The war between traditional or digital?

Published November 25, 2013 at 12:04 pm

The decision to use a traditional or digital marketing strategy is one that many businesses face. A recent article in Entrepreneur explores possible outcomes of this decision, and the answer is…

Well, your choice depends on what you’re trying to market.

The article highlights the social media success of New Jersey bakery Pink Cake Box. For this company, jumping on the social media bandwagon as it was taking off worked — today Pink Cake Box has 64,000 likes on Facebook and a strong social media presence.

As the social media landscape changed to include more channels based on visual content, the company’s strategy evolved to utilize visual channels such as Pinterest and YouTube, to reach customers and showcase their product. Pink Cake Box selected the channels appropriate to their business and it’s paid off.

So, what are some key differences between traditional marketing and digital marketing?

• Traditional marketing: targets specific demographics, effective at establishing presence in marketplace, uses physical marketing materials
• Digital marketing: based online, provides customized experiences, personalized interaction, has a wider reach and the ability to monitor response through analytics

Just because digital marketing can be highly effective for one business, doesn’t mean traditional marketing can’t also provide a great impact. It all depends on who you’re trying to reach and what you’re trying to market. It’s important to bear in mind that digital marketing has only become relevant in the last 10-15 years, due to the spread of the Internet. A combination of traditional and digital marketing techniques, dovetailing with one another, can produce a strong marketing strategy for many businesses.

Both of these types of marketing can be effective in reaching customers, and you may want to consider taking a multi-channel approach, depending on your needs. An expert marketing consultant can help you determine the best marketing solution for you and your business.