How To Find The Perfect Balance Between Traditional And Online Marketing

The world's most popular brands can be found both online and offline. At the same time, many small businesses hope to reach a global audience via Internet marketing. Thanks to the modern technology, physical boundaries are no longer a constraint. Business owners and service providers can reach customers from all around the world with a few clicks. However, marketing online means added expenses for many companies. Finding the perfect balance between traditional and digital marketing can be difficult. That's why you need to experiment and try different strategies to see what works best for your business.


The Rise of Online Marketing

Traditional media is on the decline. Most people use the Internet to read news, search for information about their favourite brands, and stay up-to-date with the latest technology trends. Only a few are still buying newspapers and print magazines. Digital marketing has surpassed traditional methods of marketing such as radio and newspaper ads. It makes perfect sense for companies to reach out to their prospects on the Internet.

While direct mail marketing and multi-channel marketing still work, print media has lost its power in today's digital world. Advertising products and services online is more affordable and convenient than paying for radio or TV ads. Commerce is shifting more and more online. Statistics indicate that over 61 percent of Internet users research products over the Internet. Approximately 92 percent of business owners who have blogged several times a day acquired at least one customer through their blog.

Recent studies have shown that 20 percent of customers have purchased something because of ads they saw on Facebook. More than 64 percent of smartphone users are shopping online from their mobile devices. These numbers show how popular Internet marketing is. If you don't promote your small business online, you are missing out on potential clients.


Online vs. Traditional Marketing

Digital marketing offers measurable results and involves lower costs. Business owners have access to a wide range of tools for tracking their online campaigns. They can check the number of clicks through sponsored links and assess the success rate of campaigns through Google Analytics and other programs. These features do not exist in radio or TV advertising. Unless your traditional marketing campaign has a direct call to action, such as "call this number" or "check out this website," there is no way to assess your results in real time.

Whether you use email marketing, social media marketing or SEO, promoting your business online will save you time and money. While it is true that many business owners remain sceptical about using digital marketing, its benefits cannot be denied. People who find your brand online become familiar with your products and develop trust. You can interact with your target audience on social networks, blogs, forums, chat rooms and other online platforms. Sending out tweets or sharing industry news on Facebook is free and can dramatically increase your exposure.

If you want to reach a local audience, you should use both traditional and online marketing. Think about who your customers are, how they buy, and where they go. For example, if you own a clothing store, you can distribute flyers and brochures in your area. At the same time, start a Facebook fan page and then set up a Pinterest account. Share photos of your products, connect with potential clients, and encourage them to visit your clothing store. Offer special deals and promotions to those who "like" your fan page or follow your brand on Twitter.

When you find a balance between digital and traditional marketing, you not only engage your prospects, but also give them a reason to choose your brand. Promoting your business online is one of the best ways to learn more about your customers. The data they leave behind indicates their buying preferences as well as their concerns. Business owners can use this information to assess customer behaviour, request feedback, and improve their products.


Did you find this article helpful? Do you use both online and traditional marketing strategies for your business? Please let me know by leaving me your valued comments below.

Related articles:
Why Online Marketing Is Just As Important As Traditional Marketing
Traditional Marketing vs. Social Media Marketing For Beginners

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Why Online Marketing Is Just As Important As Traditional Marketing

The marketing landscape is evolving rapidly. Even a few years ago, most marketing budgets were focused on market research, print, and other traditional outlets. But in 2013, online marketing is just as important - if not more so - than traditional marketing. Here's a closer look at why, and what you need to know to make the most of this rapidly evolving opportunity.


How people access information has changed

Even in rural America and developing countries, the internet is becoming pervasive. For example, according to Pew Internet, nearly half of all Americans own smartphones and a third own tablets. These devices are on pace to account for more internet searches than computers.

Now marketers don't just need to capture people's attention online - but they need to make the most of mobile opportunities. When you consider that mobile devices are connected to the internet all the time and almost always with your customers, you start to see how powerful this marketing opportunity is. Mobile marketing is in its relative infancy, so it's a great way for brands to get traction quickly.


Online marketing give us better customer data

It's hard to measure the effectiveness of print advertising without using complex tracking mechanisms or waiting days or even weeks to get statistics. Online marketing allows us to access instant information about customers and campaign performance. Want to know how people are finding your site? Google can tell you.

Need data on who is visiting your website - including demographics and what they're doing there? Your analytics packages has all the information you need. Want to know if your headline is effective? Just check your click through rates on your email marketing program. Access to real-time customer data helps you sell better by being able to quickly adapt campaigns that aren't working and replicate efforts that are really effective.


Innovation is happening online

The most innovative space in marketing is online. Between the proliferation of video, audio and visual campaigns and the rapid development of mobile technology, some of the most creative marketing is happening on the internet. Companies that want to build brands that reach new customers quickly, that win awards, and that go viral are focusing on the web and using consultants like Cloverleaf.

Innovation isn't just happening in terms of the platform or packaging of the marketing materials. Much of the innovation that's happening is also focusing on content. Apps are allowing for creative deployment and delivery of sales and informational content. Brands are moving in the direction of sponsored content, which is being widely consumed alongside more "editorial journalism." This changing the rules for how brands reach customers and disseminate information.


Online marketing dollars go further than traditional marketing

In many ways, online marketing is cheaper than traditional marketing. While an ad in a newspaper or magazine can cost thousands, you can often advertise on the websites of those publications for a fraction of the cost.

Because online advertising can be broken down into views or clicks - whereas a print or radio ad takes up all the real estate available in a specific issue or time slot - brands are able to access more affordable advertising options on high traffic social media sites, top tier media, and niche specific online destinations.


Social media strategies help you gain customers

Finally, social media strategies are an essential piece on any marketing strategy today. Traditional marketing allowed you to push out your content; social media requires that you engage. But it also enables you to start a dialogue with customers and prospects. Social media is one of the most authentic and immediate strategies that marketers can use to reach their audience. The channel is effective for sharing information as well as gathering marketing intelligence.

While marketing dollars may continue to be stretched, it's important that every marketing strategy have an online component. Many companies are finding that online marketing is more effective than other traditional methods, helps campaigns scale quickly and attract new audiences. What's your most effective marketing investment? Let us know in the comments below.


About The Author: Elizabeth Alton is a freelance business and technology writer. She covers trends related to small business, entrepreneurs, and the evolving digital landscape.

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A Beginner's Guide To Online Marketing

For more articles on online marketing, use this link:
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Traditional Marketing vs. Social Media Marketing For Beginners

The question is a contention one within the business domain: Should fledging entrepreneurs and companies persist with traditional marketing or should they give more preference to new-age social media marketing? There is no easy answer as each entity or organization is different possessing discrete properties and operating under separate economic, technological, and social conditions.

Still, it is worthwhile to compare the two marketing approaches using certain parameters to help beginners determine the ideal technique to adopt:


1. Essential Suitability

Traditional marketing is the tried and tested marketing technique relying on established selling methods like conversations, live presentations, television advertisements, newspaper commercials, brochures, and even email. Beginners who do not have an intensive online campaign or are in the process of developing one would do well to stick to traditional marketing initially. Meanwhile, beginners who are already well-versed with social media marketing ought to include traditional marketing to broaden their selling efforts.

Social media marketing is a modern marketing phenomenon characterized by the extensive use of online resources such as Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, LinkedIn, and other social networking portals. As hinted at earlier, this technique suits fledging enterprises that are social media savvy and conduct a robust online marketing operation.


2. Budget Involved

Entities that have just commenced operations usually have limited monetary resources or are under a tight budget.

Traditional marketing is a dearer proposition as opposed to social media marketing; costs incurred on television, print media, billboard, and radio advertising can collectively run into several hundred dollars. Therefore traditional marketing should only be adopted if beginners are well funded or have auxiliary financing options.

Social media marketing entails a lower day-to-day cost because a majority of social media portals do not charge usage fees although admittedly a lot of time is expended on the job. Thus this is the preferred means of selling for beginners. Moreover, the money saved can be utilized for other pressing organizational needs.


3. Interaction Closeness

Arguably, nascent enterprises need to interact with potential customers on a more intimate basis to earn goodwill and an instant rapport. Traditional marketing serves the purpose admirably in this regard as personal and face-to-face interactions like events, conferences, and meetings can lure customers in a better manner towards beginners' products and services.

Social media marketing does not enjoy the same intimate connection as both the seller and the buyer function in an online domain with their physical identities hidden from each other. Yet, beginners using social media marketing are advised to employ effective audio-visual aids to supplement their selling efforts and offset the adverse effects of non-personal marketing.

Some analysts, however, point out that social media marketing generates more community spirit and collective thinking and thus is superior to traditional marketing on a different intimacy plane.


4. Customer Profile

Beginners ought to conduct a thorough evaluation of their customers to discern their profiles and predominant preferences. Not only will this exercise elicit valuable insights but it will also determine which marketing technique to adopt.

If the customer profile is indeterminate or varied, beginners should employ traditional marketing as this technique reaches out to all sections of society regardless of age, gender, and economic status. On the other hand, if research reveals that most customers are young, erudite, and active users of the internet then social media marketing should be adopted.


5. External Factors

Existing environmental, governmental, and social conditions play a big role in deciding which method to adopt.

If new companies are given a free rein to conduct all their operations smoothly then beginners are free to adopt the marketing method they deem expedient. If however, for instance, the government imposes curbs on the usage of the internet or places restrictions on television advertising then beginners would need to alter their marketing strategies accordingly.

Whatever the choice, remember that the ultimate purpose is to attract potential buyers and draw attention to the beginners' products and services.


This is a guest post by Dazzle Rogers of workwelltogether.com, a site that offers savings and current information on comcast cable and internet, as well as other comcast bundled services.

Did you like this article? Please let me know by leaving me your valued comments.

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