Why Do Big Brands Still Use Traditional Marketing?
Approximately 3.6 billion people use social media worldwide, and this figure is expected to increase in the coming years. Millions of companies are already harnessing the power of social media to increase their visibility and monetize their online presence.
However, as more and more businesses start using digital marketing, these techniques have become so prominent to the point of leading to digital saturation. This has necessitated that companies resort to different approaches, including traditional marketing techniques, to stand out in the oversaturated digital market.
This article will walk you through why big brands use traditional marketing techniques. But first things first, let us define what it is.
What Is Traditional Marketing?
Simply put, traditional marketing is any form of marketing that isn't digital. It is a marketing technique that reaches an audience offline. Traditional marketing could be magazine ads, TV and radio commercials, sponsorships, brochures, direct mail, and public relations.
Picture popular TV ads of big brands such as Procter and Gamble, Coca-Cola, Nestle, and L'Oreal. What do these brands share in common? They know how to raise interest.
For many years, traditional marketing has been at the forefront of creating real excitement better than any other marketing tool—and that hasn't changed. Nonetheless, it is essential to note that technological advancement has disrupted traditional marketing, just like in any other industry.
That said, traditional marketing techniques such as cold calling that seemed to have been phased out by digital marketing are making a comeback, primarily because of digital saturation.
Reasons Why Big Brands Still Use Traditional Marketing
Although digital marketing has eclipsed conventional marketing in many industries, it is still an effective tool in boosting your brand. It's no wonder that some big brands still use traditional marketing. Here is an outline of some of the benefits you can accrue from it:
1. It Establishes Credibility
Whereas digital marketing reaches a greater audience, it doesn't always present a company as being established or dependable. On the other hand, printed ads and materials are usually deemed more trustworthy. One reason for this is conventional marketing's association with substantial budgetary allocations.
An entity that can place a commercial on television or radio or an advert in a magazine must have the financial capability. The perception is that such a company is successful, stable, and growing.
2. Materials Used in Traditional Marketing Are Sustainable
One of the disadvantages of digital marketing is that you need to provide promotional content regularly (on an ongoing stream) to keep your audience's attention. Some companies have to undertake these tasks every day. They may post two to three times on their social media accounts, create a new video every other day, or send out an email a couple of times a week.
Traditional marketing techniques are more sustainable, given that they leave a long-lasting impression on your audience. You can obtain more mileage from flyers, TV commercials, brochures, or business cards.
This means that you don't need to produce fresh material as often to promote your product or service as you would with digital marketing.
3. It Has a Personal Touch
Traditional marketing enables your brand to cross paths and interact with your consumers more personally compared to digital marketing.
For example, when using direct mail to reach out to potential clients, you can address each recipient by their name. Besides that, you can target a specific audience with your advertising.
People prefer human interaction and rely on relationships in different aspects of life. As such, they will choose to associate with a business that has a genuine interest in their life.
Traditional marketing techniques enable your brand to establish a personal connection that encourages prospects to visit your store.
4. Traditional Marketing Is Not Susceptible to Cybercrime
Today, cases of cybercrime have become common. Amongst the reasons for this is the extensive use of technology and the internet in undertaking various business operations. Policing cybercrime has become a daunting task for law enforcement agencies since criminals use anything, including digital ads, to lure unsuspecting users.
Traditional marketing techniques minimize the chance of your business becoming a victim of cybercrime, given that everything is done offline and can be displayed for everyone to see. As such, it gives you more control over your brand.
5. It Enables You to Reach a More Diverse Audience
Advocates of digital marketing often point out that you can easily target and track your audience by using digital marketing. This is because you can refine promotional materials as you gather factual data from various social media platforms, your website, or email campaigns.
Nonetheless, if your brand attracts a diverse audience, it may not be necessary to target a demographic heavily. If you own a small business, reaching a diverse audience can help grow your business. As such, you may be better placed to attract potential clients by using traditional marketing.
6. Hard Copy Marketing Materials Can Be Easier to Process
Let's face it; there is no question about the impressiveness of digital images, photos, and graphics. However, there are times when the intricate designs and animation features can overload the senses. Viewers get so distracted by the design that they completely lose their messages and fail to connect with your brand.
Hard copy materials are easier to process and perform better when it comes to brand recall. Traditional marketing tools such as direct mail take less effort to read and process than email. Similarly, you can quickly skim through a brochure compared to a website or a white paper.
7. The Familiarity of Traditional Marketing Makes It Easy to Understand
Unlike digital marketing which doesn't bode well with older users who have difficulty navigating the internet, most people, including seniors, are familiar with traditional marketing.
As such, they don't need an extensive explanation of what traditional marketing materials are for. They could simply accept a flyer, read it at their own time, and know that it is an advert for a given product or brand.
Disadvantages of Traditional Marketing
Whereas traditional marketing can effectively promote your brand, it has some shortcomings. Here is an outline of some of them:
It can be more expensive than digital marketing: This is especially true when you factor in the total production cost and the media buy.
It is not easily measurable, as is the case with digital marketing: While there are metrics that can be used to estimate the effectiveness of traditional marketing, such as billboard drive-bys, these are still estimates. Digital marketing can pinpoint metrics throughout the marketing funnel, from landing pages to click-throughs to purchases.
Traditional marketing can take longer to execute and refine: Creating a print ad takes longer. Additionally, once the ad is done, you can't go back to make changes to it. Digital ads, on the other hand, can be edited and tested in real-time to enhance their effectiveness.