Traditional marketing vs digital marketing

Nowadays, it’s fair to say that digital marketing and online presences are eternally on the rise. If the pandemic has highlighted anything, it’s that the need for a business to have a great online presence is ever more prevalent. However, traditional marketing methods still live on and continue to be effective. So who wins out when it comes to traditional marketing vs digital marketing? We find out…

Traditional marketing

Traditional marketing methods tend to be ‘off-line’ advertising methods. These include  leaflets, flyers, posters, signs – anything printed, infact, including bottleneck hangers! This also includes ‘off the web’ mediums of marketing – like newspapers, magazines, TV and radio. Traditional marketing comes with a lot of pros including:

• It is a tried-and-tested method
• It has longevity and durability, having been around for many years
• It is the more commonly accepted and appreciated method for older people
• It is tangible-  a lot of people enjoy having something physical to touch, look at and keep

However, it’s also proved to have some substantial drawbacks including:

• Not hugely eco-friendly (we’d always recommend investing in recyclable and recycled materials for your printed designs- check out our recycled and kraft bottleneck tags).
• Not very clean – as has been highlighted recently, with promotional companies all but shutting down due to transmission on materials including flyers etc
• A low physical ‘bounce rate’. Bounce rate is a term used to describe a website where people click onto the homepage, then immediately leave, as they realise it isn’t what they are after. Traditional marketing has a similar issue – how many of the flyers handed to someone will go straight into the bin? Quite a few!

Digital marketing

Digital marketing consists of anything ‘online’ – so websites, social media, apps etc. The benefits to digital marketing are obvious:

• More eco friendly
• Lower ‘bounce rate’ as people will probably be searching for your product or service
• Up-to-date changes and information
• More information than a printed product
• Social communities on social media platforms

However, there are also some serious drawbacks including:

• Lack of tangibility
• Mistrust
• Dependent on technology – what if your server crashes?
• Unable to ‘catch’ passers-by

So who wins out: Traditional marketing vs digital marketing

The answer is simple: both! In this day and age the most effective marketing strategies integrate both digital and hard marketing techniques. This is where bottleneck hangers offer the perfect example: a bottleneck tag is by definition, traditional marketing. It is a tangible, solid printed product, offering all the benefits thereof. However, simply by adding a printed QR code onto your bottleneck hanger you open up your customer base to a whole new world of digital possibilities!

Including a QR code can send customers to your website, where they’ll have more information about the product and (most importantly) associated products that they might then wish to purchase. A QR code can link your customers to social media pages, offering them up to date information. It can even link them to a competition page – a seamless combination of traditional and digital marketing.

Speak to our team today about QR code printing for your bottleneck hangers, and let us help you integrate your marketing platforms!