We live in a digital age, and as a result, many marketers are turning to digital advertising to reach customers where they are. However, while digital advertising is a critical piece of any marketing strategy, traditional advertising channels are still very effective at getting the word out about your business. Falling into an “either/or” way of thinking can be harmful, because you can miss valuable opportunities to reach and engage your target audience.
While digital and traditional advertising differ significantly, a strategy that incorporates both will help you get better results. Here is a closer look at the two forms of advertising and why you need both to achieve marketing success.
Traditional Advertising
Traditional advertising involves advertising in non-digital channels. This includes TV, radio, print, billboards and even direct mail. With these forms of advertising, you buy a spot to place media through a venue that will help you reach mass audiences. While traditional has some targeting capabilities, its main objective is to expand your reach and frequency.
According to a recent report, for example, radio reaches 93 percent of adults on a weekly basis, while TV reaches 88 percent. Traditional advertising is a critical part of increasing your brand awareness and visibility among consumers.
Digital Advertising
Digital advertising is advertising that happens on the web. Whether through email, smartphone, tablet, or computer, these ads reach people when they are online. The main goal of digital advertising is to reach a highly targeted market.
With digital advertising, you have a number of tools at your disposal. Keyword targeting, display ad networks, behavioral targeting, native ads, social media targeting, and much more all work together to get your advertisement in front of not just a large number of people, but the right people. These tools allow marketers to define specific audiences and get their message in front of them.
Another key benefit is the ability to measure digital ads. These measurement tools allow marketers to track impressions, engagement, clicks and other key metrics to track effectiveness.
Pairing Traditional and Digital Advertising
Both traditional and digital advertising should be used in a marketing plan, and they work best when designed to complement each other. Traditional advertising is effective at reaching a large number of people, with minimal targeting. Digital advertising may reach fewer people, but with better targeting abilities. This combination helps improve brand awareness, increase the frequency in which people interact with your ads, strengthen your overall branding efforts, and deliver your message to the right people at the right time. To influence purchase decisions and maximize advertising results, your plan needs a combination of both.
While both traditional and digital advertising work well on their own, together they can expand your reach, boost your effectiveness and drive marketing success. Working with a marketing partner like Zimmer that specializes in both advertising forms ensures they are working together and not against each other. We have six radio stations reaching 190,000 different customers each week combined with a suite of digital advertising solutions. With this combination, we’re equipped with the tools to help businesses like yours reach their advertising goals.
