As a small business owner, you’re often faced with an overwhelming number of choices when it comes to spending your advertising budget. Since many small businesses do not work with large advertising budgets, the decision about which advertising medium to choose can be important and stressful. Many small business owners may be wondering, what is digital marketing? There is much debate in today’s climate as to whether traditional or digital advertising is the best method to attract new customers and close more sales. Sometimes the answer is a combination of both, but more and more companies are turning to digital advertising, for good reason. Here are some facts to consider when choosing how to launch your next ad campaign.
What is traditional advertising?
- Traditional advertising includes the time-tested advertising methods that you are probably familiar with. These ads are placed on radio and television, as well as in magazines, newspapers, local periodicals, and by mail. Nielsen reports that 47 percent of consumers surveyed worldwide trust television, radio, and newspaper ads to be credible. While this number is currently higher than some forms of digital advertising, it has been on a steady decline, with drops of 24 and 20 percent in 2011 and 2010, respectively.
The key to the downward trend of the traditional advertising method is a change in the general demographics. Increasingly, people who grew up with the Internet as a normal part of their lives are reaching adulthood and becoming the primary buyers of goods and services. Since these people are more likely to trust and engage with digital advertising methods, you can see how traditional advertising methods are trending in the wrong direction. Television remains the most popular form of advertising, but experts expect digital ads to catch up and overtake television within the next five years.
what is the digital marketing?
- Digital marketing includes all forms of web marketing, from social media pages and business websites to search engines and banner ads. There are numerous advantages of digital advertising that make it the preferred method in the modern economy. The first key is, as mentioned, changing demographics. As time goes by, the trends will only lean more in the direction of digital advertising. People of all ages who use technology regularly expect their advertising to be engaging and informative beyond what traditional advertising media can deliver.
In addition to the ability to reach new demographics, digital advertising offers a way for your business to connect with consumers and build lasting relationships. Through social media, you can have direct and meaningful communication with your customers, offer special offers and breaking news, attract new business, and keep old customers coming back for more. Digital advertising also provides a unique opportunity for inbound marketing, as consumers can find and connect with you without any direct effort on your part, apart from setting up web and social media pages.
Although traditional advertising still has a place in the modern marketplace, trends will continue to point towards digital advertising as time goes on. For some businesses, a mix of digital and traditional advertising is the most effective way to reach customers. Others choose to go exclusively digital. The key for any modern entrepreneur is to include at least some digital advertising, either in combination or exclusively. Avoiding digital advertising and going exclusively with traditional methods is a surefire way to miss out on key demographics and see your competition outpace you in marketing effectiveness. what is the digital marketing? Clearly, it is the wave of the future.