Don’t Say Traditional Marketing is Dead
There’s always someone proclaiming doomsday, either for all of mankind, or for an old product or an outdated practice. More often than not, these prophecies are wrong. Tradition has a way of surviving, which is why we call it tradition. Marketing in print, radio, or television may be old, and not nearly as convenient as modern digital ads, but it can’t be counted out. It still has marketing value if used correctly.
It’s Evolving
Darwinism is applied to all things. If you don’t adapt, you don’t survive. Traditional ads can survive, but they must acclimate to the modern media climate. To do achieve this, one focus must be above all others: intimately knowing your customers. Of course, social media and websites have algorithms to track conversions and ROIs, and provide near-instant feedback, but print and TV have an almost guaranteed loyalty from their customers. They’ve gained this loyalty over time by delivering what those customers desire. Follow that lead and stick with quality content.
Partnering with Today’s Digital Media
In the 21st Century, few things are done in isolation. For businesses to survive, they must embrace the evolution of advertising. Simply purchasing slots on TV or the radio is not nearly as effective as it used to be. However, if you, for example, advertise your social media page, or your website, in your TV commercial, you’ll instantly have access to a wider audience. This can work both ways, too. Your website can direct potential clients online to radio programs they may find interesting, which exposes them to more products utilizing the traditional route. This increased traffic makes your traditional media presence crucial.
It’s Still Another Avenue, and That’s Always Good
Increasing the presence of your ads is never a bad thing, even if you initially take a hit in spending in less-than-popular marketing areas. Traditional marketing is still marketing, and still has a lot of influence in several industries. By hyper-focusing on your target audience, coupling it with modern digital media campaigns, and appreciating that its niche customers tend to be more loyal because the avenue is traditional, then, with a little patience a bit of leg work, ads in traditional media can bring positive conversions and increase profit.
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Freelance Creative (Conceptual Writer), Author, Thinker of Stuff
6 年Over the years the soothsayers have predicted the 'death of newspapers', the 'death of radio', the 'death of TV' etc and so on an so forth. Email was meant to be the 'death of direct mail' ... DM was born in the 1800's and yet it's still with us and going strong. Traditional marketing isn't dead, it's not even coughing up blood and marketers ignore it at their peril. It's a cruel world.
Enterprise Security Business Leader & Information Assurance Project Manager | Veteran
6 年This reminds me of one of the discussions from my marketing class a few years ago, like 5 years ago, so it is still relevant. No matter which methods are chosen in marketing, there has to be ways of reaching all potential clients. As hard as it is to believe, not every single person is going to use the Internet in everything they do. There are still people out there that appreciate printed marketing materials. I look at marketing as being similar to publicity; good or bad, the information is still getting in front of people that may have that specific need. And, just because it is harder to test or track, does not mean it is not viable. Great article!