Traditional vs. Online Marketing – The Bigger Picture
by Staff Reporter on 23/08/12 at 3:31 pm
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In the Social Media landscape, marketers have been abuzz about what the future holds for Marketing. Marketers have questioned whether online marketing has replaced traditional marketing and whether Social Networks are here to stay. At the speed at which technology is advancing and the ways in which consumer behavior is shifting it’s not about the battle between digital and traditional but rather strategically selecting what marketing tools, regardless offline or online, complement one another.
Defining Traditional, Online and Digital Marketing
Traditional marketing also generally known as “above and below-the-line” marketing generally refers to branding, public relations, print materials, mail drop, surveys, trade shows, events, radio, TV and word of mouth referral. In essence it refers to any “offline” communication channel.
Online marketing also known as Internet marketing and eMarketing ties together the creative and technical aspects of the Internet including; website design, SEO, Social Networking, Pay Per Click advertising, Blogger relationships while Digital Marketing goes just one step further to engage with consumers by using internet connected devises such as web browsers, Smartphone’s and tablets to create an omnipresent engaged experience.
Combining Traditional and Digital
When it comes to online marketing there are some things that never change – A single internet marketing tool on its own is never as effective as a well-planned campaign. Unlike traditional marketing, where an advert or promotion will expire after a certain amount of time, online marketing is all about long term and ongoing projects. For instance your website or social community will remain active for far longer than a radio or print advert.
The best marketing plans often combine traditional and digital marketing techniques.
Evidently, the Magazine Industry does a fantastic job integrating their off-line and online efforts. Not only can you read a Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping or Femina anywhere, now you can engage with these brands anywhere too. Their “glossy” pages are riddled with Social Networking call-to-actions making it easy for consumers to engage with a click-of-a- mobile button.
Online marketing does not work effectively in isolation and integration is key to long term ROI. It is not a matter of traditional vs digital but rather which tools complement each other.
Jennifer Kling is the Course Convener for the University of Cape Town Social Media short course. The 8-week online short course is presented entirely online throughout South Africa and starts on 27 August 2012. For more information visit www.GetSmarter.co.za.
Ideate is one of South Africa's biggest business blogs, with a team of authors all of whom have had entrepreneurial experience. Ideate is read by entrepreneurs thinking BIG. Follow us on Twitter here. View more articles by Staff Reporter.
Tags: entrepreneurship, facebook, Flickr, Ideate, linkedin, media, Online Marketing, social media, YouTube
