Traditional Marketing vs Digital Marketing: Which one is right for you?

While marketing budget is an important factor for any business, spending it the right way to make the most of it is crucial. There are two popular marketing techniques used by businesses, traditional marketing, and digital marketing. Depending on the business’s size, type, and budget, it can choose either of the two. Since both can make a huge difference in the results, it is important to thoroughly analyze each type’s pros and cons. Here’s everything you need to know. 

What is Digital Marketing?

digital-marketing

Digital marketing, as the term suggests, is a marketing technique that involves using social media platforms and media channels to market products and services. While going through your profile on Facebook or Instagram, you come across many posts that are either sponsored or advertised. The same is the case with YouTube. Pop-up ads are the most popular digital marketing technique and continue to play a significant role in developing businesses. 

What is Traditional Marketing?

Traditional-Marketing

On the other hand, traditional marketing is a marketing technique that requires traditional tools such as billboards and printed media to market products and services. Additionally, advertisements in newspapers have been around for centuries until the development of the internet in the 1990s, which led to a shift towards digital marketing. However, back then, traditional marketing was pretty much the only marketing tool available.

Digital Marketing vs Traditional Marketing: What’s the Difference?

The main difference between digital marketing and traditional marketing is the way customers are approached or the medium through which the audience encounters a message. While traditional marketing makes use of newspapers and magazines etc.

Digital Marketing utilizes the power of websites or social media platforms. Although businesses tend to prefer digital marketing over traditional marketing today, that does not mean that traditional marketing is old-fashioned. It continues to remain relevant and successfully targets an audience that likes to read newspapers and magazines on a daily basis. 

There is a reason some businesses prefer advertising their products on TVs while others in magazines. The medium through which a message is conveyed has a lasting effect on your memory. With that being said, if you saw an advertisement in a magazine, you could easily revisit it whenever you want. However, with televisions, it is something different. Once the advertisement is gone, you will have to wait a while until it comes back again. 

One way or the other, a customer tends to become emotionally attached to the message, which is the actual aim of marketing. Meanwhile, digital marketing uses every inch of the internet to reach you in the best possible manner. 

Google tracks your every move on the internet. That is why if you are searching for the perfect holiday destinations, do not be surprised if you come across sponsored ads. The same principle applies to Instagram and Facebook. 

Traditional Marketing: Pros and Cons

With the rise of digital marketing, businesses tend to underestimate the power of traditional marketing. However, if your budget allows, advertising through magazines and newspapers could still provide positive results.

Pros

Traditional marketing is both impactful and easy to understand. Plus, magazines and newspapers are an important part of most people’s lives. They are long-lasting and easy to recall. 

Additionally, printed marketing materials are long-lasting. An advertisement in New York’s Time Magazine will remain until the magazine is recycled. Finally, something that you see in real life tends to have a comparatively more lasting effect than what you see on your phone. This is why billboard advertisements will last longer in your memory than ads on Instagram you will simply scroll by. 

Cons

The biggest downside to traditional marketing is that campaigns cannot be measured. And on top of that, it is expensive too. Irrespective of how much money businesses spent on traditional marketing, they cannot accurately measure the returns and effectiveness. Apart from that, there are no trackers that are smart and intelligent enough to dig deep into studying and analyzing the results. 

Digital Marketing: Pros and Cons

Pros

With digital marketing, a business can easily track the results and physical activity. If someone is sharing your posts or liking them, you get notifications right away. Additionally, you can engage and communicate with people through comments as well. 

Moreover, unlike traditional marketing, the effects and results of digital marketing can be measured in-depth since there are a lot of tools out there. This also makes targeting a lot easier. Once you are aware that your audience likes to read, you can come up with interesting content and upload blog posts. 

Cons

Digital marketing is deemed annoying by users since the advertisements suddenly pop up just when they are going through important information or videos etc. Although the brands are being clever this way but users get irritated a lot. 

In addition to that, digital marketing efforts like emails, social media ads, and banners can easily be ignored. This makes them less permanent. If your audience simply shifts or clicks the next page, your ad is gone. 

Find What Works For You

Even today, both traditional and digital marketing go hand in hand. However, digital marketing is the most preferred. The reason being that it allows the businesses to reach customers thousands of miles away with just a single post. This is perfect for businesses that cannot spend millions on marketing. 

Traditional marketing will work best for you if you wish to reach an older or local audience. But since it is expensive, you need to carefully select the marketing techniques that will ensure the best results. Perhaps the best way to find what works for you is to consider your audience and what leads them to make decisions. 

Final Word

Ultimately, both marketing techniques and types have their benefits and downfalls. However, the key lies in determining the needs of your target audience and how you can approach them. Moreover, the budget also has an important role to play. While traditional marketing is used by established businesses that possess the budget, digital marketing is mostly used by online businesses that are new entrants and wish to capture customers who use the internet on a daily basis.