In the early 21st century, business executives were used to the standard advertising channels like billboards, flyers, radio, and TV but as technological innovations consistently improved, public opinion on brand marketing shifted also. The surge in technological tools has put business owners at a crossroads for the best marketing strategy to adopt for their brand. Before delving into details about the two standard marketing techniques – offline advertising vs digital marketing, it is best to give a clear insight into them.
Offline advertising involves promoting a business using traditional media like newspapers, magazines, and radio jingles. Typically, any brand marketing done outside the internet is offline advertising. On the other hand, digital marketing uses online platforms to connect with potential clients.
On the surface, both strategies are efficient. However, offline advertising is limited in terms of geography. So, for a wider reach, digital marketing seems like the better option.
How?
Statistics confirm more than 85% of the global population owns a smartphone. Another report shows 78% of web users search for products online. You can tap into this opportunity and connect with prospective clients across the globe. Digitalising your brand doesn’t only take your services right to your client’s doorstep but is also more convenient for you and your clients.
Here are further reasons digital marketing trumps offline advertising;
1. It gives your brand international awareness.
There are old brands in every industry that are well-known in the global market. These top-tier enterprises already have strong business portfolios that attract more customers. To set your brand apart and gain more customers, there is a need to expand your services’ geography. With digital marketing, you don’t need to set up branches across the world to do that.
When you utilise offline marketing, only individuals with access to the publicising media (e.g flyers, radio, and TV) know about your brand. In simpler words, offline marketing limits your reach.
2. It is a better avenue for your product description.
Digital marketing platforms are excellent avenues to upload your brand image, audio, and/or video content. You can also post details about your product including; pricing and available sizes on the internet. The online platform enables your product visualisation by clients. This gives them an insight into what they are about to purchase.
This gives you a cost-effective way to sell your products or services while satisfying customers’ curiosity.
3. It helps in customer conversion analysis.
Having data on your brand’s reach and visibility is easier with a digital advertising technique. When you do not have customer conversion data, knowing the effectiveness of your marketing strategy and areas to improve on becomes a challenge.
So, to gain an edge, your business needs a better customer conversion system. The right platform provides exact statistics of those that visit your company’s website, initiate direct purchases, or engage your email. It helps to monitor your business in real-time and facilitate one-on-one client interactions when necessary.
You can also use digital marketing to test your new product before releasing them to the market. When your product sample goes online, metrics like bounce rates, sales conversion, and others are vital. This helps you know the public response to your test without rigorous proceedings.
4. Digital marketing provides a wider audience for your brand.
More than 5 billion people have access to the internet. You could target large internet audiences at a lower cost. You can also set the specifications for the ad to be targeted at the right people.
It also provides an extensive reach for your business. When prospective clients see you have an extensive online presence, it ignites their interest to employ your services.
5. It is affordable for your business.
Online marketing is more affordable compared to traditional advertising. There is no need for expenses like TV commercials, billboard flyers, and radio jingles. Additive strategies such as social media engagement, email campaigns, and search engine optimised website posts cost almost zero to implement.
6. It helps track your customer base source.
When you place a TV commercial advert, tracking customers from the publicity is quite strenuous. But you can achieve that effortlessly on a digital marketing platform. There are online tracking tools that provide you with vital data on your ads and their performance, as well as the customer data. This way, you could allocate more advertising funds to the digital medium that has the most traffic and conversion rates.
Conclusion
While we have established the fact that online marketing trumps offline marketing in the digital age, businesses have found ways to merge both and create an effective and efficient marketing strategy. You should find the best offline and online media to adopt for your business depending on the needs of the business and the needs of your customers and/or target audience.
If you are yet to harness the power of digital marketing for your business, Boldfruit can help you leverage it to enhance your brand visibility and gain more customers or clients.
For more details, send a mail to info@boldfruit.com
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