Today’s society is composed of consumers from different generations. Companies, small businesses, and corporations have the job of figuring out how best to market to them. Before the world wide web was introduced to society, traditional marketing was the norm. At this point in time, Madison Avenue was ground zero for pretty much all advertising. They utilised radio, television, traditional mail, billboards, and all of the marketing tools that were in play at that point in time. Currently, most of these marketing methods are still in operation, but there is a new kid on the block, that goes by the name of online marketing.
The explosion and growth of the computer age opened up the field, as far as marketing methodologies are concerned. Online marketing encompasses a conglomerate of marketing divisions, which include email marketing, direct marketing, mailing list, text marketing, and many more categories. Springing up from these different categories are businesses that provide services to enable the whole operation to run.
When one references the term online vs traditional marketing, there is often an intertwining of both divisions. Currently, they have integrated into some cases but not others. The speed of the internet, fax machine, and smartphone have taken online marketing to a whole new level of operating. Extreme speed has been interjected into the marketing puzzle, and with this factor time is money. Online marketing has accelerated things, utilising new technology and inventions.
Below is a list of some items that have had an impact on online marketing.
1. Traditional Marketing Is Still With Us:
This form of marketing has been around a long time and accepted by the masses for generations. Even though electronic or digital marketing is used by the majority, there are individuals who still utilise snail mail, flyers, sponsorships, and plain old telemarketing. They are happy using just the simple things of life.
2. The Power of The Website:
Just as you can’t play baseball without a ball and a bat, it is impossible for a serious player to enter the online marketing arena without a website. Simply to play properly, you need a search engine optimised your website, in order to get listed and ranked in categories for people to find you through keyword usage. The website is your stadium and now you need customers to fill it up and purchase.
3. Reaching The people:
You can reach people in a number of ways, but the key is to keep them coming back for whatever your product is. The power broker in the internet age is the email mailing list. There are numerous ways to acquire them, like renting from list brokers, building your own, or even swapping them. The bottom line goal is to get people on the list to buy whatever you are selling.
4. The Internet Industrial Complex:
Back in the 1950’s President Eisenhower made the statement (Be Aware of The Military Industrial Complex). By this statement, he was trying to bring attention to the interest groups and lobbyist who wanted to make a living off of them. By the same token, the internet has evolved and become corrupted in many ways.Everyone who utilises the internet is not honest marketing people. Just as Eisenhower knew that there were those individuals who were intent on using the military for evil, there is the same element in a different form trying to use the internet for evil.
5. The College and University Impact:
As the industrial age of the computer started to expand, colleges and universities saw an opportunity to train the people who would be controlling the industry. Computer science has become a mega billion dollar series of courses, and one of the direct avenues to online marketing.
6. From Local To Global Markets:
The world wide web has made it possible to transform local business and corporations to global entities. Electronic money moves at the speed of light from bank to bank and country to country. What used to be regional markets are worldwide markets instantly.
7. Online Marketing Security:
In order to survive as a company doing business online, It is imperative to hire a company that protects your assets. There are hackers, saboteurs, and other companies that are disreputable and would like nothing better than to see a solid company falling by the side of the success road, so they can gain from it.
8. The 98% – 2% Ratio:
This may come as a surprise to many individuals who are trying to start up a presence on the internet, where they can make money. Only around 2% succeed and the other 98% fund the 2% with their losses. Most people hide this fact, as a face-saving motive and continue to repeat the same mistakes over and over. The truly educated in online marketing have a real chance to succeed.
9. Rewards of Marketing:
Even though there are a lot of pitfalls in this industry, it provides the opportunity for individual independence, freedom of thought, control of your time, and just plain more control over your life.
10. Lessons To Be Learned:
First off educate yourself for whatever it is that you are trying to do. Next, seek advice from experts who have knowledge. Finally, never do anything half way because there is too much competition out there.
As society continues to evolve in the marketplace, invent things, and refine ways of doing business, Online vs Traditional Marketing may take on new names, forms, and business capacities. There was an ancient philosopher who made the statement (All Things Are In Motion). Taking into account the rapid pace that all marketing has advanced over the last one hundred years, I get the meaning of his statement.
