Marketing as a strategic business function has changed a lot in the past few decades. Digital technology has revolutionized the way people communicate with the target market. It has led to a conflict between the marketing which was previously known as conventional or offline marketing and the latest technique of marketing called as digital marketing.
What is Traditional Marketing?
Conventional marketing relates to the form of marketing that doesn’t involve the use of technology as part of the marketing strategies.
1. Print Media: Non-magazines Periodicals and newspapers, brochures and fliers.
2. Broadcast Media: TV & Radio ads.
3. Outdoor Advertising: The others include billboards, banners, and posters.
4. Direct Mail: Advertisement through catalogues, post cards and promotional letters.
5. Telemarketing: Making a call to the possible consumers.
Advantages of Traditional Marketing:
1.Wider Reach:
Other conventional advertising approaches such as television and radios informants can influence a large population even those that are not very much involved in the internet.
2.Tangible Materials:
Print media and Direct mail are tangible media that can be touched and felt by the target group it reaches.
3.Credibility:
Often, the set channels of media are preferred for being more credible by some sections in the population.
Disadvantages of Traditional Marketing:
1.Cost:
Some of the most used marketing strategies such as the television and radio ads may at times be costly.
2.Limited Interaction:
Mainstream marketing tends to limit the audience’s level of engagement.
3.Measurement Challenges:
Relating to the use of traditional marketing, different channels are not easy to evaluate its impact as well as the rate of return on investment fully.
What is Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing engages the use of the web and new media to convey messages about products and services.
1. Social Media Marketing: For instance, the use of web 2. 0 tools such as face book, Instagram, tweeter, and linked in to communicate with the target audiences.
2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Enhancing the site’s ranking on the search engine results; particularly Google.
3. Content Marketing: Giving out relevant content which will entice the consumers to engage with the firm and its offerings.
4. Email Marketing: Communicating directly using the email to the prospects and the customers.
5. Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising: Purchasing ad spaces on the popular search engines, displayed networks, and the social media pages.
Advantages of Digital Marketing:
1. Cost-Effectiveness:
Digital marketing promotions are comparatively cheaper than the conventional marketing techniques.
2. Targeted Reach:
Being an online marketing strategy, it has the advantage of targeting a specific demography, interests, and even the behaviour of an individual.
3. Measurable Results:
There is a great availability of data in terms of the effectiveness of the specific campaigns and the actual return on investment through services like Google Analytics or the insights on social media platforms.
4. Engagement and Interaction:
Social media allows direct communication with the customer across the comments, likes, shares, and even private messages.
Disadvantages of Digital Marketing:
1. Online Dependency:
Digital marketing presupposes using the internet and digital literacy of the target audience as primary means of communication.
2. High Competition:
The Internet is saturated, and it is quite difficult to draw the audiences’ attention toward your web site.
3. Rapid Changes:
Algorithms and trends in digital marketing are dynamic, and hence, all need to be updated and learn new ideas frequently.
When to Use Traditional Marketing:
1. Reaching a Local Audience:
Trading and consumer marketing are suitable for firms with locally based customers as they make use of local newspapers, radio and exterior advertising.
2. Building Brand Trust:
To some extent, the traditional media can be effectively used by established brands as the latter need to ensure the audience that they are credible.
3. Targeting Older Demographics:
Some of the audience segments may not very much into internet and hence, other forms of marketing are useful.
When to Use Digital Marketing:
1. Targeting Younger Audiences:
People of the young age, who rely on the Internet for using various services, should be targeted with the help of digital marketing.
2. Budget Constraints:
Since the concept entails the usage of the internet, small business with few resources can effectively market their products and services through low-cost strategies.
3. Measurable Campaigns:
Large organizations which need extensive analysis and metrics for determining the effectiveness of the campaign should adopt digital marketing.
Conclusion
From the analysis we can summarize that both traditional and digital marketing have its values and its drawbacks at the same time. Depending on the goals and objectives, intended audience and available resources for marketing, it is possible to use either of the two or both depending on the business’s need.
