In our last post, we broke down the differences between traditional marketing vs. modern marketing and shared some insights into digital marketing in particular. This time, we want to take a deeper dive into some of the pros and cons of both traditional marketing and modern marketing.

We may be a little biased since we love digital marketing, but nevertheless, here’s a simple breakdown of what we see as the biggest advantages (and disadvantages) of traditional and modern marketing.

Traditional Marketing vs. Modern Marketing: Which is Right for Me?

 Traditional Marketing

Pro – It works, when done carefully and consistently. For companies in many industries, people still respond well to traditional methods when they’re regularly exposed to the advertisements. Think of a billboard for a gym on your morning commute.

Pro – There’s opportunity for powerful creative efforts. Imagine a full-page advertisement for a premium brand in Vogue magazine. Not many other channels can quite capture everything that glossy page can communicate.

Con – There’s little interaction. Traditional marketing methods tend to be a “one-way street.” The advertising is speaking to the audience and hoping for a response—the engagement doesn’t go both ways.

Con – Options for customization and audience targeting are minimal. If you market on TV or in print, you’re limited to the audience that engages with that medium. Newer methods allow you to be more selective about who sees your creative output and even how you’d like to respond to that information.

Con – It can be hard to measure promotional efforts through traditional channels. Though metrics gathering has gotten better with time, it’s still hard to know if someone made a purchase because they heard a radio ad, unless they say so directly.

Modern Marketing

Pro – Digital typically provides a higher ROI. Because of the ability to target those most likely to buy, along with options for testing and improving campaigns over time, ROI from online channels tends to be much higher.

Pro – You can achieve deeper levels of customer engagement and targeting. Rather than throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks, you can make strategic decisions about whom to target. Then, when people respond to you (for example, commenting on your Facebook post), you can interact with them again and build a relationship.

Pro – There’s opportunity to interconnect channels for a comprehensive strategy. This is an important one: understanding how all of your promotional efforts work together is key for success. Many online channels can interplay and support each other, and with the easy tracking capabilities of digital marketing, you’ll know exactly which lever to turn and when.

Con – It can be tricky to get up to speed on technology and implement campaigns. No one said digital was easy! For example, a study from the Digital Marketing Institute shows that companies experienced a 14% increase in sales productivity by implementing marketing automation. But that requires time, staff, and technical savvy. For this reason, you might want to consider outsourced marketing help, like a freelance marketing or part-time marketing consultant. We’ve helped clients put technology in place that ramps up their marketing and sales productivity.

What do you see as the biggest advantage of digital marketing efforts? Leave a comment and let us know what you think!

Weighing your options between traditional marketing vs. modern marketing? Reach out to learn more about how JABR Marketing can support all of your marketing efforts.