Internet Marketing and Traditional Marketing

When we compare internet marketing and traditional marketing, we find many differences, but also many similarities. The basic principles of marketing are universal, and they apply to all forms of communication. Internet marketing creates new opportunities to reach both a wide audience and a specific, narrow target group. In this article you will learn what the basic forms of traditional marketing and internet marketing are.

Digital marketing strategies

Let’s consider what strategies are used in internet marketing and which in traditional marketing. The form of marketing used so far is often referred to as the mass media. However, this approach will not be entirely justified. Modern digital message can also reach large audiences.

Traditional or old media are those that have not developed with the digital age and do not use online marketing communication channels. The concept of traditional media should not also be equated with the concept of traditional marketing. They are only part of the marketing strategy used so far.

Forms of traditional marketing

Traditional marketing media include direct marketing, outdoor advertising, newspapers, television and radio programs and the so-called word of mouth marketing.

Direct marketing means the promotion and sale of a product by the manufacturer directly to the final buyer. This happens without the participation of other entities or without the media. In direct marketing, among others, leaflets, coupons, brochures and any other printed materials delivered directly to the consumer are used.

Print: This is advertising that uses physically printed media, such as newspapers, brochures and magazine ads, used to reach consumers and potential customers. The printed message is most often used in direct marketing.

Outdoor advertising: similar to printing, but on a larger scale. These are roadside billboards or banners, advertisements at bus stops and other public places, advertisements placed on buses or on the walls of buildings.

Radio and television advertising, also referred to as on-air advertising, is the main source of revenue for commercial TV and radio stations. Recently, the so-called product placement in movies, series or other television programs. Sponsoring television or film productions is also often used.

Word of mouth; it involves promoting a product or service to new customers by means of refer. This form of marketing usually occurs spontaneously, and people who provide information about a product or service often do not consider it advertising. In order to trigger word-of-mouth marketing, various types of discount vouchers or loyalty cards are used.

The interaction of internet and traditional marketing

Internet marketing and traditional marketing, although defined slightly differently, can actually complement each other and work together to achieve marketing goals. The simultaneous presence of a brand or product in various media results in a synergy effect and increases the effectiveness of the advertising campaign.

Digital media allows for accurate market research and determination of customer preferences. On the other hand, traditional media, due to their reach, can complement the digital strategy by introducing a brand and its products to the public space.

The example below shows the perfect interaction and the use of both traditional and digital media in the campaign. The flowchart of all media is illustrated by the example of a potential client, a young woman named Anna.

• One evening, Anna watches TV and sees an ad for a hair shampoo she has recently used.
• The ad prompts Anna to visit the shampoo manufacturer’s Twitter account.
• Watching the advertisement and learning about the new tweets reminds Annie of her experience with the products she uses.
• Anna visits the manufacturer’s website or downloads a mobile application to find out about the current offer.
• On the website, Anna sees the same banner that was used in a TV ad, announcing an interview with the founder of her hair shampoo company.
• Anna watches with interest the announced interview on the same day.
• The next day, she goes to the store and talks with employees about problems she had previously.
• Entering the store, Anna already has a lot of information and experience with the product, she buys another one.

Analyzing the above hypothetical situation, we can see how good cooperation between traditional and online marketing can affect the brand image and the level of product sales.

Internet marketing and traditional marketing, communication channels

Although online and traditional marketing can work hand in hand, they differ greatly in the way they communicate and influence consumers. With these differences in mind, marketing staff must strategically plan the allocation of the advertising budget to individual communication channels.

Each media reaches a different user and has a different impact on the perception of the company. In the next part of the article, I will discuss the specific differences between traditional and online marketing.

Comparison of internet and traditional marketing

We distinguish five main factors by which we can make a comparison

Reach, the total number of people who have contact with a given media channel. This factor helps determine whether the media is more mass-centered or more individual. The coverage indicator also includes whether a given message is being received by several people at the same time or only by one.

Frequency, how often recipients see your marketing message.

Engagement refers to the level of interaction with the content conveyed that the user is able to enter.

Relation, refers to the way your message is received by the recipients. The relation is determined by the nature of the message and the degree of its direction. It is important to know the user, and sometimes to form the level of this knowledge.

Method means the ways and tactics used to guide the consumer through the buyer’s journey. Of course, this does not mean the moment of purchase itself, but all the way through the marketing funnel that the buyer passes through.

As you know, the consumer can be won by attracting to the content or by targeting the content directly to him. Each marketing communication channel will have a specific intensity, depending on how the content is found and used, and how it affects the buyer’s journey.

Internet marketing and traditional marketing – tools

Each of the above-mentioned factors is correlated with a particular communication channel. Mass actions are mostly carried out through mass media such as television or radio. We call this message a group experience because the content is consumed in group situations, such as watching TV with the family or listening to the radio together.

In a group experience, all transmission participants receive the same auditory or visual stimuli. A great example would be watching a movie by a large group of people in the cinema.

The situation is completely different with social media. Although the message is made available on a large scale, it is adapted to the individual preferences of each user. Most people use the same social media, email client, and mobile apps. However, thanks to the technology used, users who use a given tool at the same time can see an infinite variety of content, depending on what message will be directed to that person. We call it an individual experience.

Audiences can be passive or active. When planning a marketing strategy, marketers create and target more engaging ad formats to passive recipients, while active recipients are targeted by digital forms of communication, which generally require user activity.

A typical example of a passive medium is TV advertising. The person watching the TV program is not able to respond effectively to the message.

On the other hand, active communication includes all forms of media in which the recipient can actually interact with the content of the message. A good example here is social media, where the user can like, share or comment on the message.

Inbound and outbound marketing

Marketing activities can also be divided into outbound and inbound. Outbound marketing is associated rather with traditional forms of communication, such as radio, television or the press.
These types of actions are known as a push strategy, which starts with a brand or advertiser serving ads to as many people as possible. For this reason, outbound marketing is more difficult to track and less effective.

On the other hand, we have Inbound Marketing, an inbound strategy that is all about attracting interested consumers to your content, brand or offer. Inbound marketing uses modern ICT technologies.

The inbound marketing strategy assumes active use of websites, blogs and social media. Tracking cookies, SEO, topics, blogs, and influencers helps brands reach a specific audience.

Read this article in Polish: Marketing internetowy i marketing tradycyjny.