“Without tradition, art is a flock of sheep without a shepherd. Without innovation, it is a corpse.” — Winston Churchill
Traditional marketing can be categorized as any marketing strategy, commercial channel, or promotional advertisement that has a successful record of increasing business. In the past, some of the tried and true forms of marketing have been physical placements like billboards, newspaper and magazine advertisements, as well as intangible placements like radio and television commercials.
As early as 1704, marketers realized the power newspapers offered as a viable vehicle for driving sales growth. Benjamin Franklin, founding father and renaissance man, not only pioneered a section of advertisements in his Philadelphia Gazette newspaper, but he also printed the first American magazine ad.1
As technology continues to evolve, every incremental innovation seems to drive more utility for the marketing industry as a whole. Although each technological innovation disrupts the marketing channel that preceded it, advertisers still cling to the ways of the past by purchasing space on billboards, newspapers, radio shows, and more. Study the methods that follow and how they can be implemented in your mobile marketing or jump to our infographic below.
Traditional Marketing Strategies
Print Advertising
For years, newspapers, magazines, and other periodicals were the single largest source of advertising spending. In fact, newspaper revenues grew almost perfectly linear from 1919 to 2000 when growth started to decline.2 The tectonic shift in media from paid daily news to free news instantaneously impacted circulation and the marketing reach these publications once commanded.
Telemarketing
As with any innovative technology, it took time for the telecommunications industry to build the infrastructure and customer base to make telemarketing feasible. It wasn’t until the early 1980s that telephone technology became sophisticated enough for the telemarketing industry to get its start. But by the mid-90s, US companies were spending almost $90 billion on telephone marketing.
Broadcasting
Even though the first radio technology dates back as early as 1895, the first commercial radio broadcast didn’t come until November 2nd, 1920. The value proposition of radio was made clear that day when it became the first source to break the news that Warren Harding had won the election for President of the United States. Although radio has not been immune to disruption with the recent proliferation of podcasting, it continues to engage a large audience. Research has found that traditional AM/FM radio reaches an astounding 91% of Americans above the age of 12 every week.3
What is Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing is the Colombia Phone Numbers List utilization of internet-connected devices to distribute marketing material. What separates digital marketing from its elder, more traditional brethren? The methods of digital marketing cannot rest on the laurels of past performance, as traditional marketing is able to do.
Since the relatively recent inception of digital marketing, a huge percentage of the total advertising dollars have transitioned online. In 2017, digital advertising grew to account for nearly 42% of total US advertising spending.4 This number does not reflect organic or unpaid digital marketing efforts, which most likely account for a similar percentage of total marketing efforts.
Digital Marketing Strategies
What is digital marketing
Social Media
The disruption of traditional media companies by social media has decentralized the power to publish. This new trigger-happy world of peer-to-peer publishing has given brands a much sought after ability to blend in and connect with customers on a personal level. The large social platforms quickly grew their audience to billions of users giving marketers access to their target markets with organic and paid reach.
Podcasting
Even though radio still commands a large percentage of monthly active listeners, podcasts have been growing in popularity. Podcasting is another great example of digital platforms decentralizing the power of broadcasting. Previously, radio stations were required to file licenses with the FCC, limiting the number of stations competing for airwaves. Today, anyone can start a podcast and reach millions of people instantly.
Content Marketing
Historically, marketers would simply attach their brand to content created by a third-party publication. Only companies from intellectual industries would release their own content, and these were typically white papers or research reports for educational purposes. Today, companies use content marketing to converse with their customers, giving their brand a more authoritative voice in their field.