Will Digital Marketing Replace Traditional Marketing?
When considering where to allocate your marketing efforts, you may come up against the conversation of digital marketing vs. traditional methods. In this blog, we’ll discuss the difference between digital and traditional marketing methods and which is better suited to grow your business.
What is Traditional Marketing?
Traditional marketing or traditional advertising refers to any type of marketing that isn’t online. This means print, broadcast, direct mail, phone, and outdoor advertising like billboards. From newspapers to radio, this method of marketing helps reach targeted audiences.
Common places to still see traditional marketing today include:
- Print marketing (magazines, newspapers, billboards, buses, even pamphlets in the mail)
- Television marketing (commercials, product placement)
- Telephone marketing (calls and sms marketing)
- Radio marketing (broadcast marketing)
Local radio, cable TV, and billboards have the bonus of customers associating your brand with the community, but they also come at a higher price point. Even the most basic direct mail marketing costs the price of materials and postage.
Traditional marketing techniques can be very effective if your target audience is an older demographic. Audiences aged 50+ are much more likely to spend time reading the newspaper and seeing print marketing compared to those in their 20s and 30s.
What is Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing methods utilize the internet, including social media platforms and other digital marketing channels. Digital marketing refers to a variety of measurable marketing tools. A few pieces of marketing strategies are:
Search Engine Optimization
Search engine optimization or SEO is the process of improving your site to increase its visibility when people search for products or services related to your business on Google or other search engines.
Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing (SMM) is using social media platforms to interact with customers, build brands, increase sales, and drive website traffic.
Website Optimization
Website optimization is the process of using tools, advanced strategies, and experiments to improve the performance of your website, further drive more traffic, increase conversions, and grow revenue.
Marketing Automation
Marketing automation uses software to automate repetitive tasks such as email marketing, social media posting, and even ad campaigns
Email Marketing
Email marketing is a form of marketing that can make the customers on your email list aware of new products, discounts, and other services. It can also be a softer sell to educate your audience on the value of your brand or keep them engaged between purchases.
PPC Marketing
PPC stands for pay-per-click and is a model of internet marketing in which advertisers pay a fee each time one of their ads is clicked.
What about Word-of-Mouth?
Word of mouth is often considered the gold standard marketing strategy. Nothing establishes credibility better or spreads faster. The thing is, word of mouth has gone online, too.
According to a 2021 study by the Pew Research Center, 81% of American adults use some form of social media.
Nowadays, a customer might not hear about a business over a phone call from a friend, but when they read their social media post, instead. And when it comes to paid advertising, internet users are more likely to see an ad targeted at your local audience while scrolling their feed than flipping through a magazine.
Google is the new Word-of-Mouth
Even if your audience is less active on social media (less than half of 65+-year-olds report using any form of social media), they’re likely still using Google over the Yellow Pages.
When a user looks up a business on Google, they find the location and phone number and reviews. Word of mouth is no longer confined to the people we know and interact with face to face, but has been made even more powerful and visible by the Internet.
With this in mind, it’s a good idea to address your digital marketing strategy even if you serve an older demographic.
Digital marketing efforts can address things like reputation management, keeping reviews and star ratings favorable, SEO ranking your website higher in search results, and much much more.
Your Individualized Digital Marketing Campaign
At CS Design Studios, we know that not every digital marketing tool is created equal for each client. As Tucson’s local web development and marketing leaders, we employ a targeted approach to earn each of our clients the results they deserve.
Apart from working with a local advertising agency, the best part of working with a Tucson digital marketing company is how we tailor your platform to become a conversion-driving engine for your brand or business. We have driven tens of thousands of conversions for our clients and aim to make your digital marketing experience enjoyable.
Grow Your Business with CS Design Studios
The solution is digital marketing if you are looking for effective business growth with excellent ROI. CS Design Studios was founded on the idea that every piece of digital marketing should be a beautiful experience. Website design, photography, text placement, colors, and placement allow you to stand out above the rest.
We invite you to learn more by continuing to explore our website.
