Traditional Marketing vs. Digital Marketing

Digital marketing or traditional marketing? That is the question. And it’s something every single marketing person on the planet will have pondered at some point in their life. In this article we take a look at -

• The differences between digital marketing and traditional marketing
• The pros and cons of both
• When to use traditional and when to choose digital

What is Traditional Marketing?

Traditional marketing is the mode of marketing that’s been around the longest, and up until the rise of the internet in the 1990s, it was the only method of marketing there was. So, when we talk about traditional marketing examples, we’re referring to the likes of -

1. TV and radio adverts
2. Billboards or adverts on buses or posters at train stations
3. An advert or advertorial in a print publication such as a magazine or newspaper
4. Catalogues or leaflets put through your letterbox – Direct Mail
5. Telemarketing – by phone or text
6. Signs and displays in shop windows

What is Digital Marketing?

If you’re wondering how digital marketing is different from traditional marketing, we’re here to tell you. Digital marketing is basically the younger, trendier little sister who thinks they know it all. But just like that younger, trendier little sister, sometimes digital marketing can be kinda irritating, and that’s why traditional marketing is still here to stay. Examples of digital marketing include -

• Email marketing campaigns
• Influencer marketing
• PPC or Pay-Per-Click marketing
• Ads on social media platforms
• Affiliate marketing

The Pros and Cons of Traditional Marketing

When it comes to traditional marketing vs digital marketing, of course there are pros and cons to both. With regards to traditional marketing methods, some of the main pros are that this form of marketing is harder to ignore, it can reach certain target audiences better than digital can, and it’s easier to have total control over your brand’s image in a traditional marketing format.

Of course, there are cons to this form of marketing, though, too. Typically, traditional marketing is much more expensive than its digital counterpart. It can also take longer to action. What’s more, it is much harder to understand or measure the reach and effectiveness of traditional marketing.

The Pros and Cons of Digital Marketing

And how about digital marketing vs traditional marketing? Are there any advantages of digital marketing over traditional marketing? There certainly are. Digital marketing is a much quicker form of marketing and can be used to reach potential clients all over the world with relative ease. This just isn’t possible with traditional marketing. Digital marketing is also relatively easy to learn, can be done on a much lower budget, and can reach targeted audiences easily.

On the flip side, digital marketing does pose some disadvantages. For instance, it comes with security and privacy issues, can be endlessly time consuming, you have to rely on technology to carry it out, and there is huge competition in the digital sphere. Digital marketing is so omnipresent on the internet, that it’s becoming easier and easier to ignore. You can disregard side-bar ads, skip adverts, block pop-ups, and zone out of ad content pretty easily when you’re browsing the web.

Combining Traditional and Digital Marketing

The question isn’t really, ‘is digital marketing better than traditional marketing?’, it’s more, ‘how can we use both of these tools together?’ At Creative Ideaz, we use the RACE framework. This allows us to understand which traditional or digital marketing channels to use at what time. Armed with this knowledge, we’re able to pinpoint the best times to target digital or traditional marketing during a customer lifecycle.

It’s important not to look at traditional marketing and digital marketing as warring tribes. There is no battle that needs to be won here. One format excels in doing certain things, while the other is better at doing others, and that’s just fine. What is important is deciding which to use when and ensuring that both methods make the impact that you want them to. Traditional marketing is much more expensive than digital, yet it still has the ability to make a huge impact. After all, who hasn’t succumbed to the power of a McDonalds ad on a huge billboard? Suddenly five minutes later we’re at the drive-thru. That’s traditional marketing doing what it does best: grabbing your attention and making you act.

Traditional marketing to digital marketing isn’t a transition process that will happen – unless we all cease to exist in the real world. At Creative Ideaz, we’re hedging our bets and saying this won’t ever happen. As humans we will continue to enjoy both the digital and traditional spheres, and will never be 100% tied to either. Some days you just have to get outside for a walk – and that’s when you might pick up a paper, or spot a billboard advert. Other days, you’ll be stuck at your desk and that’s when those digital marketing tools get to work. Traditional marketing vs digital marketing isn’t a thing, it’s a joined-up process.