What is Traditional Marketing?

Traditional marketing is any form of marketing that is not online. That is: printing, radio, direct mail, telephone and others as billboards. From newspapers to radio and then television, these platforms have always been used to approach segmented audiences.

Traditional marketing is not only one of the oldest forms of marketing, but also one that has inspired most research. Many marketers are leaning towards these marketing solutions because a lot of testing and research has already been done. Everyone finds some form of traditional marketing in their daily life, whether in their mail or on television.

Traditional marketing has an important role in reaching local audiences. Ads can be kept for a long period of time if they are physical. Furthermore, there are target audiences that are more easily reached by these solutions than by new digital solutions.

What is Digital Marketing?

As the name implies, digital marketing is… well… digital. Digital marketing consists of any form of marketing conducted on any digital platform. Examples of this are search engine campaigns, the use of email to communicate with the target audience or social network management. Digital marketing has become increasingly popular due to technological innovations in recent years and the way society has organised itself around the new tools available.

Promoted publications, influencers’ trips and appealing videos are examples of digital marketing and how much this area has expanded over the last decade. As the world becomes more and more digital, companies must also change the way we do marketing. Not only is digital marketing more efficient in terms of financial return than traditional marketing, it also makes it easier to connect to an increasingly global audience.

Traditional Marketing vs Digital Marketing

Traditional marketing is an approach where the marketer identifies his audience and puts ads on offline platforms where he knows his target audience will interact like the newspaper, radio or television. Digital marketing consists of the use of digital tools and the use of paid and organic ads in social networks and search engines, such as email, videos and many others.

Traditional marketing has some disadvantages. First, brands have little or no interaction with consumers, to whom they sell the product, in real time. We cannot send a message to the newspaper ad to ask if they make home deliveries.

Some marketers also see traditional marketing as unreliable. We cannot edit an ad once it has been published in the newspaper. So if you have written the wrong amount for your radio advertisement discount, then you cannot change it.

Traditional marketing is also more expensive. For example, a full page advertisement in a weekly newspaper can cost as much as 24,270 euro per week. Furthermore, you never know who you will achieve with this investment because the results are difficult to measure. Marketers cannot get more people to read the newspapers or magazines where they publish their ads.

Traditional marketing is still an important way to advertise certain businesses. But digital is an increasingly relevant source of revenue.

However, there are disadvantages with digital marketing. Digital marketing depends on technology and sometimes on breaks in technology. When social networking websites are offline and a brand has publications or advertisements scheduled, the only solution is to wait for the social network to go online again.

Another issue social media has started to face is security. Since the Facebook scandal where the private information of 87 million profiles was released, other platforms have taken strict measures to ensure that users’ information is private. But companies must also keep in mind the legal component of advertising campaigns.

Every update of a social platform means a new learning curve for programmers and marketers. These are curves that take time out of their working day to learn and incorporate into future strategies.

Can They Work Together?

Absolutely! It’s a very old debate and the subject will continue to be discussed for many years to come. But there is a time and a place for both marketing strategies.

In fact, the question should not be “For the traditional market or the digital market? Instead, try “How do we use both tactics to sell effectively”? Of course, some companies may benefit more from one approach than another, but in general it is possible that both methods will prosper harmoniously.