Why a Well Rounded Marketing Plan Matters in an Online World
Using more than digital ads to connect with more customers
In an increasingly digital world, customers expect every business to be present and active on the Internet and social media. What does that mean for more traditional forms of marketing (business cards, billboards, and flyers)? Are these marketing tactics no longer relevant? What role do they play in a well-rounded marketing strategy?
Let’s explore traditional and digital marketing, and how cohesive graphic design can impact and elevate your marketing plans.
“Traditional” vs. “digital” marketing
First, let’s define what we’re referring to when we say “traditional” and “digital” marketing.
Traditional marketing is any type of marketing that is not done online. Examples could include print ads in a newspaper, broadcast ads on the radio, direct mailers, and billboards. Until the digital age, print marketing was the only form of marketing businesses had access to.
Now, businesses can also leverage digital marketing, which is just like it sounds: any type of marketing that is done online. This can include paid social media ads, email marketing campaigns, Google ads, content marketing, and more!
The pros and cons of traditional marketing
While traditional marketing might seem somewhat irrelevant in our increasingly digital world, it still has its advantages.
Compared to digital marketing, traditional marketing has decades more research behind it. Because it’s been around longer, we have more data to work with. Marketers and businesses can profit from using this data to improve their work.
Traditional marketing is also helpful for reaching audiences in a specific location. While digital marketers can target ads based on geography, traditional marketing makes it possible to get your message to an audience, right at the moment it’s most effective to see it — with a banner ad in a grocery store where your target audience can purchase your product, for example.
However, traditional advertising can also be more expensive — to run a full-page weekday color ad in the USA Today, for example, you’d be spending around $199,000. And once that ad is published or that billboard is up, you can’t make tweaks or edits to the copy or design. If an ad is doing particularly well, you also can’t “boost” it — meaning, invest more money into the ad to drive it to a larger audience.
Additionally, traditional advertising doesn’t enable you to directly interact with customers the way you can on social media. Customers can’t comment what they think about your billboard and your radio ad won’t receive any likes or shares. This feedback can be really helpful for marketers to learn what works for their target audience, but it also helps customers to feel heard and to build a relationship with your brand.
The pros and cons of digital marketing
Digital marketing, on the other hand, can be much more cost-effective. With just $10 and a few clicks, you can set up and run an ad on Facebook. It’s possible to see a difference in your impressions and clicks by even just spending $1 a day. Of course, the more you invest, the better results you’re likely to see.
Digital marketing also allows you to connect with audiences globally — a single video ad can be viewed in countries all over the world, whereas an ad in a magazine is limited to the circulation of that publication.
But digital marketing has its cons, too. Each new social media platform has a learning curve, and marketers have to be ready to learn quickly when new platforms arise. Additionally, most ads managers usually require some experimentation to determine what ads types will work best for you, which means you’ll need to be willing to be patient to see the results you’re hoping for.
And while digital marketing made it possible for any business to advertise, no matter the size of their marketing budget, it also means that now, competition is much higher. If all companies are using the same channels, your ad copy and design must stand out even more.
A marketing plan that integrates both
Wise companies integrate both traditional and digital marketing tactics into their overall marketing strategy. Your customers will expect you to have a web presence — it’s no longer sufficient to only use traditional marketing channels anymore. Imagine how confused and off-putting it’d be if you saw a print ad for a company, and later discovered that they didn’t have a website!
But remember that if you only use digital channels, you’ll miss out on the advantages of the more traditional channels – and you’ll lose the audiences that may not be using those platforms.
Examples of an integrated marketing plan
What does an integrated marketing strategy look like? Here are some examples:
Using traditional marketing to heighten digital marketing strategies: This could look like a broadcast radio ad that directs your audience to an online source for more information, or a poster advertising an online webinar your company is hosting.
Using digital marketing to heighten traditional marketing strategies: It can work the other way around, too. Adding a QR code that links to your website is a great way to seamlessly integrate your print and digital marketing materials. You could also promote an in-person event on Facebook.
Sharing data learnings across channels: One of the great advantages of digital marketing is the vast amount of data it provides on your target audience. You can use that to your advantage in other marketing efforts — for example, if you learn that you’re getting a lot of website traffic from a specific neighborhood, you can place flyers or a billboard in that neighborhood because you know that’s where your target audience is.
Keep all your marketing materials cohesive & on brand
Working with a graphic designer to create a brand aesthetic and identity will ensure all your marketing materials feel like they’re coming from one distinct personality.
When you partner with a graphic designer, they will be able to bring your branding to life for each distinct medium. An aesthetically pleasing square may look great on Instagram, but wouldn’t look right blown up into a poster, or as your business card! A graphic designer will be able to create materials to enhance your design for each medium you are working with.
Marketing and design can be hard to nail! There are lots of right ways and an equal, if not greater, amount of wrong ones. It’s so isolating to make and execute a plan with confidence if you feel like you’re on an island.
Need some marketing guidance?
Let us help! If you’re interested in learning more about how branding and marketing strategy can work together, you can submit an inquiry here so we can get the conversation going.