Is Traditional Marketing Dead?

The always awesome Intern Mauri is back with another very interesting blog post on a subject that we certain discuss very frequently here - traditional vs. new marketing.  Is traditional marketing dead?  I don't think so, and neither does Mauri.  Read on for more.
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Is Traditional Marketing Dead?

                We’ve been blogging a lot lately about the importance of various types of digital marketing methods. New media technologies, especially social media initiatives, have taken off in the past few years and have really put a new face on the marketing industry. During the past few weeks we’ve told you about many of these, from the continued importance of email marketing to ways that small businesses can use social media to promote their products or services.

                All this talk about what’s new in marketing, though, really begs the following question: is traditional marketing dead?

                What better place is there to get the answer to this question than to someone who works with Chamber members every day? "Traditional marketing is not dead," Gina Martens, our director of Member Relations, told me. "Creating heart connections and evolving relationships by earning trust is the only way I know how to do business."

                Experts agree that we shouldn't put the final nail in the coffin just yet. In a survey conducted last May by Business News Daily, resulted showed that 77 percent of small businesses who responded still use print advertising, with 53 percent still using event marketing. However, 73 percent of respondents reported that they use social media tools to promote their businesses. While social media is clearly on the rise, businesses are still using the same methods they’ve always used; they are coordinating those traditional efforts with social media marketing to create an even bigger impact.

Local marketing and public relations professionals agree with this tactic. Tracey Werner, owner of Blabbermouth Communications, considers social media a marketing method that complements traditional marketing. “I see social media marketing as another, newer form, of marketing, used in tandem with other methods,” she said. However, she agreed that traditional marketing methods continue to remain important for a business. “I think traditional marketing methods are tried and true and still have their place in any comprehensive marketing plan."

Mike Drabenstott at Spark, a full-service public relations and marketing agency in Bethlehem, explains why we shouldn't ignore the consistent value of traditional marketing methods. "Social media needs to be part of an integrated plan," he explains. "As pervasive as it seems to be, not everyone uses it or uses it frequently -- especially older people and technophobes. So it's important to use traditional methods for reaching a broader audience."

In fact, Drabenstott's own experience reflects Business New Daily's survey. "Direct mail is actually on an upswing in both use and results," he adds. "Media relations is still essential to provide third-party credibility and clout. And even traditional space advertising still has a place for mass-market products to realize frequency of message and to reinforce brand awareness."

Our own Mike Schlossberg, VP of Member Relations and Applied Technology/resident social media guru, weighs in. “Despite being a Social Media advocate, traditional marketing isn’t dead; not yet, anyway," he says. "Take The Chamber, for instance.  We still run a print newsletter, Connections, that goes out once a month, and I’d argue that it remains our most impactful method of communication in terms of building event attendance and awareness.”

Incidentally, as I'm writing this someone has shared with me a study by Cornell University that found in-person events, including meetings and conversations, to be more effective than virtual events in terms of capturing attention, evoking positive responses, and creating and maintaining business contacts. The key is to create sustainable relationships. Let's go back to our Marketing Director, Gina Martens, for one final word on the matter: "We need to truly understand the needs of our customer so we can better serve them," she explains. "This is how relationships get started. From there, not only will you WIN the business, but referrals and repeat customers will follow -- leading to superior revenue results!"

While it’s important to stay on top of marketing trends, doing what works best for you and your customers is always the best solution. Who knows your customers better than you? Reach out to them on their terms, and you'll never go wrong.

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