Direct Marketing vs. Indirect Marketing
                     Direct Marketing vs. Indirect 
Marketing
Introducti
on
 When it comes to marketing, there is no one-
size fits all method. Each company and business 
has specific goals for growth and to attract their 
target customers, which means that each 
business’ marketing plan has to be uniquely 
tailored to them. There are two ways you can 
go when trying to decide how to reach your 
customers and those are direct marketing and 
indirect marketing.
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What is 
Direct 
Marketing?
 Direct marketing includes a number of 
traditional marketing strategies that everyone is 
familiar with. For example TV commercials are 
a form of direct marketing. 
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Identify 
specific 
audience
 You can identify specific audience segments, 
thereby allowing you to connect with people 
who are likely interested in your product or 
service already. For example, if you run a TV 
commercial, you can choose a time slot on a 
channel that you know your audience is 
watching.
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Personalize 
your 
messages
 If you know the audience you’re addressing, 
then you can personalize your messages, 
thereby allowing you to nurture leads and build 
stronger relationships. For example, using the 
data you have to segment your email list allows 
you to send more relevant content to your 
recipients.
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Data is more 
measurable
 The data you collect from your direct marketing 
efforts is more measurable. For example, you 
can track your email response rate to 
determine how effective your direct marketing 
strategy is and to make adjustments 
accordingly.
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Need to 
identify right 
audience
 You have to have an understanding of who your 
audience is and where you can find them. 
Otherwise, you may be advertising to people 
who aren’t interested in your brand, which is a 
waste of time and money.
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Privacy
 If you’re too overzealous, your direct marketing 
efforts may cross privacy boundaries and may 
even come off as spam, which will hurt your 
brand reputation.
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Indirect 
Marketing
 Indirect marketing is essentially marketing in 
which you’re not trying to sell a specific 
product or service. For example, content 
creation in the form of a blog of email 
newsletter are forms of indirect marketing.
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Value 
Addition
 You provide value to your customers without 
coming off as self-serving, which helps to build 
your brand reputation and increase brand trust.
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Long-term 
strategy
 Indirect marketing is a long-term strategy, 
which means that your efforts will continue to 
have an impact throughout the future. For 
example, you might write a blog post that 
someone reads years later.
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