A workshop where people try a product, a partnership with a neighbouring shop or a customer demonstration can generate more useful conversations than a highly visible but poorly targeted campaign. Below-the-line marketing brings together activities that create contact, an experience or a relationship around your offer.
Its effectiveness depends on three things: meeting the right people, giving them a reason to act and organising follow-up. Handing out gifts, exhibiting at a trade fair or sponsoring an event is not enough to create sales.
This article explains how to choose field marketing activities, prepare a complete budget and measure results. The budgets and outcomes are fictional examples illustrating the calculations.
At a glance
- Choose an activity for a defined audience and a specific sales stage.
- Budget for expenses, team time and benefits offered to customers.
- Measure qualified contacts, sales and their contribution, then organise follow-up.
What is below-the-line marketing?
In traditional marketing terminology, above-the-line communication distributes advertising through media such as newspapers, radio, television, cinema and outdoor advertising. Below-the-line marketing includes events, sales promotions, direct marketing, public relations, sponsorship and point-of-sale activities.
Digital channels blur the boundaries. An email invitation may be direct marketing, while a paid social media advertisement follows a media-buying model. A physical event can also be supported by advertising and followed by online content.
Below-the-line marketing therefore means neither “without the Internet” nor “free”. It is a group of methods to incorporate into your communication plan.
| Method | Main purpose | SME example |
|---|---|---|
| Event or workshop | Provide an experience and a conversation | Equipment demonstration at a reseller’s premises |
| Sales promotion | Trigger a specific trial or purchase | Introductory offer with clear conditions |
| Direct marketing | Address an identified audience | Personalised invitation to relevant customers |
| Local partnership | Reach a complementary customer base | Joint workshop by two professionals |
| Referrals and recommendations | Help transfer trust | Clearly explained customer referral programme |
| Point-of-sale communication | Help people understand and choose | Comparisons, demonstration units and signage |
Press relations may be classified as below-the-line even when they secure media coverage: the business develops a relationship and editorial interest instead of directly buying advertising space. This guarantees neither publication nor control over the content.
Choose an activity to match a commercial objective
One activity may have several effects, but it needs a priority. Otherwise, an activity that fails to sell may be justified afterwards by visibility, and one with little visibility by contacts whose quality nobody knows.
Introduce an offer
The aim is to reach a relevant audience and help it quickly understand your proposition. Samples, demonstrations or a presence somewhere your target customers visit may be suitable.
Measure useful trials, conversations with relevant people and requests for information. Passing footfall does not automatically represent a commercial audience.
Generate appointments or orders
The activity needs a precise next step: book an assessment, request a proposal, order a product or arrange a meeting. Prepare availability and the necessary tools beforehand.
A B2B event can be profitable with few participants if they match your target market and move forward in their decisions. Conversely, a full room may produce no opportunities if the subject mainly attracts people without a need or budget.
Retain and develop existing customers
A user workshop, company visit or review meeting can improve the experience and introduce complementary services. The objective need not be an immediate sale. Depending on the offer, track service usage, renewals or requests for support.
Customer retention must provide real value. Inviting users to hear a sales presentation without solving their problems can damage the relationship.
Eight below-the-line activities for small businesses
1. Run a demonstration or workshop
Choose a specific question your audience asks. “How do you maintain this material?” or “How can you reduce order-picking errors?” gives people a clearer reason to attend than a general company presentation.
Limit the programme to what can be understood and tried within the advertised time. Include a demonstration, discussion and optional next step. Participants should leave with a useful answer even if they do not buy immediately.
2. Attend a trade fair with meetings arranged
Costs include the stand, its setup, travel, possible accommodation, demonstration units and preparation time. Before booking, ask about visitor profiles and examine exhibitors from previous editions.
Prepare a list of people to meet, an invitation message and appointment slots. At the event, record needs, timing and agreed next steps. A pile of business cards is not a sales pipeline.
3. Build a local partnership
Look for a partner serving relevant customers with a complementary offer. A cycle shop and repair workshop could run a maintenance session. An architect and lighting specialist could hold a workshop about a fit-out project.
Specify who invites, pays, presents and handles enquiries. Each partner can contact its own audience: the partnership does not require exchanging customer databases.
4. Improve point-of-sale communication
Observe visitors’ journeys. Can they quickly understand your offer, who it serves, its price and the differences between options? Clear signage and a well-positioned demonstration can be more useful than numerous promotional materials.
Where possible, test one change at a time: product placement, an offer explanation, a sample or presentation of uses. Compare similar periods, allowing for opening days and seasonality.
5. Offer a trial or introductory deal
The offer should reduce a real obstacle: fear of making a mistake, difficulty understanding the product or the cost of an initial commitment. A small paid service may qualify a need more effectively than an overly broad free service.
Explain duration, content, limits and the price after the introductory period. Calculate the promotion’s margin and potential for subsequent purchases. An offer mainly attracting discount hunters can increase volume without building profitable customer relationships.
6. Structure customer referrals
Make recommending you easy: a clear sentence explaining whom you help, an information page and contact details that are easy to share. Ask satisfied customers whether they know someone facing the same problem, without requesting access to their address book.
If you offer a reward, document eligibility, the qualifying event, amount or benefit, limits and cancellation treatment. In regulated professions, also check professional rules on paying business introducers.
7. Support a relevant event or association
Sponsorship works better when the connection with your business is understandable. Examine the audience, actual exposure and opportunities to meet people. A logo on a poster guarantees neither recall nor traffic.
Ask for concrete commitments: placement in specified material, demonstration space, invitations or a review of the activity. Distinguish intentional community support from activity expected to deliver measurable commercial results.
8. Use personalised mail or invitations
Printed material can suit a local offer, event or established relationship. Its effectiveness depends on targeting, the message and the next step, not distribution volume.
A campaign code, short address or dedicated phone number can help identify responses. Include the full cost of design, printing, preparation, postage and handling returns. Electronic messages also require preparation, software and management; they are not economically free.
Prepare an action sheet before spending
A simple action sheet prevents launching an activity without knowing what it should achieve.
| Item | Decision before launch |
|---|---|
| Audience | Whom do we want to meet, and who is outside the target group? |
| Objective | What action do we expect: trial, meeting, purchase or return visit? |
| Promise | Why would a relevant person spend time on this activity? |
| Format | What location, duration, capacity and experience? |
| Call to action | What step can be completed immediately? |
| Budget | What cash outlay and working time are required? |
| Follow-up | Who handles enquiries, when and with what message? |
| Decision | When will we decide whether to repeat, change or stop? |
Appoint an owner and check operational constraints: stock, equipment, electricity, weather, access, safety and visitor capacity. For public-space activities or events open to the public, check applicable permissions with the venue and municipality. Requirements vary by location and format.
Prepare for higher-than-expected attendance too. An event creating excessive waits and promises you cannot fulfil can cost trust instead of building it.
Check that the proposed action matches how customers actually discover and buy your offer. Your Business Model Canvas helps connect the channel, customer relationship and revenue model.
Calculate the full budget and break-even point
Separate invoiced expenses from time committed. The first amount shows the cash outflow; the second helps compare the activity with other uses of your team.
In this fictional example, an SME runs a workshop for professionals who might purchase an advisory service.
| Item | Illustrative amount |
|---|---|
| Venue and refreshments | CHF 700 |
| Materials and consumables | CHF 250 |
| Invitations and promotion | CHF 150 |
| Preparation and delivery: 14 hours at CHF 75 | CHF 1,050 |
| Sales follow-up: 6 hours at CHF 75 | CHF 450 |
| Total economic cost | CHF 2,600 |
The specific cash outlay is CHF 1,100 if the time uses already-paid resources and no further cash payments arise. The economic cost of CHF 2,600 includes the value of the twenty hours committed.
If each sale generates CHF 800 in contribution after variable delivery costs, four sales are needed to cover CHF 2,600: three generate CHF 2,400 and four generate CHF 3,200. Contribution must not be confused with revenue. Use consistent cost accounting to compare activities.
Avoid counting a cost twice. If the hourly rate already includes certain staff expenses, do not add them again. Use the same calculation convention for each activity.
Treat discounts as a cost
A CHF 50 reduction for twenty buyers reduces revenue by CHF 1,000. Include this lost contribution, together with gifts, returns and extra services promised. A promotion can make sense, but assess its actual economics.
Measure results without confusing visibility and profitability
Arrange tracking before the event. Reconstructing where sales came from months later is much harder.
Suppose the workshop attracts 24 participants, 10 qualified contacts, 6 proposals and 4 sales. With a full cost of CHF 2,600, the cost per qualified contact is CHF 260 and the cost per new customer CHF 650, provided the four sales actually represent four new customers attributable to the activity.
Total contribution is CHF 3,200. After the full activity cost, the result is CHF 600. The return calculated on this basis is 600 ÷ 2,600, or approximately 23%. This depends on included costs, attribution and the observation period; it is not a guaranteed performance.
Define a qualified contact
A contact is qualified when they match your audience and an actionable need or next step has been identified. Specify criteria such as service area, problem, plausible budget, decision-making role and project timing.
Scanning a badge does not establish qualification. Someone attending to learn may be satisfied without being a buyer. That satisfaction matters, but measure it separately from the sales pipeline.
Recognise attribution limits
Ask “How did you hear about us?”, use an activity code and record conversations in your sales tracking. A customer may nevertheless have seen your shop window, attended the workshop and then searched your name on Google. A sale does not necessarily result from one interaction.
Where volume allows, compare with a similar period or group. Do not present every sale that week as additional revenue caused by the activity. Distinguish correlation, probable contribution and a demonstrated effect.
Follow up while respecting the people contacted
Follow-up should match what you announced. Send requested documents, confirm appointments and assign each enquiry to an owner. Speed matters, but a relevant message is better than an automated reminder unrelated to the conversation.
Separate handling an enquiry from subscribing someone to ongoing marketing. Collecting workshop contact details does not authorise every reuse. Explain why information is collected, limit it to what is needed and make objections or unsubscribing easy.
For mass electronic advertising in Switzerland, Article 3 paragraph 1 letter o of the Unfair Competition Act addresses prior consent, sender identification and an easy, free opt-out. A conditional exception applies to certain existing customers and similar offers. A business card is therefore not blanket permission to add its owner to every campaign.
Build a field marketing programme you can repeat
Choose a main activity, document how it runs and review it on a fixed date. Keep what works: invitations, demonstrations, qualification questions and follow-up. Then change a limited number of variables to understand what improves results.
The aim is a repeatable approach with a clear audience, known costs and realistic sales follow-up. A spectacular but difficult-to-repeat activity may remain a one-off event. A small, well-executed activity can become a genuine acquisition channel.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between above-the-line and below-the-line marketing?
Above-the-line communication traditionally uses advertising space in media. Below-the-line marketing includes events, direct marketing, promotions, public relations and point-of-sale activities. Both can complement each other in one campaign.
What budget should you allocate?
No single amount suits every SME. Add expenses, staff time and customer benefits, then compare this with expected sales contribution. Start with a test you can finance even if results disappoint.
Is an event with few participants a failure?
Not necessarily. A few conversations with the right decision-makers can be worth more than many visitors without an identified need. Assess the audience, sales progress and economic contribution against the original objective.
Can below-the-line marketing work in B2B?
Yes. Demonstrations, technical visits, workshops and partnerships can help buyers understand complex offers and assess suppliers. Follow-up should reflect the decision cycle and involve those approving the project.
Can you measure a local activity without expensive software?
Yes. A table recording contact source, need, next step, sales status and sales value often suffices for an initial test. Define fields and responsibility before the activity.
Sources and references
- Swiss Unfair Competition Act, Article 3 paragraph 1 letter o (French): mass advertising by telecommunications.
- Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner: advertising and marketing (French).
Romain Prieur is a Swiss certified public accountant and the founder of Entreprendre.ch. With more than ten years of experience in auditing and supporting businesses in Switzerland, he advises entrepreneurs on company formation, accounting and taxation.
