Digital marketing is marketing that is done online, whereas traditional marketing is done offline. Because the internet wasn’t around in the earliest days of advertising, marketing techniques that don’t use the internet are considered “traditional”. Even though the internet is used by over half of the world’s population, some forms of traditional marketing are just as effective as digital marketing. Here’s a look at some of the best strategies from both digital and traditional marketing.
The 3 Best Digital Marketing Strategies
#1: Native Advertising
This is a form of content marketing that is featured on a platform alongside other, non-paid content. The content is usually a photograph, infographic, or even video content and it’s usually displayed on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and even YouTube ads can be considered native advertising. These are ads that people expect to see on a particular platform— the opposite of pop-up ads that are usually annoying. This makes native advertising a more effective technique than other types of online ads.
#2: Pay Per Click (PPC)
PPC is a paid method of advertising that drives traffic to your website. Ads for your business are displayed on other, non-competitor websites and blogs and even on social media, and every time your ad is clicked, you pay the publisher a set price. The idea behind this method is that even though you’re paying a publisher, a clicked ad means that someone will purchase from your website, so this method pays for itself. Examples of PPC include paid ads on Facebook, Google ads, sponsored messages on LinkedIn, and Twitter ad campaigns.
#3: Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO is another way to drive traffic to your website but in an unpaid way. The idea behind SEO is to use certain keywords and phrases to get your website to rank higher on Google, Bing, and other search engines. At the very least, you’ll want your website to come up on the first page of results since a very low number of people browse beyond the first page. This is a natural way to bring traffic to your website and to get people to purchase from you versus a competitor.
The 3 Best Traditional Marketing Strategies
#1: Planning Events
Business events are great ways to bring more awareness to your business, and they’re great for getting to meet consumers face-to-face (or virtually). Event marketing usually involves planned games for attendees to win prizes, a free or discounted product or service from your business. Pop-up shops are also a type of event, and this is a great way for e-commerce businesses to gain more customers. These events also create a sense of urgency, which is another tactic for attracting consumers.
#2: Printed Ads
Printed ads are some of the oldest forms of traditional marketing, and they include things like magazine and newspaper articles. Billboards and flyers are also considered printed ads, and all of these are still effective forms of marketing today. However, printed ads tend to work best for small businesses that serve their local community— but that doesn’t mean that these businesses can’t benefit from digital marketing strategies. All types of businesses can benefit from printed ads, whether it’s an ad in a local newspaper or a flyer sent in the mail.
#3: Promotional Merchandise
Promotional marketing uses everyday items as a way to advertise to an audience. The idea behind this type of advertising is simply to create brand awareness, but this awareness can be the foundation of other types of marketing. For example, if someone happens to see your company name and logo on a pen, they may want to look up your company on Google or another search engine. You can also put your logo on things like hats and T-shirts for your employees and/or customers to wear.
Overall, digital marketing allows you to market (create targeted material to get consumers interested in buying) in a more effective way, whereas traditional marketing works better at creating brand awareness, or simply making people more aware of your business. Both are necessary and can be useful for all types of businesses. Digital marketing also requires the internet, and preferably a business website, even if you operate fully in person. A business website is a great way for your target market to learn more about your business and the people behind it, as well as what you sell/provide and how they can get in contact with you.
