Digital Marketing Vs. Traditional Marketing: Which Is The Best Option for Austin Businesses

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What Is Digital Marketing?

If you want to explore the world of online advertising, you've come to the right place. At a high level, it refers to the advertising performed through digital means such as search engines, social media, mobile apps.
Consumers rely heavily on digital channels to research products. Marketers use digital technologies to entice customers into buying their products. In today’s internet era, there are numerous business opportunities. The speed and ease of digital media help to foster more business opportunities.
With the help of social networks, companies can generate potential leads. With the advent of digital marketing, companies have started growing enormously.

What Is Traditional Marketing?

It plays a pivotal role in reaching local audiences. Everyone comes across traditional marketing in their everyday lives. It could be the newspapers to the emails on their phones. It comprises print, broadcast, direct mail, and telemarketing.

• It is a diverse field involving various strategies and methods. Companies use various media to broaden their reach audiences.
• It is the most common method performed by marketers.
• It helps build brand awareness and drive people to visit your store.
• It is one of the effective means of inducing a trial or purchase.

Digital Marketing Vs. Traditional Marketing

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Pros & Cons of Digital Marketing

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Digital marketing strategies are evolving with the invention of technologies and modern-day techniques.
Search engines come into play along with voice search and interactive content playing a pivotal role in today's era. Content creation, ecommerce transactions, and the use of Artificial Intelligence technologies are likely to become more pervasive.

Pros:

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1. Easy To Measure The Campaigns

Various KPIs can establish and measure your digital marketing campaigns. Various metrics can monitor the performance of the campaigns. It includes search engine rankings, overall site traffic, conversion rates, ROI, and average stay per visit.
You can use apps like Buffer, Hootsuite, and Later that make your tracking process more effortless.
For example, Take a look at these stats from the buffer on a Twitter campaign.

2. More Options For Engagement

Through various social media channels, you can interact with your audience. You can get insights into what the audience thinks about your marketing efforts.
With the help of advancements in AI and chatbot technology, you can generate automated responses.
Pro Tip1: Optimize the loading speed.
Pro Tip2: Collect in-app feedback to create responses.

3. Target Specific Audiences

You can target specific target audiences relevant to your brands. Use social media, Google analytics. They provide valuable information regarding the audiences. It includes information regarding the demographics, age, gender of the audience to make intelligent decisions.
For example, Take a look at this Facebook business insights screenshot below. It shows the estimated audience size, gender, age, target location, and more.

4. Highly-Cost Effective

Digital marketing strategies are cost-effective. Creating an email campaign can be more effective. You can offer personalized email offers, enhance social media engagement. It helps to gain brand credibility with high-quality content.
Tools to brainstorm blogging ideas:

• Quora,
• Quick Sprout,
• Yoast WordPress SEO plugin

It has a broad scope which enables it to target audiences globally that have a broad reach.
By simply searching in Quora or Reddit, you can find hundreds of blogging ideas for your niche.
For Example, Take a look at this screenshot below.

Cons:

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1. Digital Marketing Can Be Annoying

Digital marketing ads can be annoying. Many users can dislike some pop-up or banner ads. Think of a moment where you're scrolling Facebook, and some sponsored ad pops up in the windows tab. Some users would dislike such interruptions from brands.
For Example, Have a look at these sponsored posts by LG on Facebook.

2. Digital Marketing May Be Ignored

Digital marketing strategies like Google ads, banner ads, and promo emails can be ignored. It can be when the users keep scrolling and move to other pages. 41% of people leave a site if it takes more than 3 seconds to load.
TIP: Learn to optimize your site speed with Google Page speed testing tool.

3. Digital Marketing Can Be Time-Consuming

Optimizing online campaigns and content curation would require more effort. It is a great challenge to stand out from others in the competition. Trends, tools, and platforms keep changing. Marketers need to keep themselves updated.

Pros & Cons Of Traditional Marketing

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Pros:

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1. It Is Impactful & East to Implement

It is impactful and easy to implement- A striking tv commercial can be an effective way to stand out from other advertisements. It helps marketers to connect with local audiences and target them effectively.
A visually bold billboard can be engaging and reach diversified audiences. These are some ads that evolved the change within us.

2. It Gives Greater Exposure

Traditional marketing has a high success rate. It is a tested method, and marketers believe that traditional methods derive better conversion rates. It is a standard mode of advertising for businessmen and audiences.
Newspapers and magazines help you target niches. Magazines and newsletters can make you have a loyal set of audiences.
For Example, look at this magazine advertisement by IIFL in Business India. This magazine has over million active subscribers.

3. You Can Reach New Audiences

Traditional marketing enables you to reach diversified audiences across many demographics. Through television and radio advertising, you can deliver messages effectively. It helps spread word-of-mouth communication and allows your brand to connect with new audiences.

4. It Automates the Marketing Techniques

Direct mail services and automation effectively deliver personalized messages. It is one way of interacting with customers daily. Promotional campaigns can bring effective results through print media. Traditional marketing techniques help to build solid and long-lasting relationships.

Cons:

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1. Lack Of Time To Edit Changes

Compared to digital marketing, marketers don't get enough time to update messages or alterations. They have to create the ad layout well in advance to publish it in newspapers or magazines. This tends to generate negative customer experiences and relationships.
For example, Take a look at this spelling mistake done by Times Daily.

2. Expensive

Additional costs were utilized for distributing pamphlets and putting up billboards. You need to pay every time you plan for a promotional campaign.
Traditional marketing companies charge you to deliver mailers, ad commercials, etc. Changes to websites or layouts don't require additional costs in online marketing.

3. Not Measurable

Traditional marketing suffers from this limitation. Digital media has specific metrics to evaluate the performance and success rate. Traditional marketing has only detailed estimates to determine commercial tv ratings.
Digital marketing has laid down the entire sales funnel to determine conversions.

4. Long Execution

Traditional marketing strategies can take longer to execute. For example, producing a print ad would require some time. It has to undergo the editing process. There is no going back and changing the color, font, size, etc.
Traditional marketing companies are learning to adjust and update themselves for the new generation of millennials.

Different Forms of Digital Marketing

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We will detail each form or type of digital marketing to invest in them accordingly for better performance of your business in Austin.

SEO

It stands for search engine optimization. It helps optimize your websites and business for various search engines like Google. It is the process of improving your site to enhance its visibility.
Greater visibility and high ranking can have an impact on your marketing efforts. Core elements of SEO comprise on-page SEO and off-page SEO.
On-page SEO is about building content and enhancing your rankings. Off-page SEO includes earning backlinks.
Here are some SEO tools marketers use to monitor rankings:

• Google Search Console,
• SEMRush,
• KWFinder

Here is a screenshot from SERanking that tracks the rankings of all target keywords every day.

SEM

It stands for search engine marketing. It is an important part of digital marketing. It consists of various tools/ strategies that help optimize the website's visibility and rank higher.
SEM encompasses both SEO strategies and search engine advertising. It is very effective in bringing highly qualified traffic to your website.
You can measure the results with tools like Google Ads. Such devices provide actionable insights on tracking results.
Take a look at these detailed insights from Google ads.

SMM

It stands for social media marketing. Businesses invest in various social media platforms to enhance their marketing efforts.

• You can advertise on Facebook with precise targeting ads and robust data on multiple audiences.
• You can create Facebook advertising campaigns and drive conversions.
• You can schedule your tweets for optimal post times.
• You can run a Twitter poll for better engagement with the audience.

Take a look at this Twitter poll which has received more than 16000+ votes.
With Instagram analytics, you can increase your engagement rate. These detailed analytics rank impressions, reply count, etc.

Paid Advertising

You can advertise on social media, search engines such as Google and Bing. Pay-per-click advertising is one of the common digital marketing strategies used by marketers.
WordStream's free search marketing tools offer actionable insights into pay-per-click advertising campaigns. These tools help in SEO management, keyword research, etc.
Take a look at this screenshot from WordStream that shows various factors like CPC, Search Volume, Competition, and more.

Influence Marketing

Brands use influencer marketing to enhance their brand visibility and association with the audience. These influencers voice out their opinions regarding the brands and products. They are specialists who have a vast set of followers among the audience.
The followers believe that these influencers give genuine opinions without any worldly gains. They collaborate with top-notch brands. You can take a look at the list of Top Instagrammers.
Here is an example of influencer marketing done by a make-up artist.

Content Marketing

In general, blog posts, e-books, social media descriptions for brands. It can also include eBooks, podcasts, etc.

• It incorporates the optimized SEO terms in the website content, shared across various platforms.
• It is vital for enhancing customer experience by offering value through content curation.
• It helps to improve the brand profiles and awareness.

Some content management tools: HubSpot, WordPress, etc.

Different Forms Of Traditional Marketing

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1. Billboards

As per sources, 71% of people consciously look at billboards when driving. It is necessary for the hoardings to be creative to stand out among the hustle. It should tell a story or call-to-action convincingly to the audience.
You can use emotional marketing strategies on the billboard to appeal to the audience. Make it bold and simple. It is essential to gain their attention for a glimpse at your billboard.

2. Direct Mail

It helps deliver personalized postcards, letters. These act as an effective way for database marketing. You can send direct mail to those prospects who have expressed interest in the company. These direct mails can enhance consumer awareness regarding brands.

3. Print Ads

Print advertisements help reach more prospects through newspapers, magazines, etc. By showcasing advertisements in newspapers, you can build awareness regarding your brand and offerings.
You can target specific audiences through magazine advertisements or reading materials. It enables targeting a broad reach of segments as well.

4. Broadcasting

You can opt for broadcast channels like radio and television to reach local audiences. Hearing or listening to such media can pique interest and curiosity in the minds of consumers. It can also help gain national recognition for your brand across the globe. It helps to reach a diversified audience.

5. Handouts

Handouts can be printed catalogs or brochures to promote a business, brand, or offerings. It helps generate awareness among the community regarding your promotional events and offerings. It helps you describe the product features, attributes to the clients and prospective customers. For example, Take a look at this pamphlet design by a healthcare firm.

How To Choose The Right Marketing Strategy?

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A marketing strategy includes a business strategy. It revolves around the company's proposition for reaching prospective customers-it refines the customer demographics, brand messaging, etc.

1. Identify Your Business Goals

Identify and align your business goals to determine successful results. You can define a set of marketing goals as well. Set SMART goals. Plans which are stated, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Lay down the key performance indicators in the initial stages of planning.

2. Research Your Market

It is essential to gather information regarding your demographics. It is vital to profile the customers, their data for precise targeting. It helps to expand business opportunities to diversified markets. Perform a SWOT analysis to determine your competitive advantage's strengths and weaknesses. Develop strategies to achieve your marketing goals.

3. Profile Your Competitors

It is essential to determine your competitors' products, supply chains, and marketing mix elements. It provides vital information for marketers to stand out from others. It helps to gain a competitive edge over others. Identify your strengths and improve your marketing performance.

4. Test Your Ideas

Use the comprehensive 7P's of the marketing mix. Choose the appropriate marketing choices for products, price, promotion. Perform online research and develop a refined marketing strategy. Perform test marketing to approach your customers. These are the steps to build a progressive marketing strategy for business.

Vital Digital Marketing Stats:

• Almost 25% of companies invest in mobile optimization as an essential SEO strategy. They aim to make their websites mobile-friendly.
• Automobile companies spend around $18.9 million on digital and video advertising. It has enhanced their engagement rate.
• The widely based method of video marketing used is explainer videos (74%), presentation videos (50%), and testimonial videos(49%) by marketers.
• Facebook Messenger has around 117% more monthly active users than other messaging apps.
• There are 300,000 active messenger bots on the Facebook messenger platform.
• 75% of marketers believe email marketing tactics enhance customer engagement and revenue.
• Adding call-to-action can drive 43% more viewers to your website and enhance more interactions.
• Chatbots have fuelled the number of interactions with customers. They handle 85% of customer service.
• 75% of marketers actively invest in content marketing strategies to boost their traffic and lead generation.
• B2B companies use LinkedIn 95% of the time to enhance their reach and connections.
• 90% of marketers stated that the ROI from influencer marketing is high compared to other methods.

Vital Traditional Marketing Stats:

• 80% of households read direct mail. Direct mail responses are nine times higher than other methods.
• 40% of customers said they tried the products due to direct mail advertising. It has increased the conversion rate.
• 70% of consumers prefer direct mail advertising to other online interactions or advertising.
• 73% of billboard viewers have frequently purchased products on their way back home.
• 25% of consumers say they are interested in a store and their products due to outdoor advertising methods.
• 55% of consumers stated that they received information regarding the product attributes from billboards.
• 83% of consumers trust print ads before making a purchasing decision.
• The response rate for direct mail advertising is 38% higher than other methods.
• 25% of newspaper readers are under the age of 35 (millennials)
• The total estimated revenue for the newspaper industry was $8.8 billion post covid.
• Consumers reading paper ads are 72% more likely to remember the company which placed the ad. It acts as a memory jogger in the later stages.
• The unaided brand recall by the consumers is 75% more in traditional marketing when compared to digital marketing efforts.

Key Takeaways:

• Marketers have restructured their agencies in various ways to place digital marketing at the forefront.
• Different influencers state that digital marketing is one of their top agendas. It has played a pivotal role in enhancing professional endeavors.
• Marketers have started incorporating digital marketing into their business strategies. They have set up dedicated teams to kick-start the digital marketing efforts in the long run.
• 95% of marketers claim that they use social media to distribute-branded content that interests the millennials.
• You can publish top-notch content like testimonial videos, infographics to gain a competitive edge over others.
• When used correctly, traditional marketing can generate effective results. A simple business card can have a significant impact on the business. It avoids the crowd in the digital space.
• Traditional marketing promotes face-to-face and customized services. It offers an enhanced consumer experience.

Both these methods are influential with their benefits. Yet, the main aim of marketing remains the same: to persuade customers to induce purchase. Both digital and traditional marketing can work for you according to your specifications.