There is no denying that the world is evolving. Human efforts are becoming close to dispensable because of technological inventions and improvements. Let's analyze the above statement. There used to be a time when messages were sent through the post. The post office was like the ‘GOD’ of bringing forth news, he was awaited for long hours, he was loved. Now, with just a single click on your computer or mobile phone, you can deliver a message to anywhere in the world. Yes, sending messages by posts still exists but technology has so taken over the messaging world, that traditional messaging is almost extinct.
Why did we bother you with all these talks? Well, it's to give an analogy of where digital marketing and traditional marketing might be heading. Technology has so evolved that most marketing these days is digital but it's not to say that the digital would completely overshadow the traditional like it did in the messaging world.
This article would help relate these two marketing forms and give you insights on if digital marketing would eventually drive traditional marketing into extinction.
What is Traditional Marketing?
Traditional marketing is not yet a very odd concept to us. It is the conventional marketing method that uses all offline methods to reach a targeted audience. We can't deny that traditional marketing is as effective as the digital in passing across a marketing idea. It is also improving day by day.
Examples of traditional marketing methods include magazines, newspapers, telephone messages, television marketing, radio, direct mail, billboard, fliers and every single offline source or outlet.
What is Digital Marketing?
This is a marketing form that evolves along with technology. The impeccable fact about digital marketing is that it is developing very fast just like technology. Put simply, digital marketing is every online marketing of products and services using technological devices. You may be confused with some aspects of traditional marketing and digital marketing. Like, are telephone messages, radio and tv ads not forms of digital marketing? Well, the answer lies in the word ‘online’. There are some people who prefer to place telephone messaging in the digital marketing category but that debate is not the aim of this article.
Digital marketing methods include emailing, search engine marketing (SEM), search engine optimization (SEO), website marketing, social media marketing, display advertising, e-books, games and data-driven marketing.
Digital Marketing Vs Traditional Marketing.
For good and effective marketing, there are some criteria that marketing forms must-have. Both the traditional and digital marketing forms have some features that make them as effective as they are but there's no denying that they have their shortcomings. Having seen what both marketing forms are, why don't we relate their pros and cons to some basic marketing requirements.
Traditional Marketing
Pros
- Cost-Effectiveness- If you're trying to run a cheap marketing plan, the traditional is relatively cheaper than digital marketing.
- Marketing Longevity- the traditional marketing method has a very long life span.
- Independence on the Internet- Traditional marketing is not dependent on online services so it goes on, regardless of technical difficulties.
Cons
- Reach- Tradition marketing can only reach a local audience. It has a smaller reach than digital marketing.
- Communication- a very big setback of traditional marketing is in the aspect of communication. Traditional marketing is mostly one-sided marketing because there is no way for the audience to give feedback.
Digital Marketing
Pros
- Cost-Effectiveness- Digital marketing is more expensive than traditional marketing. When you add up the cost of hiring professionals and acquiring technologies, Yes, it is more expensive than traditional marketing. Although, it is not a con because when you take into consideration the reach of this marketing form, you'll realize that it is cost-effective.
- Reach- Digital Marketing has a very large and wide reach. A digital advert can go across countries and continents as well. It is a blessing to large and small businesses alike.
- Communication- Digital Marketing makes it possible to effectively communicate with the audience and receive feedback.
Cons
- Marketing Longevity- Digital marketing doesn’t last as long as traditional marketing and the longer it stays, the costlier it becomes.
- Reliance on the internet- Digital marketing relies so much on the internet that a glitch on the internet typically affects digital marketing.
Statistics
There cannot be an effective conclusion on digital marketing taking over traditional marketing completely, without looking at some statistics from overtime.
In recent years, traditional marketing has fallen to over 160% with 60% of marketers shifting their focus to digital marketing making expenses on digital marketing to rise through 14%. This is because most people base their livelihood on what is said on the internet. Online shopping has become a more comfortable and accepted way of making transactions. But these statistics do not account for all the people who do not subscribe to the internet.
Have you ever been more fascinated by a well-made billboard than an online ad? It doesn't take much effort to realize that the traditional marketing methods are declining but not at a rate that may lead to its extinction.
Conclusion
Regardless of what statistics say, digital marketing cannot completely replace traditional marketing. If it will, it would have a long time ago. People are very fast to throw away anything they see as dispensable but traditional marketing has proved indispensable ever since the invention of digital marketing in 1971. 48 years should be enough to say that traditional marketing is going nowhere.
Digital marketing is very crucial now because millennials virtually live online. It is the best way to reach a vast number of people online but the people offline have to be considered too in marketing. This is why the marketing world has to strike a balance between both forms of marketing. With both marketing forms used, they would cancel out their disadvantages and yield more and better results than when used alone.