Marketing is the most important part of any business because without it a business cannot survive the competition. The earlier form of marketing is offline marketing, which is called ‘Traditional Marketing.’ It has now been replaced with ‘Digital Marketing.’
Most business houses are adopting digital marketing because of its various advantages over traditional marketing methods.
Traditional marketing and digital marketing both have their pros and cons. Let us discuss them one by one. This comparison will give you an idea about which one should be chosen over the other and why.
Traditional Marketing and its Methods:
This marketing is done by using offline methods. It started as door-to-door marketing but later on saw several evolutions. It remain prevalent until 1990 when digital marketing started to take its place.
Various methods are used to marketize the products using traditional methods:
- Door-to-door campaigning
- Broadcasting the ads through TV, radio, etc.
- Publishing the ads in newspapers, magazines, etc.
- Calling the customers to make them aware of the products.
- Using billboards, signs, windows, etc. to market the products.
Digital Marketing and its Methods:
Digital marketing is the latest form of marketing. Various online mediums are used to market the products. Business houses make full use of the internet to reach every corner.
Various methods are used to marketize the products using digital methods:
- id ads for being shown in search engine results.
- Taking the help of other businesses and/or individuals for displaying ads on their websites or blogs.
- Engaging influencers.
- Using direct messaging on messengers.
Traditional Marketing vs Digital Marketing – Which one to choose?
Let us check out the differences between the two marketing strategies:
| S. No. | Traditional Marketing | Digital Marketing |
| 1 | does not make use of the internet | makes full use of internet |
| 2 | the communication between the business and customers is one-way | the communication between the business and customers is two-way |
| 3 | targets customers on the basis of their demography only | the customers are targeted on the basis of other things as well like their age, interest, etc. |
| 4 | interaction between the seller and the buyer is almost zero | the level of interaction between the seller and the buyer is quite high |
| 5 | a limited type of content can be created | one has various options available |
| 6 | static in nature and takes time to make an impression on the users | dynamic in nature and attracts users quite easily |
| 7 | success of the strategies is difficult to measure | success of the strategies can be measured quite easily using various tools and metrics |
| 8 | once the ad is published, it cannot be taken back | an ad can be taken back at any time |
| 9 | can target only the local audience | can target customers in all corners of the world |
| 10 | Ads are not forced upon the customers | ads are mostly forced upon the customers and this may irritate them |
| 11 | more expensive | Less expensive |
So, now the question arises, which one should be chosen over the other? Well, even though, digital marketing methods are quite popular, they have not overtaken the traditional methods totally.
The best way would be to go for a mixture of both depending on your budget and the target audience.
