An Experts opinion on why you might Grudge spend on Marketing

Most businesses know they need to market themselves, but when it comes down to it, the costs usually terrify them. This is because marketing, for the most part, has been seen as an intangible expense, immeasurable, with no guarantee of results. Even the biggest brands will want bang for their buck.

This grudge spending idea in today’s digital world is becoming a bit of a lock-ness myth because there quite literally is nothing you can do online that can’t be measured and quantified.  In years gone by, marketers with small to medium budgets relied largely on print promotions and sales feet on the ground – it was a numbers game. This is not to say that the campaigns of yesteryear were not successful - but they were simply not as measurable in terms of ROI (return on investment) – and harder to prove to the client and to justify the on-going expense. 

Advertising, particularly on a larger scale is an investment, and it can be an expensive one too – but these costs can be greatly reduced when comparing digital vs. print advertising. 

To illustrate - One could pay about R7000 for a ? page color ad in a trade journal (once off) vs an online creative banner (can be once off but typically longer) in an online magazine or newsletter for about R2000. The question then becomes purely about reach, and it is likely that in an online environment a digital banner would have more traction and share-ability anyway. 

(Also, once a print goes to print, it’s out there, doomed to succeed or fail – to pull an online ad and replace it with a tuned up message or offer, no problem – the same day at a fraction of the cost). 

How can one deduce the ROI from the print ad vs the online ad? The print advert is a bit of a thumb suck even with fancy PR calculations, though with the digital banner it is traceable in terms of clicks more importantly actions beyond the clicks, such as website traffic, and further actions taken on the website to get your client nearer to you. 

[ there is just something about the real touchy feely that still leaves a big impression in the minds of buyers]

 Ideally marketers will want to use a bit of traditional and digital marketing, because there is just something about the real touchy feely that still leaves a big impression in the minds of buyers. For purposes of understanding key differences between the two, I’ll break it down a little:

 Traditional marketing can be categorised into what is known as push marketing or outbound marketing where marketers “push” information onto people who may or may not want to know more about your company and its products. It’s a one way relationship. Some pushy examples are: television commercials, radio broadcasts, direct mails, and print advertisements. In this scenario if you looking for brand awareness this is a good way to go. However if you are looking to make sales, target audience research is critical so that marketers develop the right messages that get the right people’s attention in the appropriate way – or some marketing jargon – “buyer touch-point”.

 Digital/Online Marketing means just that inbound or pull and attract your buyers to your website using digital adverts, search engine marketing, social media or videos. This is more of a two-way relationship, as buyers have an opportunity to interact with brands on their social platforms, websites, even WhatApp. Digital marketing is a lot more engaging and communicative. Online marketing also means that it’s the buyer who actively looks for the seller. In traditional marketing, it’s the other way around. 

[ There is not a click that can go by that can’t be tracked by the advertiser or marketer.]

Marketing in the age of digital evolution has become a lot more hands on, with buyers literally browsing online all day. NSA aside - There is not a click that can go by that can’t be tracked by the advertiser or marketer. As I said, sales is a numbers game, it will always be, but can more readily be supported by a solid marketing strategy that includes a 20/80 split between traditional media and online media – and won’t break the bank.