Integrating Digital and Traditional Marketing: A Unified Strategy for Modern Business

You can’t deny that the shifting digital landscape of the internet has shaped marketing in many ways. Even from when email was first utilised, digital marketing has been in effect and is predominantly used. But yet there is still a propensity to separate ‘marketing’ and ‘digital’ marketing teams. Have we not come to a place now where digital marketing is just part (a big part) of how we market?

You’ll find marketers describe themselves as digital marketers or generalist marketers. Many you will find will have a specialism, and roles are often segregated into these such as SEO, Social Media Management, Community Marketing. Also, you will often find Marketing Managers and Digital Marketing Managers in the same companies, operating often on separate campaigns. But is it necessary to separate the two types of marketing when you should be looking to target your campaigns through all channels relevant to your target audience – most of which will touch on or land finally on a digital medium? 

This article looks at how we have ended up with this separation, the benefits of approaching multi-channel marketing through one strategy lens, and how the two can be best utilised together than delivering them apart.  

What is ‘Traditional’ Marketing?

For want of a better word, ‘traditional’ marketing focuses on using traditional channels like billboards, printed media and events to promote brands and other services. The main contrast from digital marketing is the medium that’s used. TV and Billboards are often essentially the preserve of the large companies looking to mass market. Of course, leafleting and local poster advertising is still an essential part of marketing for SMEs. 

But yet, this form of marketing has not wisely avoided the digital revolution. Digital TV advertising now enables brands to target their key customers and determine the reach and frequency in which their ads are presented. 

Similarly, billboard advertising uses data and AI to represent brands and creatives based on location and environment-specific events – such as hot days to promote ice cream or rainy days to promote indoor activities. 

Events, moved solely online as part of the pandemic, were already utilising digital technologies to boost engagement pre, during and post-event.

There is still a place for physical marketing – brochures, leaflets, events. But you will find better conversion and engagement if combined with digital innovation and digital marketing channels. As with all industries, marketing innovates, and it does continually – even within its ‘traditional’ mediums. 

You will find few generalist marketers who don’t do digital marketing and any attempts to separate your traditional marketing channels from your digital, in our view, is foolhardy. You wouldn’t build a wall between your health and safety and operations, so why create separation between how your message is delivered on different channels? 

What is Digital Marketing?

Put simply, digital marketing is when the internet or other electronic digital devices such as computers and smartphones are used to market products and other services. Digital channels can be much more cost-effective for small and large companies and, due to digital tracking, can prove effectiveness much quicker than more physical or external marketing techniques. Social media has enabled any business to quickly and easily build an engaged community and brand advocates. 

Digital marketing has undoubtedly changed marketing, and the most significant innovation is access to data. Pre-digital, to track a campaign’s effectiveness effectively and the steps people took to engage with your campaign, were often based on rudimentary information – contact, sales, engagement. To show return on investment, further budget was provided to undertake research to understand brand reach. Now digital techniques enable us to track which marketing channel the customer found you by, the touchpoints that moved them along the funnel, where they dropped off and also the sentiment by which they talk about you online. 

This is gold-dust for marketers and still, in some sectors, is not utilised as well as it can be. (Please check out our recent blog from our webinar on Data to find out more.)

However, data is vital to building strategy, but it shouldn’t be at the consequence of creativity. After all, once you reach someone, it is the creative output that gets attention. It’s the imagery and messaging they remember, which gets them talking, buying, and engaging.

When you think of it like this, is digital marketing really that different from traditional marketing? 

Digital marketing is just marketing

Marketing is digital and marketing, as it has always been, is multi-channel. Build your strategy and then deliver creative marketing and advertising campaigns across the channels where you will find your customers. These can be highly targeted by media but all driving messages around the central brand, objectives, and company strategy.

When you think about it, those who consider themselves generalist marketers still use and are often experts in digital marketing. Most business owners will have a social media account for their business and often run PPC adverts alongside building and engaging with customers via newsletters and email campaigns. Most marketing concepts will invite you to visit a website, and a leaflet may include a URL or QR code for you to shop online. Marketing has seamlessly interwoven digital marketing into its mix. It’s marketing, and it should be treated as just that. 

Separating marketing teams into ‘marketing’ and digital – counteracts your strategy, brand direction, and messaging. This is all created centrally and should be delivered across all your relevant marketing channels with synergy. 

Of course, you will still have individuals with expertise in SEO, PPC, design, print, and events. But they are all part of one marketing team, working to understand and deliver for customers, working collaboratively to ensure one campaign element can add value across another, as well as ensuring it is centred around your company’s strategy. 

Your marketing strategy is your marketing strategy – the tools, methods and channels you will use to grow your market. Regardless of whether your marketing strategy is predominantly digital, traditional, or a balance of both, what’s essential is understanding your budget and who your target audience is. Both can be intertwined to create excellent brand exposure and increase conversions, especially with the right creative.

Separating the varying forms of marketing into categories doesn’t change the way you run or market your business. It’s marketing at the end of the day, after all. 
 

The Property Marketing Strategists work with you to align your goals and outcomes across all parts of your team and business. Contact us to see how we can help.