Hey guys! Welcome to the first part of our three-part series on the three different forms of marketing!
Today we’ll be writing about Below-The-Line marketing, what it is, and why it’s a form of marketing that is used quite a lot.
So first things first, what is Below-The-Line marketing? Well, Below-The-Line (BTL) marketing is a form of advertisement (which was first used as far back as 1954) where products are promoted through media or in person, rather than mainstream media. So BTL advertisements wouldn’t go on radio, television, billboards, print, or film formats (this is called Above-The-Line marketing). BTL advertisements are more personalized, and include marketing methods such as: direct mailing, social media marketing, tradeshows, catalogues, and targeted search engine marketing. This is meant to target specific groups of people and just focusing on them. This is best for conversations and direct responses. Along with BTL being more personal, it is also less expensive than Above-The-Line marketing (read about ATL in our next blog post).
So what does a BTL campaign look like? There are plenty of ways that you could create a BTL campaign, but for this, we’ll talk about a simple one that everyone sees every day. In-Store product demonstrations. This is where a company will set up a booth to introduce a new product that they will be selling in the place that they have set up. There will be a person behind the booth to show potential and current customers just how the new product works. This allows the customers to investigate the new product themselves and get the answers to their questions by people who know the product well.
But there are other ways you can run a BTL campaign too.
- Targeted Online Marketing
This is when a company will target a specific demographic online. Whether it be their job occupation (i.e. a teacher would get a targeted ad of white board markers), or their age group. - Direct Mailing
We know the age of the internet has changed the times of how we communicate, but there is still an entire generation that doesn’t understand how it works, or even use the internet. Which is why sending out catalogues and postcards directly to people’s houses still works. There are people who are still happy to receive mailed advertisements. - Face-To-Face Trade Shows
Now this is a bit different. This is when a business wants to present a new product via local chambers of commerce. A chamber of commerce is a form of business network where a local organization of business makes its goal to further the interests of businesses. So an example of this looks like a bank holding a mortgage seminar to explain how it works and how to get a mortgage.
Now there are many ways to do BTL, and no one way is correct. It’s important to use multiple strategies as one could possibly not work at all and another could bring in majority of the campaign’s success.
And what makes BTL better than ATL? So Above-The-Line marketing is meant to reach the masses, with a widespread of different media tactics. So as an example, during the NBA finals, there are commercials presented during the breaks that reach tens of millions of people, but not all of them are part of the target audience. This usually costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to air. Whereas BTL is meant to reach a specific target audience, and is therefore cheaper. A BTL campaign would conduct extensive research beforehand to identify a target niche of consumers who are willing to purchase the product. Once this research is done, a BTL advertisement reaches its consumers in a more personal and direct manner.
Why choose BTL? Well, the biggest advantage is that it has lower costs. BTL ads can be made low cost and your budget for it can be scaled up or down. These methods are easier to track conversions with intended consumers (such as clicks on links, or search engine marketing), whereas with ATL, its harder to gage overall impact. This helps to foster meaningful relationships with customers and superior customer engagement.
So to break it down, here’s 7 reasons why you should be using BTL:
- There is a direct point of contact between customers and brands, which allows customers to feel more of a connection with a brand.
- It creates brand awareness, but in a more focused way.
- It reaches your specific target audience, and it’s easier to generate into sales.
- It helps your brand stand out, as you can show your customers the specific ways you want to reach out to them.
- It helps to build brand credibility, as customers are able to ask questions and get direct responses immediately.
- It creates an impact on the audience, which makes customers more dedicated to the brand.
- It enables your audience to feel your product out, and to see firsthand how it works.
And that’s BTL! Tune in bi-weekly for our three-part series on marketing. The next article will be discussing Above-The-Love marketing.
