Traditional Marketing Vs Digital Marketing: What’s the Difference?

When it comes to traditional marketing vs digital marketing there are a whole host of different channel and activities that you could be investing your marketing budget in.

The ideal split between traditional and digital marketing activities will be different for different companies in different industries. There are very few organisations who can survive by just using one or the other.

What is Traditional Marketing?

Traditional marketing is the type of activities used to promote brands and products which have been around since before the digital age we are currently living in. Some activities which are classed as traditional marketing include;

Print Advertising: designing and placing advertisements in printed materials such as newspapers, magazines, flyers, brochures, or billboards.

Trade Shows/ Exhibitions: Participating in industry-specific exhibitions or conferences to showcase products or services. This has notoriously been used for B2B industries.

Public Relations (PR): Managing public perception through media coverage, press releases, or community involvement.

Direct Mail/ Leaflet Drop: Sending promotional materials, such as postcards or catalogues, directly to potential customers’ mailboxes.

Telemarketing: Making outbound phone calls to potential customers to promote products or services.

Broadcast Advertising: Advertising on television or radio through commercials or sponsored segments.

Outdoor or Out of Home Marketing: Displaying advertisements on areas someone would see when they were outside or Out of Home. Things like, billboards, bus shelters, posters, notice boards, or public transportation vehicles.

Sponsorships: Supporting events, sports teams, TV programmes or organisations in exchange for brand visibility.

What is Digital Marketing?

Digital Marketing are activities used to promote a brand or organisation online. There has been a huge increase in the types of activities available for brands to invest in when in comes to digital marketing.

Some examples of digital marketing activities are;

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO): Optimising website content to improve its visibility in search engine results. This is one of the biggest opportunities when it comes to Digital Marketing. Many brands are choosing to invest in SEO.

Pay-Per-Click Advertising (PPC): Placing targeted ads on search engine result pages, such as Google or and paying when users click on them.

Display Advertising: Placing visual ads on websites or mobile apps to reach a wider audience.

Social Media Marketing: Promoting products or services through social media platforms to engage with the audience and build brand awareness.

Content Marketing: Creating and distributing valuable and relevant content on your products of services to attract and engage the target audience. Content Marketing goes hand in hand with SEO.

Email Marketing: Sending targeted promotional emails or newsletters to your mailing list.

Influencer Marketing: Collaborating with influencers or industry experts to promote products or services to their audience.

Animation: Creating and sharing engaging videos online to promote products, services, or brand messages.

Digital PR: Managing online reputation through press releases, media coverage, or engaging with online communities and influencers.

Webinars and Online Events: Hosting online seminars, workshops, or virtual events to educate and engage with the target audience.

Infographics: a visual marketing aid which provides a representation of information that simplifies complex concepts or data through the use of charts, graphs, icons, and text.