Business leaders and their teams face a dilemma when it comes to discerning the best solution for their project. Would it be better to opt for digital-oriented marketing or rather based on traditional values ?
If traditional marketing tends to go towards the consumer and pushes supply towards demand, the challenge of digital marketing is to attract the consumer, and therefore attract demand to supply. They are therefore two distinct strategies in their conceptions.
Two concepts to qualify
What is traditional marketing?
Marketing considered « classic » uses traditional communication channels, to convey messages and present products or services. These include billboards, print media, broadcast media, etc. The basic principle is to go to the consumer. This technique is part of an outbound marketing or outbound marketing approach.
What is digital marketing?
Digital marketing is a new form of marketing, born with the advent of digital. Communication is based on digital media: social networks, blogs, websites, e-mails, etc. And consists of attracting the customer with relevant content that responds to their problems. It applies the concept of inbound marketing.
What are the differences between the two concepts?
Support
To address customers, traditional marketing uses all offline media : TV spots, radio ads, inserts and advertising articles, editions, phone calls, shows, fairs and events. They have a powerful reach with consumers because they reach everyone, including those who are not connected.
To reach its target, online marketing uses connected media : content marketing, online banners, marketing emails, social networks, natural or paid SEO, videos and podcasts, etc. In this type of tool, there is no geographical barrier, provided you have a connection. Indeed, the messages are accessible by all Internet users.
Targeting
In traditional marketing, advertisements are widely distributed. All consumers are exposed to the same ad. But the impact is not the same among different consumers.
On the other hand, in online marketing, advertising content is displayed with a user who corresponds to a specific target group. This approach makes it easier to personalize ads and contribute to their relevance.
The relationship with the customer
The transmission of messages is fast, but it is unidirectional in traditional marketing. Indeed, there are few opportunities to establish a regular exchange with consumers. In addition, once the advertisement is launched, it is impossible to make changes to it in relation to news and reviews. Finally, it is difficult to measure the impact of messages on the public, because the process mobilizes great resources.
On the Internet, many analysis and tracking tools are available to indicate the effectiveness of an advertisement. Estimating its exact impact is feasible by evaluating the conversion rate, the number of purchases, the number of shares, etc. As a result, marketers can react very quickly to readjust ads based on context. Interaction with customers is also facilitated by the various participatory platforms and social networks .
With Magileads, you set up a digital prospecting strategy based on targeting and ultra-personalization of messages, for an effective conversion of prospects.
Strengths and weaknesses of both branches
Strengths and weaknesses of traditional marketing
With the popularization of the Internet, traditional marketing is undervalued by marketing players. But this form of marketing is a concept that has lasted for several centuries, which is why it continues to hold an important place in the lives of consumers. It helps shape the image of the brand by inviting itself into the daily life of the consumer. Traditional marketing remains an undeniable springboard for a brand’s popularity.
Its main advantages lie in the fact that the messages broadcast are accessible to all, easy to understand, often impactful and entertaining. Being on a physical medium, advertisements take a more permanent form. By intervening in the daily lives of consumers, advertisements are part of the emotion of the moment and become more memorable.
The main disadvantage is the cost. Businesses that start up in majority, can not have access to it. On the other hand, traditional marketing is outbound marketing.
Strengths and weaknesses of digital marketing
The impact of traditional marketing is significant, but it would be unreasonable to ignore the place of digital. Moreover, digital marketing mobilizes all the digital touchpoints between a company and its audience. Faced with this, 57% of the world’s population would use the Internet and spend an average of 6 hours and 42 minutes online each day according to ClickZ. The Internet is therefore an essential means of reaching a large number of consumers.
Receiving real-time feedback from your marketing campaign is a serious advantage. This helps build better engagement options. In addition, the campaign cost is affordable and the return on investment measurable.
On the other hand, digital marketing campaigns take on an ephemeral character, because the advertisements are not tangible and can be « ignored » by the public. Also, each channel requires special knowledge, therefore specific skills.
The key is to find the balance between digital marketing and traditional marketing in your strategy. A complete marketing strategy usually requires the integration of these two branches. By combining them, you strengthen their effectiveness and broaden your horizons.
Traditional marketing is therefore not losing its effectiveness, but it is increasingly limited in view of changes in consumer behavior. However, the choice must be made according to the objectives to be achieved. The most important thing is to identify your specific needs, in relation to your target audience and your budget.
