Published on October 23rd, 2020 | by Amanda Booska

Can Digital Marketing Replace Traditional Marketing?

Digital marketing seems to be on the rise at the moment with more businesses taking the e-commerce approach to capture customers who, most of the time, are online. Given the growth in technology, at one point digital marketing will replace traditional marketing. Although at this particular time, they work to supplement one another.

In the last couple of years, most entrepreneurs have been finding it hard to do without digital marketing because of the advantages it provides. Below are advantages that accrue from online marketing:

1. Provides an avenue to target specific customers

While the world is becoming more interconnected, ways of targeting clients are also becoming more pronounced. Digital platforms are providing more data for marketers to use to create targeted advertising based on consumer beliefs, interests, and lifestyles. When you run these advertisements on Facebook or Google, you can catch the attention of an audience that was initially neglected. Digital marketing mimics a GPS which tends to give you a specific location. However, some businesses are still reliant on traditional marketing and have thrived on it. If you deal with a brand that requires customized advertising, digital marketing would be perfect for you.

2. Cost-effective

Marketing carries a bigger budget for small businesses. Digital marketing compared to other forms is more cost-effective. Costs incurred to launch a marketing plan are low and the impact they offer is significant. When you source the services of digital marketing companies such as SEO Tactica, you are guaranteed enhanced visibility online which increases traffic on your website. Increased traffic translates into elevated sales and ultimately more revenue. Given that most of the work SEO companies do is online, they tend to charge affordable rates for the services they render.

3. Success is easy to measure

It is easy to ascertain the success of a digital marketing campaign. The veracity of a digital campaign can be determined shortly after it is launched compared to a traditional campaign. Entrepreneurs can use email marketing software to measure the output. With such software, you can tell how many emails were delivered and read by the recipient. You can also leverage tools such as Google Analytics to measure the goals that you had set at the beginning of the campaign.

4. Digital marketing is global

Digitization has turned the global market into a village where when you upload an advertisement, it becomes visible to people across the world. For small companies, this is an opportunity for them to go global. In recent years, most of the big companies we see today grew significantly from digital marketing.

Traditional marketing existed long ago before online marketing. While digital marketing has its merits, traditional marketing also has its share of benefits. Here are the reasons why conventional marketing is still useful:

1. Gets you the local audience with ease

Traditional marketing involves the utilization of platforms such as print (newspapers), broadcast (FM radios and television), mail (postcards), outdoor (billboards) as well as telephone (SMS marketing). These platforms may seem dated but they still attract numerous people.

2. Easy to understand

For consumers with limited literacy on digital marketing, traditional marketing ensures that they are not left out. This kind of marketing does not require a detailed explanation as the content being promoted is straightforward. A flyer or billboard conveys the message clearly and concisely.

3. Ads can be kept

Online content does not require printing or broadcasting. Therefore tools used for traditional marketing can be stored to be viewed at a later time. Additionally, the materials used can be kept and recycled to produce other things.

4. Higher success rate

Despite the increased popularity of digital marketing, conventional marketing has been found to have a higher success rate. Online content may reach global markets but it does not mean that it will reach your potential customer who will be prompted to make purchases. You ought to know that not everyone interested in your brand has access to online platforms or can go online to search for what you are selling. When you implement a digital marketing campaign, you may lose these potential consumers to the competition. Therefore, traditional marketing is relevant, more convenient, and will improve your revenue significantly.

Final thought

Digital marketing may seem trendy at the moment but traditional marketing is still useful and influential. For the former to surpass the latter, there is a need for the tech experts to develop content that caters to the needs of the older generation which seems not to gel with technology.

Tags: digital marketing, replace, traditional marketing

About the Author

Amanda Booska Amanda Booska is a speech pathologist with over 8 years of experience in working with children, adults, in acute care, rehabilitation, and community-based services. She is interested in augmentative communication, community capacity building, and enhancing the quality of life for people with disabilities.