Traditional Advertising Vs Digital Advertising

What are traditional ads

Platforms used by traditional advertising include:

• Television
• Radio
• Newspapers/Magazines
• Billboards
• Flyers/Letterbox Drops

What are online (digital) ads?

Digital advertisements can be found on:

• Websites
• Web Hosting Sites (eg. YouTube, Vimeo)
• Online Banners
• Social Media (eg. Facebook, LinkedIn)
• Distribution Platforms (eg. Email, Twitter)

Now that we know what the two formats are, as a business owner which type of advertising will best boost your sales. Let’s start by looking at some stats:

• Total traditional ad spending share in the US decreased to 45.8% in 2019.
• 50% of all advertising dollars will be spent online by 2020, equaling all combined traditional market spend globally.
• 43% of new customers make their first purchase after seeing a product in a YouTube ad.
• Only 16% of US adults got news from print in July-August of 2018.
• Instagram had more users at 113.3 million than print readers at 112.7 million in 2019.
• Paid search ads can increase awareness of a brand by 80%.

Traditional Advertising is Dying Out

So, it would seem that online advertising is the way when trying to each of your consumers. But is it really?

One reason cited as to why online marketers choose online advertising is because so many people are online. So, it just makes sense right? But the issue with logic is just because people are online doesn’t automatically mean that they are going to click on your banner ad.

People tend to get online for a specific purpose.

As people browse the web, pop-up and banner ads tend to get in the way of that purpose. Consequently, such ads are deemed as an annoyance and ignored at best or exited out without being viewed. If a user is constantly bombarded by online ads that they deem annoying they may potentially come to view the seller behind these ads in an unfavorable light. Furthermore, people who are inundated with too many online ads could become so aggravated as to install ad-blockers, completely defeating the purpose of an all-digital ad campaign. For example, there are many firewalls and physical add blockers like My Rat Trap.

A major selling point of digital advertising is that anyone can advertise online. A major drawback of digital advertising is that ANYONE can advertise online. Ever heard of malvertising? This is malicious advertising — a user clicks on an online ad and instead of taking them to a reputable site they are redirected to a malicious site, with dire consequences. Of course, not all online advertisements contain viruses. But everyone knows that it’s a possibility, so many viewers may be hesitant to click on your online ad. That’s why the top five most trusted ad formats of advertising are all traditional media.

Online Ads & Cookies

Another advantage of online advertising is the ability to collect and track data using cookies, to learn and understand consumers’ preferences. Except the data is not always precise. This is because cookies track devices, not people.

For example, let’s say a user clicks on an ad for a ski equipment site. As soon as he clicked on the site, a cookie detected it and now he’s receiving ad after ad for this site on his computer. The user actually has no interest in skiing. The only reason he even visited the site was to purchase a present for his best friend. As such, the ads are a wasted effort, missing the truly targeted audience.

With online advertising, you can easily reach beyond local vicinity and offer your products or services to customers worldwide. The key benefit of online marketing and placing ads online is the availability of customers globally! Also, within several months of aggressive SEO, you can reach potentially millions of viewers.

Is Online Advertising is Pointless?

So, is marketing online just a big waste of your time? Of course not! Digital advertising should be part of your marketing plan — it’s essential these days and affordable. But you should take advantage of traditional advertising too.

Integrate your online presence into your traditional advertising. For instance, say your website address multiple times in radio ads, show it at the bottom of television or print ad, and always include it in direct mail flyers. If you are going to advertise via television remember to also post it on video hosting sites, such as YouTube. This type of platform gives you the power of sharing through the viral effect (basically online word of mouth). Also, there are no middlemen to pay.

Landing Pages

Whether its traditional ads or an online ad on Google, landing pages should be created specifically for each online marketing campaign. A landing page is a great way to drive traffic, improve your SEO, and build your brand. This enables you to craft a more effective call to action. If you just send a visitor to your home page, he or she may get lost along the way to making a purchase.

Track the results of your advertising. Use codes in print ads and custom URLs in digital ads to see who your customers are, and which campaigns get the best results. Once you understand who your consumers are, do your research on the various ad platforms available to make sure your advertisement will reach your target customer. For example, if your target consumer is under 21 years old, mobile advertising through Snapchat might be a great choice. If your market is local customers who are 40 years old plus then printed flyers or radio broadcasting maybe make more sense.

Takeaway — So which one should you choose?

By advertising both online and offline with an integrated approach, you get the best of both worlds. You can boost trust in your business, get customers to spend more time with your ads, and improve customer acquisition and sales.