Traditional marketing isn’t dead! Here’s why

Traditional marketing isn’t dead! Here’s why

Traditional marketing isn’t dead, even in today’s digital age. This article explores the reasons why. 

Smartphones, social media platforms, email, and websites all seem to have taken the place of leaflets, business cards, radio, SMS, and newspapers in today’s digital world. A quick search on Google of “traditional marketing” can give you the impression that the approach is long gone. Some titles even question if traditional marketing is still alive at all. So, it’s only natural that you may be thinking of ditching your offline marketing efforts and switch it to digital marketing strategies completely.

Should you give up on traditional marketing strategies now that businesses reach consumers through screens? Short answer: No. Social media connects nearly everyone, and websites do offer certain benefits to consumers. But, traditional marketing still has plenty of tricks under its sleeves that no digital tactic has.

Keep reading below to learn more about traditional marketing and the reasons why it is far from being dead.

Traditional Marketing Explained

Like the name suggests, traditional marketing, also known as offline marketing, is a form of promotion that doesn’t involve digital tools and techniques. Traditional marketing refers to a way of promoting a brand and its product/ services by reaching an audience offline. Materials and channels like prints, brochures, broadcast, telemarketing, or direct mail are used in traditional marketing. Offline marketing was around before the Internet and digital channels became popular and widespread. Yet, this form of promotion is still used by companies these days, and consumers come across traditional media marketing several times a day.

The Reasons Why Traditional Marketing Isn’t Dead

Now you know what traditional marketing is. But the question remains, “Should my business use traditional marketing in a digital age?” The answer is yes, and we have several good reasons for that. Here’s why offline marketing isn’t dead and how it can help your business achieve its goals:

It feels more personal

In today’s crowded digital space, consumers are bombarded with a lot of impersonal content inviting them to buy, subscribe, follow, or sign up. But, nothing feels personal. That’s one of the drawbacks of digital marketing that traditional tactics can help with.

One of the most significant benefits of traditional marketing strategies is the fact that they feel very personal. Everything from personally handing a print ad to sending an SMS text or inviting customers to an in-person sales event feels more personal than any social media or website content ever will.

Take SMS, for example. SMS texts are a personal way of communication for consumers because they use them to communicate with their loved ones. If you reach out to your customers or prospects through SMS, your message and approach will feel more personal than simply posting an image or video on social media.

 It brings your brand to the real world

Can you imagine how many ads from brands consumers see online these days? Hundreds, if not thousands. Or maybe how many websites from companies they end up on after surfing on the web? A dozen, if not more, daily. But how many of these brand names consumers see are associated with the real world? Very few. In today’s uber-crowded online space, brands and companies can easily get lost in the crowd because they fail in creating a real-world connection with consumers.

With traditional marketing channels, it is a different story. Personally offering print ads, business cards, or sending SMS texts to your consumers, helps increase brand awareness in the real world. You address actual humans, not Internet users.

Traditional marketing better fits specific goals

Sure, if you’re looking to increase your business’s Instagram following, using traditional marketing doesn’t sound like the best idea. Yet, if you’re looking to offer an incredible buying journey to your customers, some conventional marketing channels simply make more sense for your goal.

For example, an SMS marketing campaign makes more sense if you want to keep customers updated on their order status. SMS feels more personal, doesn’t need an Internet connection, and instantly announces your customer about their order—no need to use email when SMS has all these benefits and more.

Another example will be if you’re trying to reach an older audience who isn’t familiarized with digital tools. In this case, traditional marketing tactics make more sense because they’ll end up in front of the correct pairs of eyes.

It can easily blend with digital strategies

Who says you have to make a choice between traditional and digital marketing? Why not use both? The good news is that traditional marketing can easily be anchored to your digital strategy, inviting people you reach out to offline in the online.

Your offline marketing efforts can send prospects and customers to your digital channels. And the other way around. For example, your website may invite consumers to visit your physical store, while your SMS text may invite consumers to visit your website or social media channels. The truth is that combining offline and digital strategies is the best way to increase brand recognition further amongst customers and prospects. So, keep your online and offline plans together.

It’s reliable

Let’s be honest, no digital marketing tactic can be as reliable as traditional ones. While you may be in doubt whether or not your customers got your email or saw your social media post, you know for sure that they set eyes on your business card or leaflet because you personally handed it to them.

What’s more, digital marketing strategies are reliant on an Internet connection to reach audiences. In contrast, traditional ones are offline, reaching consumers even when they don’t have their data on. Consumers get social media notifications about your latest event only when they turn on their data. Yet, they can receive your SMS texts at any given moment of the day, no matter if they have an internet connection or not.

The bottom line, traditional marketing isn’t dead. It still has plenty of benefits that can help a business better achieve its marketing goals if blended correctly with digital strategies.

CTA:

 Make SMS Text Part Of Your Multi-Channel Marketing Strategy!