Every business has the same goal – to develop and grow. Reaching new clients and retaining the existing ones is not a simple task. The advertising methods are changing, so you should do your best and try to keep up with new trends. Everyone is trying to keep up with new technologies, but is choosing strictly digital truly necessary? Or should you try relying on traditional marketing just because it used to be successful for so long? In the ongoing evolution of marketing strategies, the debate between Digital vs. traditional marketing remains a pivotal point of discussion.
Each road – digital and traditional – has its own advantages and disadvantages, so be careful.
Firstly, let’s start from scratch and define both strategies.
• Traditional marketing refers to flyers, billboards, newspaper prints, ads and TV or radio commercials. It includes proven intelligible techniques.
• Digital marketing includes internet-related tactics – social media platforms, web pages, blogs, emails, etc. Taking the world by storm, digital marketing is reaching more people faster and it requires less money than traditional marketing.
1. The power of traditional marketing
If the local audience is your target, you can easily reach them by using traditional methods. People listen to the radio on their way to work, and they always collect flyers from their mail. Also, traditional methods are universally accepted, and most people would rather speak with a real person than a chatbot.
Next, not everyone is comfortable with digital methods. Traditional marketing is easy to understand, and you can save flyers and use them again when needed. More importantly, if someone finds your advertisement on the internet, there is a chance they will also research other companies from your niche which may lead them to your competitor’s website.
2. Snags of traditional marketing
Although completely replacing traditional marketing with digital techniques can be risky, there is a reason why you shouldn’t rely only on the first one.
First, you will spend a small fortune, especially if you plan on making a TV commercial. Further, if you want to use flyers in your advertising campaign, you will need to pay for a designer, printing, and distribution. And that doesn’t sound cheap, does it?
Second, targeting the right audience is not easy. People tend to use a universal tactic to attract as many people as possible, which is not always the best idea. You shouldn’t end up just hoping that your target group will see or hear your add if you have invested a significant sum in your marketing campaign.
3. The power of digital marketing
Connecting with an audience has never been easier considering that you can meet them on the internet, where they already spend a significant amount of time. Interacting with your customers will help you meet their needs and encourage them to visit your website. Furthermore, you will be able to show them that you care about their opinion, which will bring even more customers your way.
Keeping your customers up-to-date is very important, so you can use your website, social media or newsletter to inform them what’s trending in the industry. In traditional marketing, however, you can’t simply change a flyer or a TV ad every time you have some news.
Digital marketing offers you real time results. You can check the number of visitors to your site, the reach on your social media page, subscription on your mail, etc. whenever you want. All data and results are recorded so you can easily check if your strategy is working.
You can also advertise your business on popular sites and reach your target audience, whether it is local or international. You can even make a marketing campaign based on people’s gender, location or age.
In the end, it doesn’t cost much and it’s profitable.
The fact is that people spend twice as much time on the internet then they used to 12 years ago. Digital marketing can be useful for any business in any industry, but not everyone should use the same strategy. That’s why you should turn to a professional, such as this branding agency in Melbourne, that can help you build your marketing strategy and present your company in the best.
4. Snags of digital marketing
Everyone is on the internet, which means that you are competing for customers’ attention against the entire world. Creating a digital campaign can be challenging, so many companies decide to ask for help. It’s also important to try out a few tactics in order to find the right one.
Next, people are much more willing to state their opinion when they are anonymous. A word-of-mouth on the internet could be both good and bad for your business. As you may already know, negative opinions are spreading much faster than the positive ones, so you have to be careful. Even if you happen to get some bad reviews, you should be nice to your customers and try to fix the situation.
5. Digital or traditional? Choose both!
Neither one of these two types of marketing should never be used exclusively. Instead, it’s best if you choose to combine these two methods.
Now that you know the pros and cons of both traditional and digital marketing, you should decide how much resources you are willing to spend on either one of them. This resolution should be based on the characteristic of your target group and your goals.
