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Why Traditional Marketing is Still Important in the Digital Age

Why Traditional Marketing is Still Important in the Digital Age

Today, we live in the digital age where almost everything is online. Whatever you need to do or find, you’ll fire up a search engine on your computer, smartphone or tablet and search for it online. That can mean anything between checking out the latest NFL odds on a relevant website to finding a tutorial on how to cook rotisserie chicken on YouTube.

Since almost everyone is online these days, so are the businesses that want to be close to their audience and potential customers. That’s why you’ll frequently come across various marketing promotions, ads, commercials and every other digital marketing tactic wherever you may be on the Internet. But what about the good-old traditional marketing?

Experts argue that with digital marketing we have today, traditional means have become obsolete. However, not everyone is online all the time and in today’s competitive market, every customer counts no matter which approach you use to acquire them. With that in mind, let’s have a look at why traditional marketing is still important in the digital age.

What are some common traditional marketing techniques?

Traditional marketing techniques have been around for a very long time. As everything else, they evolved over the years to be more effective at capturing people’s attention and making them interested in a particular product or a service. That said, here are some of the most common traditional marketing techniques we can still see today.

  • Outdoor advertisement like billboards
  • TV commercials
  • Direct mail
  • Newspaper ads
  • Branded merchandise.
  • Magazines
  • Brochures
  • Referrals (Word-of-mouth marketing)

The surprising fact is that many popular brands with a very strong online presence still leverage traditional marketing methods on a daily basis. Most people are not aware of this because they believe that most businesses have entirely switched to digital marketing.

What are some advantages of traditional marketing?

Traditional marketing has been around for a much longer time, and thus its techniques have been tried, tested, and proven effective. Because traditional marketing is such a broad field, it offers more opportunities for businesses to find the right mix of strategies that work best for them.

Additionally, traditional marketing is often less expensive than digital marketing, making it a more viable option for small businesses and startups. So, let’s take outdoor advertising for instance.

This traditional marketing tactic is still around today and is still very effective at what it does best, which is encouraging people to not only notice something but also take the desired action as well. Here are a few examples.

  • 98% of people come across an outdoor add each day.
  • 71% of consumer will have a look at the roadside add, while 26% of them will visit a nearby store after seeing a billboard ad, for example.
  • Did you know that the four of the ten biggest billboard spenders are tech giants we all know. These giants are Amazon, Apple, Google and Netflix.
  • Billboards are less expensive than online ads these days.

Are there any disadvantages to using traditional marketing methods?

it goes without saying that every marketing approach has its own unique disadvantages. One of the main disadvantages of traditional marketing is that it can be quite expensive, especially if you want to print direct mail magazines or brochures, create branded merchandise and so on. Additionally, traditional marketing can be quite time-consuming.

It can take a lot of time and effort to plan and execute a traditional marketing campaign. Another disadvantage of traditional marketing is that it can be difficult to measure the results. It can be hard to tell how effective a traditional marketing campaign has been, and whether or not it has generated any ROI. After all, there are no ads people can click on so that you can measure the results effectively.

How does traditional marketing compare to digital marketing?

Traditional marketing and digital marketing are two very different things. However, they both serve the same purpose but they have different approaches in doing so. That being said, there are a few key differences between traditional and digital marketing.

First of all,  traditional marketing is less effective than digital marketing. The main reason is that digital marketing is more present and easier to deploy.  Moreover, traditional marketing takes longer to show results than digital marketing.

This is because it can take weeks or even months for your traditional ad campaign to reach its full potential. With digital marketing,  you can see results almost immediately after launching your campaign. But that doesn’t undermine the effectiveness of traditional marketing.

People who are online are constantly bombarded with ads, promotions and other offers they can rarely avoid. Traditional ads, on the other hand, are less intrusive and ultimately more appealing because they’re not forcing themselves upon consumers. They are simply out there and you can choose to ignore them if you want.

How can traditional and digital marketing be used together effectively?

There are a number of ways in which traditional and digital marketing can be used together effectively. One way is to use traditional marketing techniques to generate awareness of your digital marketing campaign. For example, you could use print ads, billboards, or TV commercials to raise awareness of your website or social media presence.

You can also use traditional marketing techniques to drive traffic to your digital channels. For example, you could include a QR code on print ads or outdoor signage that links to your website or online store. You could also include a call-to-action in traditional advertising that encourages people to visit your website or follow you on social media.

Another way to integrate traditional and digital marketing is to use digital channels to supplement your traditional campaigns. For example, you could use email marketing to send updates about your product or services for your brick-and-mortar stores to your existing customer base. You could also use social media platforms like Twitter or Facebook to connect with potential customers and combine offline and online shopping experiences.

Even though digital platforms are continuously on the rise, traditional marketing techniques are still just as important, if not more. People are tired of online ads that cannot be skipped or avoided to the point where a traditional ad or a direct mail are more than a welcome sight.