Marketers mainly focus on two things in their day-to-day activities —– 1) Direct Marketing 2) Brand Marketing. There is always a question as to how much time, money and resources have to be allocated among these two.
Here are the 5 key differences between them which can help to devise a successful Marketing Plan;
1. Objective
Direct Marketing is intended towards generating demand and increase the revenues of a company.
Brand Marketing is all about connecting with the audience at a much deeper level through stories.
2. Urgent Vs Important
Direct Marketing has immediate effect in the top line revenues. High-level of urgency and importance is usually given.
Brand Marketing has a long-term effect on the brand equity and work as a shield against the market forces (like competition). It’s not urgent, but highly important.
3. Mindset
Direct Marketers always think about —- testing and measuring.
Brand Marketers think about —- Differentiation
4. Metrics
Direct Marketing metrics are — response, leads, conversion, sales.
Brand Marketers focus is on metrics like — awareness, recall, recognition, engagement (likes, shares, views, media mentions)
5. Time
Direct Marketing is like sprinting. (Need results in quick time)
Brand Marketing is like running a Marathon. (It takes time)
Two suggestions
1. If you are start-up or a small business, the focus should primarily on Direct Marketing i.e generating more leads to increase the revenues. Your initial brand strategy can be building credibility instead of investing huge money on visibility (brand awareness) because it will cost you huge amount of time and money will not produce immediate results in generating revenues. (especially when you choose to do mass media advertising)
So, 90% focus on Direct Marketing and only 10% focus on brand building.
Also focus on social media marketing initially so that with a minimum advertising cost and effort you can reach more audience.
2. If you are a big business and has deep pockets, you can begin the Brand Marketing along with Direct Marketing so that you can build a brand simultaneously and it becomes a competitive advantage for your business.
I help businesses create an effective Marketing Plan to generate more demand for their products and build a meaningful brand simultaneously. I do this by delivering focused Mastermind sessions and through deep-dive consulting.
