Marketing is simply the action of promoting something. There are many ways to do so, two key concepts are brand marketing and direct response marketing.

Brand marketing

This is usually what the big boys like to do and no, it’s not just about logos. Its intent is to make their company so familiar that you think of them when you need that type of product or service.

Most people think of Coke for cola drinks, Google for search engines or Nike for sports shoes. These companies have spent a lot of time and money to be successful with brand marketing.

The main objective of brand marketing is to make people aware of you, build trust and gain credibility.

Direct response marketing

The intent of this type of marketing is to get an immediate reaction from people, usually using offers and incentives.

If you’ve seen a TV infomercial, that is classic direct response marketing in action. The product is showcased then a limited time offer is revealed which people need to immediately respond to if they want to claim the offer.

Which type of marketing is best?

If you are on a budget, direct response is the type of marketing you should use as it is focused on getting an immediate return.

If you have a bigger budget, you might consider brand marketing to increase your exposure and get recognised by more people.

Different stages of marketing

People in marketing often refer to the different stages that a customer can interact with you as a ‘marketing funnel’.

The idea is that each stage requires a different approach to encourage a customer to move on to the next stage. For the customer, this is known as their ‘customer journey’.

Marketing funnel example – dating

Let’s use dating to demonstrate how the different stages of marketing work.

Awareness

Before you can date, you need to get the attention of the object of your desire, you want them to become aware that you exist.

You might subtly wink or smile at them, perhaps you get a mutual friend to put in a good word, or maybe you upload your best photo and swipe right on Tinder.

Consideration

Now that you’ve got their attention, you wouldn’t ask for a date straight away as they could seem full on and creepy! Instead, you’d strike up some casual small talk either by messaging or face to face, ask about their interests and see what you have in common.

If things go well, you would continue to share more information revealing why you are such a valuable catch. This is known as ‘preselling’ as you point out all your amazing ‘benefits’.

Conversion

If you have done a good job preselling all your benefits, there is a good chance you can ask for a date and it will be a success. So you pluck up the courage, ask and find out.

Congratulations! You just converted all your efforts into a date and successfully moved through the awareness, consideration and conversion stages with your lovely.

Loyalty

At this point, you would continue to date and strengthen the relationship. All going well, this wonderful person eventually wants to keep all your amazing benefits to themselves.

There is a mutual attraction and you can now transition into a steady, loyal relationship.

Advocacy

You know you’ve done something right when you get to this stage. This is when your partner can’t help but tell everyone about the amazing person they have in their life.

Well done on your marketing, this is a great boost to your reputation!