Why Family Businesses Are Moving Away from Traditional Marketing—and You Should Too

If you’re still relying on traditional marketing, such as print ads or TV spots, to reach customers, you’re leaving a lot on the table. For family businesses especially, transitioning from traditional to digital marketing is no longer optional—it’s necessary.

Recent research shows that businesses embracing digital strategies are seeing better results overall. Want to know why?

The Problem with Traditional Marketing

Traditional marketing methods are broad, expensive, and difficult to track. You might be spending big bucks on print or TV ads, but can you measure how well they’re working? Most of the time, no. You’re just hoping your message reaches the right people. Spoiler: it often doesn’t.

Why Digital Marketing Outperforms

Digital marketing is changing the game, especially for family businesses. Here’s why:

• Cost Efficiency: Running ads on social media or optimizing your SEO gives you better bang for your buck than traditional methods. It’s all about reaching the right audience at the right time.
• Targeted Ads: Digital platforms let you zero in on your ideal customers based on their behaviour, interests, and demographics—no more one-size-fits-all messaging.
• Real-Time Tracking: With tools like Google Analytics, you can see exactly how your campaigns perform and adjust instantly. You can’t do that with a newspaper ad!

The Results Speak for Themselves

Businesses that have switched to digital are reporting higher engagement, better lead generation, and improved ROI. Metrics like cost-per-click and customer acquisition costs give you real numbers to track, making digital marketing not just a strategy but a science.

If you want your family business to stay competitive, it’s time to move away from traditional marketing and dive into the digital world. The results are clear: it’s smarter, faster, and gets you in front of the people who matter.

Source: Saura, J. R., Palacios-Marqués, D., & Barbosa, B. (2023). A review of digital family businesses: setting marketing strategies, business models and technology applications. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 29(1), 144-165.

Image: Photo from Paul Efe, pexels.com