Let’s face it: the world is changing everyday–and so is the world of marketing. While there was once a time where print media lead the way for businesses looking to advertise their services and establish a brand, digital media is now one of the most effective and cost-efficient marketing avenues. It seems that we’re in this war of traditional marketing vs digital marketing.
The good news is that you do not necessarily have to choose: digital and traditional marketing can be used together for the most dynamic results. If you are interested in expanding your customer base and broadening your horizons in 2019, then the first step is to get acquainted with traditional and digital marketing, and what they can offer your business.
What Is Traditional Marketing?
In order to understand the advantages and disadvantages of traditional marketing, it’s first important to understand what traditional marketing actually is. Traditional marketing is every form of marketing outside of the Internet including print media (like billboards and magazine advertisements), broadcast (like commercials), direct mail, telephone, and other forms of traditional media.
Traditional marketing has one very strong benefit: it’s traditional. It is often the first thing businesses consider when considering their marketing strategy, and consumers expect traditional marketing. Many people know that they can expect to see weekly flyers from local grocery stores before they make the decision on what to buy (and where to shop). People actually anticipate commercials during the Super Bowl and other major T.V. events.
But traditional marketing also has its drawbacks. Firstly, it is often much more expensive than digital marketing. For example, it would cost much more to air a commercial on a television series with millions of viewers than it would to sponsor a YouTube video from a vlogger with millions of subscribers.
It is also difficult to achieve the same reach as you can with digital marketing. After all, in 2018 four billion people around the world were using the Internet. It’s hard to imagine a direct mail strategy or newspaper advertisement reaching a comparable audience to that of online marketing.
Despite these disadvantages, traditional marketing can still be an effective tool, especially for small businesses. If your audience is restricted to a specific area, there is no need to waste your marketing budget on advertising that will primarily reach people outside of it.
Simply because you can benefit from one form of marketing does not mean you cannot use the other as well. In fact, many people are choosing to use both digital and traditional marketing to maximize their reach and get the best results.
The Benefits Of Digital Marketing
In 2019, digital marketing offers businesses and individuals a lot of benefits. It is typically a more cost-effective approach to marketing, as well as one ideal for international outreach.
Social media, for example, is one of the most powerful tools in digital marketing, and can be often accessed for free. From an Instagram account where you can create a unique aesthetic for your business to a Facebook page where you can receive customer feedback in real time, social media can amplify your audience and help you find your unique place in the online community.
Another huge advantage of digital marketing is that it allows you to easily measure the success of your campaign. With traditional marketing, you may be able to predict how many people will read the newspapers to advertise in, or how many flyers you can send out. However, it can be hard to predict whether your marketing campaign had a positive response.
Digital marketing instead allows you to track your progress in real time. You can monitor important markers such as your page views and unique visitors, which can offer great insights into how your website is performing. You can also view data such as page load time, which can help you correct mistakes that may be affecting user experience.
There are also plenty of tools that can help you manage your social media presence, such as Hootsuite.
The final benefit is that digital marketing allows for a two-way conversation between you and your audience. Through social media and your own website, you can easily receive (and request) feedback from your customers. You also should not underestimate the power of personality. A couple of funny tweets or high-quality Instagram posts can go a long way in creating a likeable, engaging brand that will keep customers returning to you.
Don’t Stop At Social Media
It goes without saying that social media is important, especially if you want young people to engage with your business. But do not feel as though social media is the only marketing tool available to you.
Online reviews, email newsletters and paid advertising on digital platforms can all help you achieve your marketing goals. Additionally, posting blog articles on your own website is a fun and easy way to establish a distinct brand and offer potential customers an in-depth perspective on your services and products.
You can also use the power of search engine optimization (SEO) to reach out to the customers who are actually looking for you. SEO blog articles will make you easier to find, meaning that your blog can help you connect with people searching for the goods and services you provide.
Digital and Traditional Marketing: A Perfect Match
Whether you are a print media purist or a digital native with no desire to venture out of your comfort zone, it can feel as though you have to choose between marketing strategies.
Despite what you may have heard, print is not actually dead– it could just use some help. Likewise, even the best digital marketing strategies could benefit from traditional marketing targeted towards local audiences. Here are just some of the ways that the two strategies can work together:
- Flyers and print media that promotes your website and social media handles;
- Social media posts reminding customers to look out for your advertisements or flyers;
- Promotions (such as coupons) that can be accessed both online and through print/mail-outs
No matter what your 2019 goals are, with the help of a comprehensive marketing strategy, you can make this year your best one yet.