what is below the line advertising 
below the line advertising is an advertising strategy where products are promoted in media other than mainstream radio television billboards print and film formats the main types of below the line advertising systems include direct mail campaigns social media marketing trade shows catalogs and targeted search engine marketing below the line advertising methods tend to be less expensive and more focused versus above the line strategies understanding below the line advertisingbelow the line advertising seeks to reach consumers directly instead of casting a wide net to reach mass audiences rather than airing a national commercial during a hit network television show a below the line campaign might instead focus on an in store demonstration of a product that consumers may wish to investigate in person this allows for a more high touch experience where a salesperson can answer direct questions and better explain the products some examples of below the line advertising include companies can target specific demographics with their advertising campaigns such as the age of a consumer or the industry of a company linkedin for example allows marketers to target specific people with sidebar advertisements based on their profession or groups that they belong to on the website companies still engage in direct mail advertising especially the older demographics that are not online as often as the younger generations catalogues and postcard mailings are still popular and effective marketing tools businesses often present their products and services through the local chambers of commerce banks host mortgage seminars to answer questions about mortgages interest rates and home affordability with the goal of landing new loan customers of course there s no perfect marketing tool that works each and every time instead companies often subscribe to multiple strategies for example a company might send out a direct mailing of fliers advertising an upcoming event that the company is hosting at the local convention center above the line vs below the line advertisingabove the line advertising is designed to reach mass audiences the epitome of above the line marketing is a super bowl television ad which costs millions of dollars for mere seconds of airtime but instantly reaches tens of millions of consumers on a global basis on the downside statistically speaking a significant percentage of those viewers may not typify a company s target consumer conversely below the line advertising reaches fewer people but is more selective about its audience in most cases below the line advertisers initially conduct extensive market research in an effort to identify a target niche of buyers more likely to purchase the products once the target demographic is identified below the line advertising reaches consumers in a more personalized direct manner above the line casts a wide net versus below the line which uses a proverbial fishing pole through direct mailings face to face contacts at trade shows or paid search engine results that pop up when consumers enter specific queries the return on investment roi from a below the line campaign can be higher versus an above the line since below the line is less costly and more easily monitored advantages of below the line advertisinglower costs are arguably the biggest advantage of below the line advertising while tv and radio ads tend to be pricy direct mailing and search engine marketing are far more economical and below the line methods can be more cheaply and easily scaled up or down furthermore below the line methods make it easier to track conversions with intended consumers case in point though there are multiple strategies for tracking the effectiveness of tv and radio ads it s hard to gauge overall impact asking customers how they heard about a company for example can yield unreliable responses because people sometimes recall their experiences inaccurately on the other hand email and search engine marketing precisely track the links consumers click in order to provide businesses with more exacting details below the line marketing fosters superior customer engagement which is critical in today s modern business landscape while above the line methods are ideal for spreading general brand awareness below the line tactics are preferable for fostering more meaningful relationships with potential customers 