techniques, and they aren’t far off. Direct marketing is a more upfront and straightforward approach to growing your business, while indirect marketing uses a more gentle and refined course of action.

Let’s take a look at both and discuss the success of each so you can find out which marketing style(s) your business should be using!

Direct Marketing

The Idea

In simple terms, direct marketing the act of asking the customer to purchase from you. Sure, just walking around waving your products in peoples’ faces is pretty direct, but in order to be successful, this style of marketing does need some planning and strategizing.

The Benefits

• Garners attention and interest from prospects
• Quickly generates more leads and sales
• Allows for closer interactions between business and customers

The Dangers

• Can feel like spam
• Some customers are turned off by direct marketing approaches
• Often ignored by younger generations

The Methods

The most common and successful direct marketing strategies include: sales calls, print ads, email campaigns, social media ads, and mail fliers.

Indirect Marketing

The Idea

Indirect marketing approaches the customer in a softer way and focuses on establishing brand awareness and trust before obtaining the sale. Instead of an in-your-face approach, businesses attempt to evoke feelings of familiarity and connection from potential customers.

The Benefits

• Builds brand loyalty
• Customers don’t feel bombarded or spammed
• Less costly to run and manage

The Dangers

• Sales don’t happen as quickly
• Less one-on-one time with customers to address their needs
• Can sometimes be more difficult to track its effectiveness

The Methods

The most common and successful indirect marketing strategies include: search engine optimization (SEO), blogging, online reviews, social media posting, and customer referrals.

It’s important for your business to use both direct and indirect marketing methods in order to achieve the most growth and success. The specific methods you use from each category depends on your business itself: the industry, your customers’ demographics, the current market, etc. But how do you know what strategies you should be using now?

Let Us Run Your Business’s Direct & Indirect Marketing

Our company is here to spearhead online marketing for your business in order for it to grow to new heights. As shown above, online marketing stretches across both direct and indirect marketing plains, and our team stays consistently up-to-date on the latest online trends, algorithms, and successful strategies that other businesses are using to see significant sales growth.

Reach out to one of the friendly and knowledgeable professionals at Advantage Internet Marketing for more information on how we can optimize your business’s direct and indirect online marketing today!