To choose the right advertising type is an age-old question on every Business man’s mind. Traditional advertising has been the oldest one among all. But today’s digital aspect has brought a lot of changes in the world of advertising. People started to shift more towards the digital domain. But what does this mean? Can traditional advertising still pay off? Is it still effective? The debate is long and lasting. It ultimately comes down to the needs of your company. While trying to choose between the two, why not look at both?
Today we will explain in detail the pros and cons of each to help you make the right choice. For that, first, we should begin with knowing what traditional and digital advertising is.
What is Traditional Advertising?
From the day thoughts of the advertisement has originated in people’s minds, it has been carried out through traditional medium only. It includes business cards, print ads in newspapers, magazines, posters, commercials on TV and radio, billboards, etc. It is not only one of the oldest forms of advertising, but also one of the most researched. People lean towards this method because it is the most tried and true form. Everyone encounters some sort of it in their everyday lives, be it a tv commercial or a daily newspaper. It plays an important part in reaching local audiences. Ads can be kept for a long period of time if they are physical.
Pros:
- Greater Exposure: It is true that most buyers turn to the internet first to find a product or service. But there are still a lot of people who either don’t have immediate access to the internet or just are not as tech-savvy.
- Easy to understand: Older people are used to the traditional forms. For them, it is easy to digest and often seems to be entertaining.
- Easy to reach: When your target audience is the local people, then it is one of the most useful methods to apply. It is also one of the quickest ways to get your messages delivered.
- Longevity of Ad: People can keep hard copies of your advertisement, be it a flyer or a magazine ad. They can go through those ads repeatedly as and when they need to.
- Connects to the audience on the personal ground: Traditional advertising allows your brand to cross paths with customers and interact with them in a more personal way. It is more than what you will be able to do online.
Cons:
- Often expensive: Ads in the newspaper, radio and TV can be very expensive at times. It may set you back a huge amount.
- Difficult to track reports: Unlike the digital ones, it is difficult to see how successful or otherwise your campaign was.
What is Digital Advertising?
On the contrary, the digital method is conducted online. It includes websites, social media ads, youtube videos and email marketing. As the world becomes more digital, the way we market has evolved. The digital method at times seems more cost-effective than traditional. It connects with the buyers directly. It is quite similar to the traditional one but just uses digital devices. Here the audience becomes familiar with your content as and when they keep seeing it. It helps you to build trust.
Pros:
- More engagement: Here you can track every step of your customer. No matter which channel people discovers your business, be it Google search, Facebook Ads, display advertisements, or Instagram Ads. You can engage with them more easily.
- Easy to track reports: It can help you analyse results and data on the strategies that you have developed online.
- Cost-Effective: This is an affordable way to market your business to interested buyers.
- Monitor Competitors: It not only allows you to monitor your customers but also your competitors online.
- Enables modification: One of the biggest benefits is that you can make certain changes as you go.
Cons:
- Less permanent: Google ads, banners, promo emails or social media ads have a temporary character. They can easily be ignored.
- Time Consuming: Unorganized strategies may consume a lot of time and effort. Click to know how you can attract your customers through a proper advertising strategy
- Considered annoying at times: Think about the moment when you are scrolling through your Facebook homepage. All you want to do is see what your friends are up to these days. Then you get a random sponsored ad related to something you googled the night before. It will surely make you dislike the brand.
Traditional or Digital Advertising?
It is a debate as old as time and will continue to be debated for many years to come. But there is a time and a place for both strategies. The main difference between them is the medium through which an audience encounters your ad. While traditional medium uses traditional media, the digital medium uses digital ones.
Now here lies the question. Is Traditional medium old fashioned? The answer is “NO”. Traditional advertising still plays an important role in our lives with the ever-growing need to step out of the digital world. The experience of an impactful TV commercial or a magazine is as important today as they were 10 years back. That is because of their lasting effects on our memory. If we connect ourselves to a brand emotionally, it will stay at the top of our minds.
In the same way, the digital method is just as important as traditional if not even more. It uses every touchpoint of a person’s daily use of the internet to reach them. Spending time on the internet for several hours each day is a normal part of most people’s day to day life. It just uses this to its advantage by skillfully framing the ad into every digital platform.
Differences between the two:
- The traditional one is still the most familiar way. People are used to looking up ads in newspapers and magazines or on television and radio. Hence this enables you to attract local customers easily. However, with the use of various tools available online, finding the right audience and reaching out to them is one of the many benefits available in the digital form.
- The recurring cause in traditional form and huge human resources needed could prove to be a huge investment. Though it gives fair results. Whereas, the digital form provides cost-effective strategies and is mostly a one-time investment.
- The approach in traditional form is quite personal than in digital. In traditional advertising, there can be contact on man to man level. This is not the case in digital.
- One must admit that digital form has made tracking and analysis much easier with its various effective tools. This feature is not really applicable for traditional though.
So is Traditional Advertising still relevant?
Statistics show its decline in the current digital era. This implies that it is facing some notable challenges. But what does this mean? Is traditional advertising still useful? Yes! It is still just as important as it ever was. Many conveniences of digital advertising do overshadow the benefits of traditional form to a certain point. But, we can not say that the traditional form is no longer valid. Billboards, newspapers, flyers, etc. are still a part of our everyday lives and will remain to be for a long time.
Small businesses can still do wonders with traditional advertising. It can help to build brand awareness quickly. So do not completely write off traditional medium just yet! Despite its decline in popularity and effectiveness, it can still be a potential tool for various business owners who are looking to achieve a high rank in local markets.
Which one to choose?
Both types have their own pros and cons. So the key is to understand your specific marketing needs. Consider your budget and understand your target audience. Traditional channels are often more expected and welcomed by the people who own televisions and prefer to buy newspapers. However, digital form is surprisingly a suitable route for all ages. Especially for those who spend hours scrolling through Facebook, sharing videos and shopping online. The moral of the story is both digital and traditional advertising can work for you, as long as you know what your audience wants.
Need help in advertising?
Both sides of this debate have winning attributes. Both the mediums are strongest when working together. Every company has different needs, budgets, and goals. Most successful business owners use a combination of these two in order to reach the target audience more effectively and achieve their goals. We Make Us can help you to come up with a winning strategy for your business! So Hurry Up! Do not hesitate!
Feel free to contact us for any kind of assistance.