At Outsource Marketing, one of the biggest questions our clients have is: Should we put all of our dollars towards digital? We’ve heard this so often that we’ve started to incorporate a Traditional vs. Digital query in our initial consulting process. We get questions like, is traditional marketing dated? Or, is digital advertising just a financial black hole?
For those of you who are still torn between traditional advertising and digital marketing, we’re going to break it down like a beat from the ’80s.
Traditional marketing typically refers to reaching a targeted audience with various offline advertising and promotional methods. Some examples of traditional marketing efforts include:
- Telemarketing
- Outdoor billboards and flyers
- Direct mailers
- Postcards
- Brochures
- Letters
- Print collateral
- Newspapers and magazines ads
- Broadcast
- TV and radio ads
Over time, traditional marketing has maintained a high success rate with its ability to reach people who aren’t online and in places where internet connection is scarce. Consumers often view print as more credible. In a recent survey from Business2Marketing, 79% of respondents mentioned that they read direct mail ads, with over 56% of all respondents saying they feel like print marketing is the most trustworthy type of marketing.
When traditional advertising is strategically planned and successfully executed, it can produce great results that generate more sales for your brand. But marketing has expanded well beyond traditional marketing. Marketing technology has dramatically evolved creating more possibilities for businesses; often new methods every month.
So, let’s take a look at digital marketing. Digital strategies can often provide more cost-efficient and convenient ways for businesses to connect to their target audience.
Digital marketing strategies encompass all types of online advertising and marketing efforts via the internet or an electronic device, such as mobile phones, computers, or tablets.
Some of the most successful tactics we’ve executed online include:
- Email marketing
- Social media influencing
- Blog content marketing
- Pay per click (PPC)
- Search engine optimization (SEO)
These tactics may be designed to quickly reach a large variety of consumers — or, on the flip side, to reach a small targeted audience that is likely to convert. Given the ease and speed with which they can be revised, digital ads are also great if you need to update copy or graphics quickly. According to Statista, over $325 billion was spent on digital advertising in 2019 alone. That’s a lot of dough!
Digital advertising offers a wide range of options for businesses to get creative and experiment, especially if your business is a startup on a tight budget. With the internet’s limitless bounds and accessibility, engaging in digital advertising has become critical for all businesses in order to effectively connect with their audience.
In 2020, people spent most of their time online, so it makes sense to manage advertising and brand positioning strategies via social networks, email, blogs, and other online platforms to enhance your brand visibility. However, that doesn’t mean you should forgo traditional marketing altogether. If you have the budget and it works for your business, mix it up!
The strongest recommendation we provide for our clients during the planning phase, from brand naming to product distribution, is that they should employ an omni-channel marketing strategy. The mix will depend on strategic goals and budget considerations.
