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The world has changed a lot in the last two decades. From fashion choices to technology, everything looks so much different today. One of the most noticeable changes has been in the marketing industry. Marketing practices used to be dominated by telemarketing, billboards, and TV ads, but now there are many new factors involved. This has led to the growth of digital marketing becoming a more popular option for businesses today. But this doesn’t mean that you have to go with one or the other. The best marketing practices can take traditional and digital strategies and blend them to create an effective marketing strategy. This begs the question, why should you align your digital and traditional marketing methods?
What is Traditional Marketing vs Digital Marketing?
Before you even think about aligning your digital and traditional marketing strategies, you have to know what they are.
Traditional marketing is any marketing that isn’t online. Think anything like print, mail, phone, and billboard advertising. Everyone encounters some traditional marketing every day. You’ve probably heard an ad on the radio today or even seen one on a billboard as you were commuting to work. Traditional marketing is very important for local businesses as they can put their ads in the newspaper, billboards, TV, and even the radio. This way, they can reach their local audience easier.
Digital marketing is the opposite of traditional marketing in that everything is digital. This includes social media ads, PPC, email marketing, and SEO. You have probably encountered some type of ad for a show while scrolling through social media, such as Facebook. You might have clicked on that ad, and it took you to a website that plays a trailer for that show. That is an excellent example of digital marketing as someone is marketing their show, online, on social media, to drive people to their website. Digital marketing has become more popular today because it seems that everything is online nowadays. This makes it possible for your business to reach out to more people!
Now that you know what traditional and digital marketing are, lets see what channels they operate in.
Traditional Marketing Channels For Marketing Methods
Traditional marketing channels are some of the most common ones we see every day. They include:
Think about the many ads you see every time you read a newspaper or your favorite magazine. Chances are, there is one on almost every page. This is one of the oldest forms of traditional marketing that still plays a beneficial role today.
Broadcast
Broadcast advertising includes TV and radio stations. You’ve probably seen many TV commercials talking about the latest shoes that are dropping soon, the newest video games that are out now, or even the newest makeup brand that is now in stores. That is how TV ads can drive you into those businesses. Radios are also another broadcast channel for traditional marketing. Sometimes you might hear a regular ad on the radio that ends in the company’s jingle. That ad can make you want to head over to their business to see what they are about.
Outdoor
Some good outdoor advertising examples are billboards and fliers. They are an easy way for you to try and reach potential customers. Some of the most popular billboards that are seen every day include driving safety and advertising. How many billboards have you seen that tell you to drive sober? Fliers are also another easy way to reach out to people as, with the right permission, you can place those fliers anywhere you want.
Phone
Think telemarketing and text messaging. Telemarketing may be an easy way to reach people directly, but it can backfire quite a bit. How many times have you answered a call only to hang up when you realize it is just a marketer trying to sell you on something? Text messaging may be more successful as people nowadays would rather text than call.
Using direct mail as a form of marketing is still being used today. Many people still receive catalogs and postcards from their favorite companies with exclusive coupons.
Digital Marketing Channels
There are many digital marketing channels out there today as everything seems to be going online. These include:
Websites
Your website can be a great way to educate your target audience about your brand, products, and services. Whether through blogs or announcements, you can deliver useful and relevant content to your customers.
Social Media
You can directly engage with your audience on social media. This means you can slowly develop more personal and authentic relationships with them before going to your website. During this time, you can figure out what their needs are to see if you can help them.
SEO
Many searches are happening right now as I am writing this blog. This tells you how many people are online at any given time. What does this mean for you? It means that there are many opportunities for you! As long as you keep using good SEO, you should start seeing your search rank going up, making it more likely that people will visit your website versus websites that are lower ranking.
Email is a very versatile tool for marketing. You can create automated emails that get sent when a specific action has been taken on your website. You can also create personalized messages to send to your customers. Email marketing is one of the best and cheapest options for digital marketing.
Paid Advertising
You can also go the route of people clicking ads to get to your website. While you may have to pay every time someone clicks on an ad, there is a higher chance that they click on your paid ad because they always appear above organic search results. This means that your ad is the first thing they see when the search results are generated.
Benefits of Aligning Both Methods in the Marketing Strategy
Now that you know the different channels that traditional and digital marketing strategies operate in, what are the benefits of aligning them both in the same marketing strategy?
One thing you should always keep in mind is that traditional marketing is more passive, while digital marketing is more involved in actively engaging your target audience. Now that we know how both of them work let’s talk about how they benefit your marketing strategy.
- The most significant benefit of aligning both traditional and digital marketing strategies is that it helps you reach more people and convert more of them. Marketing, both offline and online, will help you reach out to people who still prefer traditional forms of marketing, and people who prefer more online forms.
- Another benefit of using both strategies is that they cover all your marketing bases. You don’t have to worry about not being able to market to certain people as you can reach them both offline and online.
- Use traditional marketing to drive people online. Create an ad in the newspaper that tells readers if they want to receive coupons via email, go online, and create an account. From there, you can engage in digital marketing to try and drive conversions.
Conclusion
Don’t neglect traditional or digital marketing over the other. Instead, try and find ways to implement them both in your marketing strategies. That way, you can reap the benefits from offline and online marketing!
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