What is digital marketing?
Simply put, digital marketing is the use of digital channels such as websites and social media as marketing communication tools.
If you use social media, you're probably familiar with the advertisements that appear in your feed—this is digital marketing.
What exactly is traditional marketing?
Traditional marketing, on the other hand, makes use of traditional channels such as billboards and print media. Consider Don Draper from Mad Men brainstorming TV commercial copy and ideas for Coca-Cola.
What is the difference between digital marketing and traditional marketing?
The primary distinction between digital and traditional marketing is the medium through which a marketing message is delivered to an audience. Traditional marketing employs traditional media such as magazines and newspapers, whereas digital marketing employs digital media such as social media or websites.
Traditional marketing was virtually the only type of marketing available prior to the development of the internet in the 1990s.
Of course traditional marketing doesn’t mean it’s old fashioned. With the ever-increasing need to step away from the digital world, traditional marketing continues to play an important role in people's lives.
Because of their long-lasting effects on your memory, the immersive experience of an impactful TV commercial and the tactile nature of a copy of Rolling Stone magazine are as important today as they were 20 years ago. Subconsciously, you emotionally attach yourself to their brand, implying that they will remain at the forefront of your mind.
Similarly, digital marketing is just as important as traditional marketing, if not more so. To reach you, digital marketing uses every touch point of your daily internet use.
If you are searching for holiday ideas for your next weekend getaway on Google, you will almost certainly see a tailored sponsored ad from Sky Scanner.
Using the internet for several hours each day is a common occurrence in most people's lives. Digital marketing simply takes advantage of this by cleverly weaving marketing communications into every digital channel.