Traditional marketing is said to come into existence back in the 19th century. Earlier, marketing was limited just to print like newspapers, magazines, flyers, brochures, and other forms of written ads. Then, radio and television came into existence in the 1950s.
Marketing has evolved completely in the last few years. From printed ads to digital ads on the internet, marketing has taken a new form. The old ways of marketing are called traditional marketing whereas the latest forms of marketing are called digital marketing.
Here, we will discuss in detail about traditional marketing vs digital marketing. By the end of this blog, you’ll be able to decide between traditional and digital marketing or if you should opt for both.
Webmaxy can help you switch from traditional marketing to digital marketing. Learn which are the best marketing channels for your business through their conversion and revenue contribution.
Traditional marketing definition: Traditional marketing includes all the marketing channels that are offline. It is the use of offline media to reach the target audience. Traditional marketing includes newspapers, billboards, pamphlets, flyers, print ads, radio ads, TV ads, etc. These methods were prominent in the 19th century when the internet was not easily accessible.
Traditional marketing was an outcome of the advertising boom of the 1950s. This happened as marketing channels like radio and television were becoming popular. Television offered advertisers a wide scope to reach their target audience. This was also a revolution in the traditional advertising industry.
The use of traditional marketing mediums like newspapers, print ads, radio ads, and TV for promotional marketing is called traditional advertising. Traditional advertising can help you reach a large audience but not a defined audience. For example, you advertise on television for promoting a kid’s toy but you can’t be sure who’ll be watching television when your advertisement runs.
In this section, we will give you different examples of traditional marketing. These modes of marketing were used intensively in the early times to reach an audience.
Traditional marketing has existed for centuries due to the benefits it provides. Now, we will discuss some of the major benefits of traditional marketing.
Traditional marketing has been quite successful in the early times. However, with technological advancement, traditional marketing has lost its prominence. Digital marketing has become its major competitor.
There are several other reasons that have led to the downfall of traditional marketing. One major reason is the expensive advertising space. The advertising cost for television and radio is quite high. Most businesses can’t afford these expenses just for advertising.
In traditional marketing, it’s difficult to measure the results. When you run a television ad, there’s no guarantee that your target audience sees it. A television might be turned on but no one might be watching it. There’s no definite way to measure the results achieved through television.
Traditional marketing campaigns take longer to execute than digital marketing campaigns. For advertisements to appear on television, they need to be approved by the censor board and government authorities. This legal procedure takes a longer time and causes delays in traditional marketing campaigns.
Digital marketing is any type of marketing that is done through online platforms such as social media ads, PPC advertising, email marketing, etc. Digital marketing has become essential for businesses more than ever now. It is empowered by the tech revolution and the easy accessibility of the Internet.
Digital marketing is the preferred choice of marketers these days. There are many reasons why digital marketing is being used by brands in every sector.
In this section, we will tell you about the different types of digital marketing. Have a look at them to understand which one can work best for you.
Both traditional vs digital marketing have their pros and cons. Earlier, in this blog, we discussed traditional marketing advantages and disadvantages. Here, we will talk about digital marketing advantages.
Every marketing approach has its benefits and drawbacks. Now, we will tell you about the disadvantages of digital marketing.
Traditional marketing was quite popular for decades before the advent of the Internet. As soon as the Internet came, it presented new opportunities for advertisers to reach their target audience.
During the early days of digital marketing, banner ads were used. These ads appeared within the layout of a website. As time passed, these ads were placed in the center of the news content. Later, social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram gained popularity among people.
Youtube started getting around a million of views. This widespread popularity of social media channels led to the rise of social media ads. Digital marketing became the umbrella term for different types of online marketing like search engine optimization, email marketing, social media marketing, etc.
Below we have given a comparison table for digital marketing vs traditional marketing for your reference.
Categories | Traditional marketing | Digital marketing |
---|---|---|
Definition | It refers to the promotion of products or services through TV, radio, magazines, pamphlets, flyers, hoardings, banner ads, etc. | The use of online channels like search engines, social media platforms, and email marketing for reaching the target audience. |
Cost | Traditional marketing is expensive. | Digital marketing is cost-effective. |
Targeting | It can’t be used to target specific customers. | It can be used to target specific customers by setting audience filters in ads. |
Brand building | It’s not effective in brand building. | It’s fast and efficient in building a brand. |
Measure | It’s difficult to measure the results attained from traditional marketing. | Analytics tools can help to measure the results achieved through digital marketing. |
Modes | Traditional marketing channels TV, radio, print ads, hoardings, and banner ads. | Digital marketing channels include Search Engine Optimization (SEO), PPC advertising, content marketing, social media marketing, and email marketing. |
Reach | Traditional marketing has a local reach. | Digital marketing has a global reach. |
Communication | One-way communication happens in traditional marketing. | Two-way communication happens with digital marketing as the customers can also give feedback to brands. |
ROI | The return on investment can’t be measured accurately. | Digital marketing enables you to calculate the ROI easily. |
Alterations | You cannot alter or edit the content once it’s released. | You can make changes to your digital marketing campaigns even when they are running. |
For business owners and marketers, it’s important to choose the right marketing channels for their brands. To get the best out of your investment, you must evaluate and use the best marketing channels with higher reach. You should analyze on which marketing channels your target audience are available.
For example, if you’ve a product for old-aged people then traditional marketing channels can be the best to reach out to them. The reason is the fact, they might be less tech-savvy. Customers who are not active on digital marketing platforms can be reached through traditional marketing.
As per the statistics, traditional marketing accounts for the majority share of advertising revenue i.e. 56% while digital marketing makes up 46%. Also, for different marketing approaches, you need to see if you have a team available.
Traditional marketing doesn’t require you to set up a team but for digital marketing efforts, you need a dedicated team. You can use both digital and traditional marketing together to achieve your business objectives. This practice is called integrated marketing.
However, when you are using both traditional and digital marketing channels, make sure to keep your messaging consistent. So even when people come from traditional to digital marketing channels, they’re able to recognize your brand. Try to provide a connected customer experience.
Marketing has evolved in the last few years quite a lot. The new ways of marketing are very different than the earlier ways. The reason is the advent of new technologies and easy accessibility of the internet. Both digital marketing vs marketing has their pros and cons. The key is in understanding your marketing objectives and which marketing channels can help you achieve those.
Find out which marketing channels are used by your target audience. Consider your budget and choose the marketing channels accordingly. Traditional marketing channels can be a good choice to target baby boomers and Gen X as these people mostly own televisions and buy newspapers.
But digital marketing channels can help you to target people of all ages. Nowadays, smartphones and internet devices are used by almost every individual. Therefore, you can use digital marketing to reach people of any age. To create a comprehensive marketing strategy, you can use both digital and traditional marketing.
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How digital marketing is different from traditional marketing?
Digital marketing is different than traditional marketing in many ways. Digital marketing gives quick results compared to traditional marketing. It is cost-effective compared to traditional marketing. You can measure the results of digital marketing efforts whereas you can’t do the same for traditional marketing.
What is traditional advertising?
Traditional advertising is the practice of using traditional marketing channels like Television, radio, print ads, magazines, brochures, and billboards to promote your products or services. Traditional advertising uses offline media to reach the target audience.
What are some traditional marketing methods?
Traditional marketing uses offline mediums to reach a large audience. Some of the popular traditional marketing methods are as follows:
– Television
– Newspaper
– Radio
– Billboards
– Flyers
How effective is traditional marketing?
Traditional marketing is not specific in targeting but it allows you to tap into unexpected and new markets. You can target a large audience with traditional marketing. It helps to create brand awareness and establish credibility for a brand.
Which type of marketing should you use? Traditional or digital?
You can use both traditional and digital marketing together. However, digital marketing is more cost effective than traditional marketing. While creating a marketing strategy for your business, you should keep your budget and target audience in mind. Choose marketing platforms that are used by the maximum of your target audience.