How Indirect Marketing Works

Intro

To show how indirect marketing works, it is important to start by drawing a distinction between it and direct marketing.

Direct marketing always requires active action. An example of this is the typical email campaign. An email is sent to newsletter subscribers with a specific intention. A particular product is advertised or an attempt is made to generate more clicks on a page. This type of marketing is also called push marketing.

This term has become established because a potential customer is offered something directly. This can work via the email campaign already mentioned, but also with the daily newspaper or classic television advertising. If you do direct marketing, you hope for a certain effect. Customers should buy the product, register on the site or leave a review. The possibilities of this type of advertising are almost unlimited. Direct marketing has the reputation of literally taking the viewer by surprise. If you are watching your favourite film, the advertising comes at exactly the right moment when it is finally getting exciting. Similarly, on the internet, it can quickly happen that a pop-up appears out of nowhere on a page. A particularly unpleasant type of direct advertising is unexpected phone calls.

What Is the Difference Between Direct and Indirect Marketing?

Direct marketing requires the seller to take action, while in indirect advertising, the customer becomes the active party. But how exactly is that possible? An indirect marketing campaign is psychologically smarter and more complex. It entices the customer with small hints and arouses their curiosity. Once they are interested, they will soon want to know more about a product or service.

Take Richard Casino, for example. Instead of aggressively promoting its games and bonuses, the brand leverages indirect marketing by sharing stories of big wins, expert insights into gaming strategies, and the rich history of casino entertainment. By focusing on the experience and excitement surrounding the brand, Richard Casino login naturally piques customers' curiosity.

In indirect marketing, the approach usually works by not advertising the product or services themselves but rather the expertise, history, or experience behind them. If the customer is impressed by this, they will naturally also be curious about the product. So the customer first gets to know the people behind the product, building trust and engagement before making a decision.

Risks of Indirect Marketing

Indirect marketing is designed for the long term, whereas direct marketing is usually geared towards immediate action by the customer. This has the disadvantage that success cannot really be measured, especially at the beginning. The focus is on the bond between the advertiser and the potential customer. In only a few cases does a customer immediately form an opinion about a company or a product. It often takes months before indirect marketing bears fruit.

Even modern analysis tools reach their limits when it comes to indirect marketing. Trends can only be identified much later and if a campaign is unsuccessful, this can result in high costs and a significant loss of time. To counteract this, it is advisable to use direct and indirect marketing at the same time. If both variants are roughly balanced, it is easier to absorb the costs if a campaign does not bring the desired success.

Different Types of Indirect Marketing

Content Marketing

Content marketing is the most common form of indirect marketing today. The aim of this type of marketing is to provide the customer with added value. This gives the customer the chance to gain a better insight into an industry or certain processes. Forms of content marketing include company blogs or even podcasts.

Social Responsibility

Nowadays, customers increasingly want to identify with a company before deciding to buy a particular product. A good way to work on your own image is to run campaigns that show how sustainably, environmentally consciously, and fairly you work. Showing commitment to a topic that is far removed from the company usually has great success in acquiring customers. Furthermore, this indirect marketing opportunity offers the chance to break into new areas. For example, if you show up at social events, you are supporting a good cause on the one hand, and on the other hand, it is a free advertising opportunity.

SEO

Search Engine Optimisation is a widespread type of indirect marketing. This is more technical in nature and appeals to potential customers only insofar as they are more likely to come across the company of the person who has applied SEO correctly by using a search engine. In most cases, companies use SEO at the same time as content marketing. If analysis tools are also used, a company's own website can be adapted very precisely to what the average customer is looking for. The goal of this marketing is to be as high up as possible in the search results found by the major well-known search engines. This increases the probability that the user will click on the website or shop and perhaps even make a purchase or take out a subscription. Analysis, in conjunction with SEO and content marketing, are powerful ways to significantly improve your own performance on the web.

Social Media

This is the best-known and least subtle form of indirect marketing. It is particularly easy to get started, and it is possible to advertise a product or service without any prior knowledge. To stay in the minds of customers and app users, it is usually enough to post content consistently. However, in addition to the quantity of posts, their quality is also important. Here, too, customers expect a certain added value. Working with so-called influencers or other third parties is a good idea if you don't have enough time to create suitable content yourself or if you run out of ideas. Even if indirect advertising in social media seems simple, it still requires a certain amount of dedication and consistency. Once you have found your own rhythm and your content is well received, there is nothing standing in the way of your success. How you advertise on social media is up to you – from subtle to very direct, or even alternating between the two, everything is possible without any problems and, above all, at a low cost.