Social Marketing vs. Traditional Marketing

In today’s world, Internet marketing seems to have taken over as mainstream. While many major companies still regularly use traditional marketing methods, the focus seems to be shifting towards online marketing. Each method has its own unique pros and cons. Researching your intended marketing method is the only way to be sure you are using it to its fullest potential. While social and traditional marketing may seem very different at first glance, they may actually work better together than apart.

Traditional marketing can include newspaper, television, or radio ads. It can be anything from brochures and fliers to special events and parties. Traditional marketing includes the proven techniques that have been used throughout history to increase business opportunity. Though it seems to be outdated, traditional marketing is still as effective today as it was during pre-internet times. In fact, according to Deliver magazine, direct mail influenced 76 percent of online purchases in 2009.

Social marketing is the newest hip approach to advertising your business. With the popularity of the Internet, today’s world goes online for almost anything they need. Social marketing envelops that aspect of today’s world by making their ads tech friendly. Using popular websites, social marketers today have the ability to target a specific audience; a benefit that traditional marketing can never offer. Social marketing can greatly increase your company’s visibility and can even provide many opportunities for networking. Another major benefit of social marketing is the cost. In many cases, it’s free. Your return on investment (ROI) is going to be amazing compared to traditional marketing.

Both traditional and social marketing have clear benefits and letdowns. Though they may seem quite different at first, they work best when combined. Traditional and social marketing complement each other perfectly and will help to push success rates through the roof. While it’s tempting to pick one method over the other, using both marketing methods together can greatly increase your chances of success.