Marketing is an ever changing and evolving discipline, but it also has a pretty long history. As marketers it is our job to keep up with these changes and integrate them into our systems. At the same time, we don’t want to entirely abandon older forms of marketing that can reach different kinds of audiences. Ultimately, organizations must find the balance of traditional and digital marketing strategies that will work best for them.
Digital Marketing
Digital media is the media that we encounter online via digital platforms. Digital marketing is therefore any marketing within these platforms. One of the advantages of digital marketing is the ability to directly communicate and engage with an audience. Digital platforms allow marketers to track a campaign’s progress in real time and adjust as necessary.
There are however some drawbacks to digital marketing. As consumers become more aware of their digital footprints, platforms have begun making it harder to track and target audiences. The digital landscape is also over-saturated with content, making it difficult for new organizations to make an impact.
Traditional Marketing
Traditional media consists of the media channels that were used before the internet became widely available. While the use of traditional marketing strategies has decreased in recent years, it still has its purpose. Traditional media has a very broad audience, allowing brands to connect with entire regions using a single campaign, and it can reach audiences that are not very active in online platforms. Finally, there is also less competition given the capital needed to present on these platforms, which makes it easier for new organizations to become household names.
While traditional media channels provide a larger audience for marketers, it doesn’t allow marketers to track a campaign’s impact. A broader audience also means campaigns can become generic in an attempt to appeal to multiple demographics.
As marketing professionals, it is our job to evaluate the needs of our organizations and develop marketing strategies accordingly. A mixture of both traditional and digital strategies is often necessary for success. The media landscape is constantly changing and it is our job to keep up while also continuing to use traditional methods effectively.