5 Reasons Why Digital Marketing Has An Upper Hand Compared To Traditional Marketing Strategies

Sep 18, 2020

<a href="https://www.ewrdigital.com/author/matt" target="_self">Matt Bertram</a>

Matt Bertram

Matt Bertram is a award-winning marketing consultant and SEO Expert. He is the lead digital strategist at EWR Digital. Host of the Best SEO Podcast and Co-Host of the Oil and Gas sales and marketing podcast.
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In 2020, over 75 million devices have access to the internet. This means that digital marketing will give you 75 million chances to reach your customers.

But can online marketing replace traditional channels? Compare the differences between traditional marketing vs. digital marketing.

 

And keep reading to find out why you should start marketing online.

 

Traditional Marketing vs. Digital Marketing

Benefits of Digital Marketing

When comparing traditional marketing vs digital marketing, you should consider the differences. Digital marketing has a few benefits that you won’t find with conventional marketing, such as a lower cost and the ability to reach more customers.

Traditional marketing strategies can still work in the digital age, but marketing online offers more chances to be successful. You don’t need a large marketing budget to market your company online.

However, there are more benefits that don’t relate to your budget. Whether you have a startup or a Fortune 500 company, consider a few ways digital marketing can beat out traditional marketing channels.

 

1. Good for Companies of All Sizes

As recently as a couple of decades ago, companies had to spend tons of money on marketing. You couldn’t be very successful without paying for ad space in a publication, radio, or television.

With the rise of  internet and social media, this has decreased the need to spend exorbitant amounts of money that way. You can market your business online, and you can start for free.

If you create a business page on Facebook or Instagram, you can promote your products or services for free. While social networks let you pay to promote your posts, the cost isn’t nearly as much as running a traditional marketing campaign.

Because of that low cost, digital marketing campaigns don’t have as much of a risk. If something doesn’t work, you can adjust the image or text of the ad during the middle of the campaign.

 

2. Can Attract Customers in More Ways

Traditional marketing can limit the number and types of customers you can attract. If you pay for a billboard, you have to rely on your ideal customer passing by it.

Advertising on the radio or television also means that you need to target what station or channel to advertise on accurately.

By doing so, you are stuck with the specific channels you select, and you won’t have control over if the right people will learn about your business.

However, you can use digital marketing to your advantage. If you use paid marketing, you can target your ad campaigns to show up for people who fit certain demographics.

You can set the age group, gender, location, and more. Depending on the campaign, you may not have to pay until someone clicks on your ad.

Another option for digital marketing is to focus on your website and social media profiles, and this is called owned marketing. If you can market your social media well, you can attract people to it without having to pay.

You can also use earned marketing, which is when you offer such a good product or service that your customers want to promote it. Whether customers send their friends directly to your page or they review you, that can help you market your business.

Unfortunately, traditional marketing channels can make it hard for customers to leave reviews and testimonials. So unless a customer knows someone, it can be hard to get results from earned marketing.

 

3. Analyze and Optimize

You should also compare e-marketing vs. traditional marketing analysis. If you’re using traditional marketing, you may not be able to tell how a customer found you.

Because of that, it can be hard to know if a particular campaign is working. However,  with digital marketing, you usually have access to real-time analytics, which are the numbers and data of your marketing efforts.

If you notice something isn’t working well, you can change it and see if the change makes a difference. You may use your website stats to see if more people find you through a social network or a Google search.

Then, you can focus on what works for your next marketing campaign.

You can also use A/B Testing to test two different ads at the same time. If one does much better than the other, you can focus on that one.

 

Benefits of Digital Marketing - EWR Digital

4. Tell a Story

Most people don’t like to feel like someone is selling to them. If you can tell a story through your marketing, you can reel people in.

Share a little about yourself and your company, and include details about why you do what you do. Perhaps you struggled with the same things as your customers, and you know how to fix their problems.

Maybe someone changed your life, and you want to do the same for others. Whatever it is, don’t be afraid to show the person behind the company, especially if you have a small business.

Share how your customers will benefit from your product or service. If you have a lot of competition, include what makes your business the one they should choose.

 

5. Focus On the Human

Another great difference between traditional marketing vs digital marketing is that you can connect with your audience more. You can post something online and have your customers leave comments.

If you run television ads or print media campaigns, it can be much harder for people to respond. Marketing yourself online not only gives you a chance to interact with people, but you can also ask questions and get feedback.

And as a small business, you can show a more personal side with digital marketing. You can take customers behind the scenes, and you can be more than your brand.

Then, you can build trust with your audience. Whenever they’re ready to purchase, they already know and like you.

 

Traditional Marketing vs Digital Marketing Showdown

Every business owner has probably thought about comparing traditional marketing vs digital marketing. The two options are both popular, and they have unique benefits and challenges.

If you want to increase your marketing efforts, digital is the way to go.

Want to learn more and get started? Sign up for digital marketing consulting today.

15 Strategies for Marketing Your Small Business | EWR Digital