What You Need To Know About Digital Marketing vs Traditional Marketing

What Is Traditional Marketing?

Traditional marketing is the “offline” marketing strategies used by a business. Unlike digital marketing, traditional marketing involves reaching potential clients via phone, radio, TV, mail, in-person, or via other non-digital means— such as billboard advertising. Traditional marketing has existed for much of human history, with print advertising appearing not long after the invention of the printing press. Marketing techniques have continued to evolve alongside technology. As the telephone, radio, and TV gained popularity, so did using these platforms for marketing and advertising campaigns.

What Is Digital Marketing?

As technology progresses, so do our marketing strategies. The latest technology advancement to affect marketing has been the creation of the internet. Thus digital marketing, our modern marketing strategy, was born.

Digital marketing uses online platforms and media channels to share messages and information with current or potential clients. Digital marketing strategies fall into three major categories. The first is earned media. For example, people sharing the link to your latest blog post. The second is paid media, such as ‘boosting’ the posts on your Facebook page. Thirdly is owned media, which includes the content you own, like the material on your website.

Why Should My Company Value Digital Marketing?

Well over half of current advertising campaigns in the U.S. are digital and your company should aim to mirror this trend. Failing to harness the power of digital marketing in today’s age is like failing to jump on board with radio commercials in the 1920s and beyond or TV ads in the 1940s and beyond. To put it simply, companies that don’t embrace the latest marketing trends tend to fall behind and give their competition a wide opening to gain the marketing advantage.

What Are The Advantages Of Digital Marketing vs Traditional Marketing?

While there is absolutely a place for traditional marketing in any marketing strategy, there are a few advantages to digital marketing that you won’t find with traditional marketing strategies. Digital marketing strategies tend to be less labor intensive, less costly, and less time consuming that traditional marketing campaigns. For example, rather than hiring a group of people to cold-call potential customers, you’ll likely have a much higher customer conversion rate and spend less money by enticing customers onto your online platforms with unique and interesting content.

Furthermore, it is easier to track the success rate and impact of your digital marketing vs traditional marketing campaigns. This is because you can gather data about each individual customer and their interactions with your marketing materials without having to even lift a finger. In turn, this makes it easier to customize your marketing campaigns to target specific audiences and achieve desired outcomes.

How Do I Transition My Business Into Using Digital Marketing Strategies?

The best way to make the transition from a fully traditional marketing strategy to a mixed digital and traditional marketing strategy is to work with a strategic communications consulting firm. The advantage of working with a strategic communications consulting firm is that a strategic communications firm will not only understand marketing strategies but also public relations (PR) strategies. This will ensure your business not only sells its products or services but also garners a positive image and reputation while doing so.