How to combine Traditional and Digital Marketing

by Lindsey Winsemius - Posted 5 years ago

How to combine traditional and digital marketing


It might be hard to have a conversation with market leaders who don't address the digital tactics and strategies. The term "digital marketing" isn't easy to forget even though it was not there in 15 years ago. 

In the rush to gain pins and favourites, drive likes, tweets, ratings and reviews, marketers have been overlooking the traditional tactics that are still an effective way to motivate desired behaviors among consumers.

The land grabs to attain digital mindshare is continuing to pick up steam, where it is more important to note the difference with your brand after offering compelling solutions to the consumers of all channels- both traditional and digital.

In business, digital marketing has become the fastest and affordable means recently in promoting a company, although the traditional method is not dead yet. Promoting branded merchandise offers many benefits and also helps to create all-rounded campaigns boosting exposure and covering all media.

In fact, incorporation of both digital and traditional elements can frame the best effective marketing strategy. The incorporation to the cohesive package should elicit consumers desired behaviour. 

Here are some of the tips that will ensure your marketing strategy is not overlooking one channel at expense of the other.

Deliver Personalized Experience through Boosting


Traditional marketing can be an effective way when targeting customers audiences basing their demographic information like age or location. You can as well consider psychographics like lifestyle and interests. 

However, as a marketer, you can take it further with digital; it is a mass marketing vehicle enabling you to customize instantly communication and experience in real time.

If a consumer will be driven to a page for digital promotion, marketers can then use the registration information to dynamically make a personalized experience for the consumer. 

For example, you might find that a consumer with children takes into account at the time of purchasing a car is safety, then you have that ability to deliver a personalized message which is likely to resonate more than for a single person whose concern mostly is the price.

Marketers have the ability to deliver more of the personalized messages on social platforms like Facebook because you have an ability to target consumers basing the information they share. For example, you can supplement the traditional media buys using media properties and especially where the consumers are more likely to have kids by targeting the parents on Facebook where they have shared the information.

Traditional vs. Digital Debate

The debate about traditional and digital marketing should be avoided; its a false choice. The conversation should be focusing on the way both channels can work hand in hand, as well as marketers leveraging the best that can be offered by both channels.

The best way to think about the traditional marketing is how it presents an effective way of reaching a broad consumer audience. 

Looking at the other hand, using digital marketing is relevant and has depth if used to create the relationship with the consumer. 

Marketers can, therefore, use traditional marketing channels that are present to generate the broad awareness and also drive consumers to the digital experience, like in the example of Extra Gum below.

Traditional and Digital Marketing example


Passive vs. Active Engagement


A better example which is contrasting between the digital and tradition can be noted when comparing the traditional marketing passive nature message in contrast to the activity that the digital marketing campaign can generate effectively. 

An ad in television for 30 seconds will only last for 30 seconds where the consumer can be passively participating. Doing an effective digital campaign, on the other hand, will lead to an active participation of consumers in a digital experience lasting for two to five minutes anywhere.

Marketers should take that advantage of the passive experience for flipping past a magazine or viewing a television commercial that delivers a specific action to the consumer leading to more active engagements to their brands on digital channels.

For example is wherein every year, many companies spend millions just for a 30- second Ad so that to reach a captive and wide audience. After adding an action to digital call; like inviting in a Facebook page to like the brand's page and be entered in a given way, it can enable them to extend that advertisement value and end up getting a broader return to their investment. 

Traditional and Digital Marketing

After the consumer has engaged online, the marketers now can provide additional information about their product in the ad, and also invite consumers to opt-in for the future communication. You can also offer a promotion or digital coupon so that to encourage an active engagement being offered by digital channels.

The best example of this would be Ford’s medium SUV marketing tactics. They indulge the customers with best-in-class interior and performance through their ads and retain them by offering a test drive where they make the decision.

Digital and traditional marketing are coming together in live events. Brands pay for signage during a rock concert and billboard sponsorship or sporting event. The mobile emerge enables the marketers to engage their consumers when experiencing the event. 

You can take traditional buys and upgrade to next level after including a call to action through mobile campaign making the crowd to be part of the event. This can be achieved by asking the audience members to send user-generated content, email or opt-in for mobile communications in the future. You can also drive them to purchase something online.

Brand Merchandise

Traditional and Digital Marketing

In the ideal marketing campaign, an offline and online strategy will complement one another. 

The traditional marketing like business cards looks outdated if compared to websites and newsletter but can be given something with a modern twist. 

For example, if you are printing them, you can add a QR code that leads to your website, and it will address all clients. You can personalize items and then encourage the clients to come back as a passive means of promotion. You can also add to those who have ever attended your function, purchased some of your products exceeding a certain amount or recommended a friend.


Digital has emerged as a cost-effective method that delivers marketing results. The brands should not overlook the traditional methods because it can amplify and drive their campaigns to a higher level. Depending on the specific goals you are aiming, don't compare digital or traditional marketing as either proposition; look them as an opportunity that can engage consumers holistically.


Guest Author: Helen Cartwright is a passionate blogger, who excels in the Digital Marketing and Technology niche. When not wired in marketing strategies she ghost-writes for a variety of authors who have their work published on leading online media channels such as The Huffington Post and Entrepreneur.com. You can follow her on Twitter.