Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Traditional vs. Digital Marketing
- Seven Key Advantages of Digital Marketing
- Omni Channel Marketing
- Future of Marketing
- Conclusion
Introduction
Want to know why digital marketing is an indispensable component for business success today?
Here are seven (7) of the most important key advantages that digital marketing offers over traditional marketing.
Traditional vs. Digital Marketing
First I will provide a short definition of each type of marketing environment for clarification purposes.
- Traditional marketing is what most of us grew up on – such as print advertising in our favorite magazine, outdoor advertising displayed on billboards, thirty-second ads during commercial breaks while watching TV programs, radio spots advertising goods and services in between playlists on our favorite radio stations, and a myriad of direct mail offerings sent to our physical mailboxes.
- Digital marketing on the other hand relies upon reaching people through online digital channels – like via blog articles, video sharing sites (e.g., YouTube), company websites, social media posts, search engine marketing, e-mail newsletters, and local listings (e.g., Google Business Profile).
Seven Key Advantages of Digital Marketing
There are many advantages that digital marketing offers over traditional marketing.
Some of the most important advantages are as follows:
Cost-Effectiveness
Advertising budgets are able to stretch a lot further online than on television, radio, and in print media, because digital marketers can be very specific in terms of what advertisements are shown, when they are shown, and to what target audience they are shown.
A company is able to more cost-effectively target their promotions towards people who have already expressed an interest in their products and services.
Reach Is Maximum
Customers oftentimes spread the word about a product or service through social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, allowing a digital marketers message to reach more people than through traditional campaigns which rely on more localized platforms like newspapers, billboards and radio stations.
This can even result in brand recognition occurring more quickly on a global scale.
Instant Communication
If a customer decides they want to purchase a product or engage a service shown on a TV ad, they may forget to go to the specific aisle in a store to locate and add that product to their shopping cart, or they may forget to contact the service company on the next business day to retain their services.
Digital media on the other hand, allow customers to immediately take action through their smartphones or laptops and engage in an e-commerce transaction, or set up an online telephonic or in-person appointment on the spot.
The customer journey in digital marketing typically involves multiple points of contact with a company.
Direct and Ongoing Communication
Customers can reach out via a contact form or direct message application to ask questions or obtain more information about a product or service.
Long term relationships can be forged with customers through various types of digital marketing channels and loyalty programs.
Real Time Results
Companies can monitor purchase and sales activity in real-time (as it is happening) using tools like Google Analytics.
Easy to Measure and Optimize Campaigns
Companies can measure campaign results on a daily or weekly basis, and make meaningful changes during a campaign to take advantage of what the key data is telling them.
Versatility
A traditional digital marketing funnel (the stages a marketing professional monitors) is normally comprised of at least four levels: awareness, consideration, conversion, and loyalty.
A typical e-mail newsletter, for example, has content that provides news and information about a company and its products or services.
Therefore, a recurring newsletter being sent as part of an ongoing e-mail marketing campaign can be associated with every stage of the marketing funnel.
During the awareness stage, an e-mail subscriber may forward or share brand content with a prospective customer.
At the consideration stage, a consumer is reviewing your newsletter and gaining more insight into your brand.
At the conversion stage, a consumer who has decided to become a paying customer may click a link in your newsletter leading them to a product or service page.
Lastly, during the loyalty stage, when an e-mail subscriber is made aware of additional products, services or special loyalty offerings from a company.
Omni Channel Marketing
Omni Channel marketing (the integration or synchronization of content on multiple channels) is much easier and cost-effective to implement through Digital Marketing.
Digital marketing is a more precise method for reaching a target audience, it reduces unnecessary or wasteful spending, and has the flexibility to adapt to new and evolving technologies.
E-commerce, a key omni channel, has become a global, multi-billion dollar industry because it is less expensive, allows individuals to make purchases 24 hours a day, and the websites themselves essentially never close – unlike many of our favorite brick and mortar retailers.
Future of Marketing
Over 1 billion people in this world (approximately 1/8 of the global population) are considered disabled.
Digital marketing can help bridge the gap between those potential customers knowing about (and benefiting from) your products or services, and those same individuals never becoming aware of your brand.
For example, they either don’t drive by one of your outdoor billboards, are unable to read a hard copy newspaper or magazine containing your ad, or are incapable of hearing an innovative radio advertising spot your company has produced.
Business and marketing professionals (individual entrepreneurs, small and mid-size business owners, corporate executives, etc.) should continue to stay abreast of the rapidly changing environment in technology, consumer behavior, and digital marketing, in order to remain competitive in our modern marketplace.
Traditional marketing is by no means fading away, but at the very least, it will have to share the spotlight with digital marketing in today’s world, and into the foreseeable future.
Conclusion
How do you plan to integrate digital marketing into your company’s current and future business strategy?
Through regular blog articles, social media posts, e-mail marketing campaigns, content marketing, SEO strategies, SEM campaigns, local listings, e-commerce sales, data analytics, or all of the above?
Feel free to leave a comment below.
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Insightful Digital Marketing 