If you are running a business and you are not sure whether to invest your resources in digital marketing campaigns or traditional marketing campaigns, you are not alone. Business owners can get confused when choosing between these two avenues, not really knowing which one to focus on. Although both are effective, if your budget only allows for one, it is advisable to consider a digital campaign.
What is Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing, also know as online marketing is basically advertising your product or services online. It is used by companies all over the world to reach an audience outside their locality, far beyond their national borders. Some of the platforms used include:
- Social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube & Pinterest
- Pop Up Advertisements
- Email Ads
- Blogs & Vlogs
- Google Adwords
- Search Engine Optimisation
- Viral Videos
What is Traditional Marketing?
This form of marketing has been around for a long time, way before the emergence of the Internet. This was the original method of promoting and advertising your product or service. Conventional forms of marketing include:
- Radio & TV Advertisements
- Newspapers & Magazines
- Flyers
- Roadside Billboards & Street Posters
Where to Invest
As mentioned previously, both forms have their benefits. But, if you’ve to choose between them, it is more advantageous to work with a digital marketing agency than to invest your money in traditional marketing methods. Here are some of the main reasons to choose digital marketing.
Expense
This is one of the major advantages digital marketing has over traditional marketing. You can hire a high-quality Adwords company who also specialise in Facebook advertising, search engine optimisation and website design for a fraction of the cost of what you’d spend on promoting your business using traditional forms. You’ll spend a considerable amount of cash on TV advertising which only reaches a certain number of people. Whereas online campaigns can potentially reach millions of people across the world.
Instant Feedback & Results
Online marketing campaigns, when managed successfully, can gain momentum in a very short period. Whereas traditional marketing can take months or even years to show a return on investment. Digital marketing projects supply real time data, they show you instantly where you are going wrong, so you can immediately adapt your campaign to suit your needs.
Exposure
If you take a minute to observe the people around you while in a café or sitting on the train, you’ll notice that almost everyone is looking at their smartphone, that includes the older generation. Newspapers and magazines have been replaced, people no longer use them to keep updated on current affairs. Traditional marketing is limited, whereas digital marketing can reach a massive audience with relative ease.
Although traditional forms of marketing can be useful, they just don’t give your company as much exposure as digital marketing. People are tuned into the internet 24 hours a day, 7 days a week meaning you’ve access to an incredibly large market. You can potentially reach millions of people in a short period, making digital marketing incredibly cost effective.