Whether your business is big or small, new or old, developing a marketing strategy that produces accurate results is challenging. We all know marketing is vital to any successful business, but sometimes it can feel like throwing ideas at the wall, hoping one of them sticks. But that doesn’t need to be the case entirely. Choosing a marketing approach that works for you and your business is the first step toward your desired success. For decades, there have been two main approaches to marketing: mass marketing vs target marketing.
While the names are self-explanatory, knowing which is right for your business might be difficult. We’ve broken each down to help you determine which will best serve you.
What is Mass Marketing?
Mass marketing is a marketing strategy that ignores niche demographics while trying to attract as many customers as possible. It focuses on high sales volumes and low prices and provides products or services that appeal to a broad audience.
Common mass marketing approaches include:
- The Shotgun Approach: using traditional mass media outlets like television, radio, and the internet to place ads in front of as many eyes as possible. This means placing commercials, banners, and text ads across every platform.
- Guerilla Marketing: Guerilla marketing involves unconventional, cost-effective techniques to create peak exposure and reach a large audience rather than traditional platforms. Guerilla campaigns utilize shareable content that invokes emotions and leaves a lasting impression.
Real-world example:
Progressive Insurance is an excellent example of a company that uses mass marketing effectively. Most Americans need car insurance, and while there are many providers, Progressive’s name has become synonymous with insurance thanks to its aggressive and playful mass marketing campaigns.
They have applied the emotional appeal element of guerilla marketing to a shotgun mass marketing approach by creating hilarious ads featuring their charming character, Flo. Their ads appear on every central platform, reaching a massively broad audience while leaving a lasting impression that generates exceptional brand awareness.
Pros and Cons of Mass Marketing:
Like every marketing strategy, there are pros and cons that need to be considered before you begin implementing.
The Pros of Mass Marketing:
- Mass marketing is a cost-effective way to market products that are considered necessities.
- Mass marketing campaigns have an enormous scope with a broad reach.
- When accompanied by an offer or promotion, mass marketing campaigns can create a high demand, leading to higher sales.
- Mass marketing reaches a broad audience, which leads to widespread brand awareness.
- Different strategies for various marketing segments are not required, making mass marketing a time-efficient method.
The Cons of Mass Marketing:
- Mass marketing leads to unpredictable customer experiences because it doesn’t account for individualistic factors like interests, demographics, needs, or location.
- Mass marketing can be a more expensive option for small businesses.
- Mass marketing is inefficient for businesses that sell unique products or services.
- Any company that relies on mass marketing will face much competition.
- Trends show that consumers tend to prefer direct and sincere advertising.
What goals does mass marketing achieve?
Mass marketing is most effective at creating widespread brand recognition and awareness. It can increase sales and produce high customer satisfaction if appropriately implemented.
What type of business is mass marketing best suited for?
Mass marketing is perfect for any business that provides essential goods or services and products that appeal to a broad audience. It might not be the best option if you own a small business that offers a unique product or service to a niche market.
For example, mass marketing would be worthwhile if you sell toilet paper. Toilet paper is something everyone uses daily, so the same ad campaigns on multiple platforms would be effective.
The Effectiveness of Mass Marketing
The average cost and return on investment for mass marketing campaigns varies drastically from region to region, company to company, and campaign to campaign. While most companies pursue more direct and personable marketing strategies, mass marketing is still very relevant and practical.
What is Target Marketing?
Target marketing is a strategy designed to raise awareness of a specific product or service to a particular audience. This strategy focuses on a niche market. Targeted marketing can be used independently or in tandem with mass marketing efforts.
It has quickly become a highly effective and profitable method of advertising.
Real-world Example of Target Marketing:
Mountain Dew is an excellent example of a company that has used multiple target marketing strategies over the years to maintain their position in the market. In the 1930s, they marketed their lemon-line soft drink to mountaineers and rural country folk in Appalachia. In the 90s, the company made a massive shift and became the official drink of extreme sports athletes. In the 2000s, they made another shift. The growing popularity of their soft drink among gamers led them to dedicate 40% of their marketing budget towards gamers with great success.
Pros and Cons of Target Marketing:
Like everything else, target marketing has its pros and cons.
The Pros of Target Marketing:
- Target marketing is highly cost-effective, no matter the size or shape of your company.
- The vast number of ways a company can define its selected group makes target marketing a highly adaptable strategy.
- Target marketing speaks to a specific audience and allows you to address their wants and needs in a way that more broad forms of advertising don’t.
- Trends show that modern consumers prefer more personal and direct advertising, making targeted marketing more appealing.
The Cons of Target Marketing:
- Target marketing requires forethought and planning.
- You might lose out on clients outside your targeted audience.
- Target marketing involves creating unique ads tailored to your selected audience and the platform on which you choose to reach them.
- Brand awareness generated by targeted marketing is limited to your chosen audience. The likelihood of someone outside your targeted group being aware of your offering is low.
What goals do target marketing efforts achieve?
When you implement a target marketing strategy, you speak directly to your potential customers and design campaigns that draw them to your business. This work smarter, not harder approach will provide incredible insights into your brand’s appeal and how to best serve your chosen market.
What type of business is target marketing best suited for?
Target marketing is ideal for small businesses or any product or service that appeals to a specific audience. If you own a daycare or an outdoor apparel store, targeted marketing is for you. It might be less appropriate if you own a business that provides a more broadly appealing product or service.
The Effectiveness of Targeted Marketing
Like mass marketing, determining the average cost and ROI of target marketing varies depending on several factors. However, according to research done by Forbes, “about 91% of consumers are more encouraged to purchase when a brand personalizes its communication with them.” The cost of targeted marketing tends to be lower than that of mass marketing.
How to Set Up a Mass Marketing vs Target Marketing Campaign
Whether you are targeting your marketing campaign or using a more mass marketing approach, the steps are relatively the same.
Step 1 – Define Your Audience
Yes, even with mass marketing, you must define your audience a little. You don’t need to narrow it down to a specific niche; select a few general demographics that might help you tailor your efforts. A few things you could consider are age, gender, and income.
This step will require a bit more effort if you are creating a target marketing campaign. Take your time to identify who your ideal customer is. What do they care about? Where do they go for information? What do they need?
Step 2 – Determine Your Budget
You must decide how much money you will invest in your campaign before you move on to the planning stage. Mass marketing is a broad effort, the scope of which is determined by your budget. Targeted marketing will likely require a smaller budget, but that doesn’t make this step less important.
Step 3 – Choose the Channels that are Right for You
Even if your budget is small, it’s suggested choosing at least two channels to funnel your marketing efforts: TV, radio, email marketing, text, search & display, or social media.
Choosing your channels will also help determine your methods. If you use a targeted approach, you might select influencer marketing, podcasts, blogs, and in-person events to create a more personalized ad campaign.
Step 4 – Design Your Message
You want your message to be compelling to a broad audience. Brainstorm ideas that will capture people’s attention while remaining clear and concise.
Step 5 – Create Your Timeline
Lay out your campaign in a detailed timeline that allows you to track your progress against your campaigns defined goals and KPIs.
Step 6 – Adjust
It’s a general rule in marketing that no matter how confident you are with your campaign, you must monitor the results and adjust accordingly. That might involve pivoting part of the way through or tweaking a few elements before launching the next campaign.
In Our Experience
If you are a small business just starting out, target marketing is an affordable way to build your brand and draw sales from your ideal audience. It will require more forethought and marketing planning, but your wallet will ultimately thank you.
However, if your company is providing a product or service that is widely desired, then committing to a more mass approach to marketing will serve you well.
It comes down to what product or service you provide and your ideal customer. If you can clearly define your audience, then targeted marketing is for you; if your customer profile is more broad and open-ended, then mass marketing might be best for you.
