Digital Marketing Vs. Traditional Marketing – Newsflash, It’s ALL Marketing

This post originally appeared on my blog.

As the pace of technology – and business – races forward, it’s easy to think that sticking to tried and true marketing tactics is the way to go. Some of these strategies and tactics still apply to how companies succeed today; filling a consumer need, knowing your audience, and reaching that audience where they are are all a big part of any marketing plan. A major shift has already started happening, and will continue into the future. This shift is the integration of social media and digital marketing and traditional marketing tactics. The line between “old school” and “new school” marketing is blurring, and will soon be gone. If you’re of the “we’ve always done it this way” school, it’s time to go back to class. Here are ways your “traditional” marketing efforts may hurting – rather than helping – your small business.

Outdated Websites

If you have a website, pat yourself on the back. After that, however, take a look at your site’s ability to bring in new business. When you search for your business online, what are the first five results? Does your personal website come up? If not, how many pages do you have to scroll through to find your site, if you find it at all? Having SEO (or Search Engine Optimized) URLs (links) and content on your site is crucial to the internet pushing your site to the top of search results. There are some simple steps you can take to increase your search ranking, as well as some in-depth tactics that we here at Divahound can help you navigate through. Bottom line: if YOU can’t find your business online, how is anyone else supposed to?

No Social Presence

There is no denying that social media plays a role when consumers are making purchasing decisions. Not only does the increased presence of your business on social platforms offer better reach, but good interaction with customers can make or break small businesses online. With zero social presence, your organization appears outdated and out of touch. It also implies that you don’t care about what your customers want and need. If nobody is picking up the phone to call your office and beg for you to get a Facebook account, chances are they aren’t finding your phone number to call anyway. If consumers can’t find you online, they probably won’t find you anywhere else.

Ineffective Advertising

While we don’t subscribe to the theory that all traditional advertising is dead, ineffective ads may be costing you more and offering less return than ever before. You may be shelling out hundreds of dollars every month for a yellow pages ad. How do you know it’s working? Do you ask people who contact you how they found out about you? The phone book no longer fits the way people shop for goods and services. You’d be better off investing the money you’re spending on yellow page ads in revamping your website to drive traffic to your digital door.

Broadcast ads can reach a captive audience, especially during drive times. But make sure you’re purchasing ads on stations that your target audience listens to. If you’re not sure what they’re listening to, time to do some homework. Blanket ads can cost a lot of money for very little return, and in today’s small business marketplace, every advertising cent counts.