A common question that runs through every marketer’s head is, which marketing method should I use? Which one is going to give me the highest ROI? Marketing is an important aspect of business that cannot, rather should not be ignored. There is a trend among marketers to move towards digital marketing for a number of reasons.
Before diving right in, let’s clarify the difference between Digital and Traditional marketing.
Digital Marketing
New age marketing that uses the internet to influence consumers’ buying decisions. Digital marketing platforms include:
- Social media (the most popular one)
- Paid search ads
- Website
- Blog
- Business networking sites
Traditional Marketing
The tried and tested conventional methods of marketing that have been used since the onset of advertising. Traditional marketing methods include:
- Print (Magazines, newspapers, flyers, etc.)
- Television
- Radio
- Billboards
Now that the distinction between the two has been established, let’s move on to why marketers feel digital marketing is a more viable option.
1. Greater reach
Social media for instance, allows you to target anyone from any corner of the world which gives you a plethora of opportunities to tap into. While traditional marketing does transcend boundaries, this kind of global, viral reach is unimaginable.
2. Selective targeting
Digital marketing allows you to tailor make your campaign and target it to a specific audience based on demographics such as age, gender, location, etc. This means you target only those people you think are prospective leads which makes your campaign more concentrated and effective.
3. Interaction with audience
Having an online presence allows your customers to visit your page/website, read about your products, purchase them and provide feedback that is visible to the rest of the market. This direct interaction also results in quicker redressal of problems faced by customers that improves your standard of customer service and builds stronger relationships with customers.
4. Real time analytics
With tools like Google analytics, you can track the effectiveness of your campaigns in real-time with absolutely no waiting period unlike traditional marketing methods. You have every detail like number of likes, visitors, clicks, etc, laid out for you in real-time that helps you take action quickly.
5. Cost effective
Traditional marketing methods like print and television are quite an expensive affair, while digital marketing allows you to advertise your brand at minimum costs. This is an important factor that draws start-ups towards digital marketing. The other dimension to this is that it provides a level playing field for competitors. A start up can gear up to compete against an established firm provided it has a solid strategy and plan of action.
Clearly, digital marketing has its advantages. However, it would not be appropriate to completely phase out traditional marketing methods as they still do work and we still have a part of the population that does not use the internet or do not completely trust it. A marketing strategy that has a carefully calculated proportion of both methods would get you maximum results.
