Like any other form of marketing Below the line, marketing is ever-evolving. With the passage of time and changing customer preferences, BTL marketing has become the new trend that most companies and organizations are adopting.
Traditional marketing and ATL activities are no longer relevant and have taken over the market and are all the very more powerful. Brands are becoming more and more in tune with this form of marketing and they employ unique and unconventional methods to captivate audiences and make a lasting impression.
“BTL industry is growing at 25-30 percent and will continue to grow exponentially over the next few years.”
Types of BTL Activities
BTL Advertising could also be known as experiential marketing as it has so many options and areas to try from. But here is a list of quite a few types of it-
Outdoor Marketing
Outdoor marketing has a huge range of Btl Activities to choose from, from traditional Hoardings to LED Hoardings/Floats, to mobile Van advertising, to trade shows, carnival setup, Inflatable setup, and so on. Outdoor marketing has a wide variety of options to choose from and attract the right audience.
Sponsorship
Celebrity endorsements, Events, competitions, etc.
Direct Marketing
SMS, emails, social media posts, and pamphlets.
In-Store Promotion
Visual merchandising, retailer pop-ups, free sampling, and sales promotions.
Public Relations
Press conferences, viral marketing.
BTL Marketing Examples
This is how Hero uses BTL outdoor marketing to promote its product, by Placing its Gazebo, Inflatable setup, LED Float, etc. around busy roads and places according to their target demographics and audience.
The main benefit of advertising is that the campaign’s performance can be easily tracked and the return on investment is also higher, Further BTL Activities in marketing sometimes lead to direct leads which is a huge plus point.
Further Tata for the brand promotion of its Tata Sky initiative of TV Banega super TV to promote its DTH (Direct-to-home) broadcasting connection services focusing on rural areas used floating mobile vans going to about 8,000 villages, displaying content through huge LED screens, through mailers, etc.
Engaging in BTL activities allow brands and customers to communicate directly, further aiding brands in gaining a better understanding of their customers’ purchasing trends and behavior.
Reasons Why Big Companies Like Tata, Mahindra Hero Invest in Below-the-Line Marketing
Leads to Direct Sales
Leads to Direct Sales, various BTL activities yield immediate results in terms of sales and are a major reason for companies to engage in it. For instance, while they try a product or do free sampling the various customers like the product in one go and book it instantly.
Further, give a read- How Does BTL Marketing Deliver Instant Results To Your Sales?
Enable Live Interaction With The Customers
It enables them to feel the product, and BTL activities allow brands and customers to communicate directly. Live connection with your audience provides you with far more customer information than typical market research.
Live interaction at trade exhibitions allows you to speak directly with your audience, learn about and understand their likes and dislikes, and work to improve your product or service offering!
Improves Customer Reach and Helps Reach The Target Audience
Branding and promotion through BTL activities help improve brand and customer reach, like in TATA’S campaign TV Banega super TV they knew that a huge part of their target customers are from rural areas thus targeting them through BTL activities would be the way to go about it, which led to 50% plus of new acquisitions from rural areas, indicating indeed the success of marketing.
A Cheaper and More Efficient Form of Marketing
BTL activities are relatively cheaper than other forms of marketing and help get the message across more creative and efficient.
Conclusion
BTL marketing helps create a stronger and long-lasting impression when pitted against other forms of marketing. Engaging in BTL activities helps brands connect to their customers without forcing them out of their comfort zone and even at their convenience.
Big brands like Tata, Mahindra, and Hero know that the customer is king and through their BTL marketing activities they sure make the customer feel like it. Thus, because of the multiple benefits linked with BTL activities, they are the most popular source of brand marketing these days.
However Promoting your brand through BTL activities could be a hectic process, that is why hiring Event Management companies could step in to make the process easier, When it comes to Brand promotion companies in India there are quite a few, Contact one of the top Corporate Event Management company CYNOR MEDIA for any new product launch ideas, distinctive marketing, Digital Marketing Solutions and so much more.
Below-the-line marketing (BTL), is an advertising technique in which products are promoted through nontraditional channels by directly reaching out to customers through billboards, mobile vans, mails, catalogs, direct mail campaigns, trade shows, etc.
BTL activities can be done through various mediums ranging from outdoor marketing, sponsorship, direct marketing, in-store promotion, organizing events, etc. Hiring an event management company further could help carry out these BTL activities smoothly for your organization.
BTL Activities comprises a list of marketing activities ranging from Float vans, hoardings, flyers and pamphlets, trade shows, inflatable setup, live booths, Floating your product on LED screen vans, etc.
A brand can be promoted through various marketing techniques and strategies, from advertising, sales promotion, and direct marketing to BTL marketing. BTL marketing is one that has started to create quite a buzz in the market through its various activities.
BTL Activities are very much helpful in brand building and promotion through their distinctive activities which revolve around customers and one could say are customer-centric. Its distinctive activities help build brand credibility and make your brand stand out amongst the rest.