With changes in the buying pattern of consumers and a shift in consumer preference over the years, ATL marketing activities have been taken over by BTL and TTL activities. Unlike ATL or above the line advertising, BTL marketing activities include direct marketing, mail campaigns, trade shows, sponsorship, personal selling, etc. and in this sort of a marketing strategy, products are promoted on a more personal level, thereby giving businesses in dept and clear understanding of consumer, needs, wants and wishes and also reducing various channel and intermediary cost. Therefore BTL marketing activities are said to be less cheap than ATL activities.

Now that we are aware of the term BTL, here is a list of the 3 most widely used BTL marketing activities as a means for brand promotion:

  1. Direct marketing:Unlike the traditional form of marketing wherein goods or services are channelized via TV, newspapers, or radio to the general public, direct marketing is different. Direct marketing aims to target customers individually. Unlike a TV ad that is directed to one and all, direct marketing advertisement asks customers to respond in a certain way and most often individually. For e.g. calling a free phone number, visiting a website, by mail order or telephone selling etc., rather than selling through retailers or distributors. Direct marketing is also known as direct response advertising.

Advantages of direct marketing:

  • Helps build relationship with customer base
  • Increase sales
  • Test product or service appeal via response
  • Marketing on limited budget possible
  1. Direct mail: Another popular form of BTL marketing activity is Direct mail. The Direct mail activity has gained tremendous outreach amongst both customers and manufacturers because of the level of interaction and connection these techniques have gained. This technique involves the delivery of promotional material to particularly named individuals or families at their homes or office address, selected from a list of known customers, the companies are aware of. But a very big disadvantage associated with this sort of mail is, majority of individuals simply discard or disregard such mail when they receive them.

Advantages of direct mail

  • Personalized way of promoting a business
  • Extensive geographic outreach
  • A significant amount of information can be conveyed
  • Cost-effective
  1. Trade fairs and exhibitions: Another widely preferred BTL marketing activity for brand promotion is Trade fairs or Exhibitions. Trade fairs or exhibitions are an ideal platform for both buyer and seller to meet face to face and discuss both the product and service offering in hand and the current market trends and study competitor activity. Participating in the right trade fair and doing it at least two times a year, not only makes you a common name in the industry but also helps you reach out to your target audience, therefore, offering opportunities for collaborations and joint ventures amongst firms of the same or related industry.

Advantages:

  • Ideal platform to showcase new products and elicit responses from potential customers
  • Increase brand awareness
  • Immediate sales made possible
  • Gain customer insight and study customer behavior at a relatively cheaper cost.

Now that we are acquainted with the top 3 BTL marketing activities, here are 5 advantages associated with it:

BTL activities help create direct Point of Contact between Customers & Brands

  • Generates Brand Awareness
  • Reach out to Target Audience
  • Enhance Brand Visibility
  • Build Brand Credibility