Digital may be where most of the innovation and big wins are taking place in marketing in the 2020s, especially post-pandemic, but this does not mean that traditional marketing should be rejected or ignored. While digital can let a business reach a huge audience, traditional marketing can activate a customer in a deeper way.
What is traditional marketing?
Employing traditional marketing techniques means a business is making use of any channel that predates digital marketing, such as physical advertising through billboards or installations, print media like magazines or handouts, or older visual media like TV advertising. The physical nature of this form of advertising means it can engage potential customers more than those simply scrolling their feeds, who often quickly move past ads.
Why is it still important?
Traditional marketing allows a business to reach people in ways not afforded to them by digital. While digital allows specific targeting, it can only reach people while they are at a device. Traditional marketing allows for people to be reached anywhere. Whether it’s a billboard that sits on the side of a major road, an advert in the pages of a widely read newspaper or an advert during their favourite TV show, traditional marketing allows people to be reached in places that digital just can’t touch.
What are some other traditional marketing benefits?
Traditional marketing also allows businesses to reach audiences they wouldn’t usually be able to reach, such as those that are less technologically literate like the elderly. There’s also the ability to reach a more diverse audience. One of the advantages of digital marketing is the ability to specifically target certain demographics, but this can also be a hindrance. Traditional marketing may be less accurate, but this allows for new, unexpected markets to be tapped into and can help a smaller business grow more naturally through their local community or within their industry.
This physical presence also helps establish credibility for a business or brand. People’s feeds are often clogged up with ads for obvious pyramid schemes and weird mobile games, a constant reminder that anyone with a budget can launch a digital marketing campaign. By contrast, traditional marketing’s presence in the real world has the psychological effect of establishing credibility. People subconsciously know that an advert in a magazine or on television had to go through a few people to get there, giving the business an air of legitimacy that means they are more likely to trust a brand they discover through these channels.
Do you want to explore all marketing channels to find the best for your business? We can help your marketing plan creation for both traditional and digital channels. Send us an email at news@allthingsbusiness.co.uk or give us a call on 01604 267677 to get started!
