Digitalisation has drastically changed marketing as we know it. But as the times change, how many traditional marketing methods continue to exist and actually provide value? Let’s start by clueing ourselves up on what is really meant by digital and traditional marketing, and how they differ from one another.
What is traditional marketing?
99designs highlights that the main difference “is the medium through which an audience encounters a marketing message.”
Traditional marketing uses physical methods to attract customers; think billboards, magazines, newspapers, radio and not to mention those pesky leaflets that decorate your hallway. This is certainly more of an old school strategy, that effectively aims to persuade target audiences to become consumers.
Rather than tracking demographic information using advanced data analytics tools, marketers opting for the traditional approach will instead integrate something called geotargeting into their strategy. This technique is designed to detect the location of a website visitor, which will then alter the content that is presented to them. It’s all about picturing the route that your customers will take, and envisaging the most effective positioning for an advertisement.
The main downside to this method is that marketers don’t come face-to-face with their target audience, and it’s sometimes difficult to know whether people are actually engaging with an ad or not. With the interaction taking place offline, the results can be trickier, if not near impossible, to measure.
How about digital marketing?
You guessed it, digital marketing is all about marketing that’s done, well… digitally. Technology has come a long way, and it’s still evolving by the day. It’s altered pretty much everything; the way that people go about their daily lives has changed, requiring marketers to match the trends and devise an effective digital marketing strategy.
The modern approach aims to establish a direct connection with the target audience through the use of automated methods, like online adverts, PPC, SEO and grabbing blog posts, generating results in real time.
As a result of societal shifts, this method has certainly risen in popularity, with 50% of marketers believing that digital marketing beats traditional because of the increased interaction that the strategy involves. Digital marketing is also a good route to go down if you’re aiming to target a niche group, allowing for message customisation and approach alteration.
Can traditional and digital marketing be used together?
Quite simply, the answer is yes! It all depends on what your business has set out to achieve, but the two can actually work in synergy and make for a strong overall marketing strategy. Digital marketing is brilliant for tracking data, whereas a good old giant billboard is a surefire way to get your brand front and centre in people’s minds.
This is perfectly summed up by Sharron Fry, who had the responsibility of revamping Burger King’s campaign when joining as a National Marketing Manager. She states:
“Over the course of my career, I’ve learned that there’s no silver bullet in marketing, just different vehicles for different kinds of messages.
“Digital advertising may grab the attention of consumers more quickly, but physical media holds that attention longer, prompting a greater emotional reaction and playing a key role in purchasing decisions.”
So, if you’re looking for advice on how to create your ideal marketing strategy, our team of experts would love to lend a helping hand. Content marketing, PPC and SEO have all been proven to generate great results in a world gone digital, so give us a call today to get started.
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