In our previous article, we covered various ways in which you can promote your business or website using social media. While that may be enough for some businesses, some may want to take their marketing strategies further and consider using other platforms such as email or direct marketing to reach more customers.

But where should you focus your efforts? Should you use email marketing, social media, or traditional marketing techniques? The answer may depend on your industry, target audience, and what you’re trying to achieve.

Here we’re going to run down the pros and cons of each type of marketing strategy so you can work out which is right for your business.

Online Marketing: The Pros

If your industry is internet-based and you want to reach potential customers, then online marketing may be a good fit. Websites like Google, Bing, and Yandex are the most popular search engines, which means that the majority of your potential customers are probably browsing the internet on a computer or mobile device and can therefore find your product or service.

You can reach out to these individuals by creating a small website that acts as your online store. For a small monthly fee, you can have up to 12 web pages populated with product listings, images, and short product explanations. What you’ll probably find is that, since these individuals are already searching for your service or product, they may not want to leave the site once they’ve landed there. This means you’ll have a captive audience who’s already thinking about your product or service, and you’ll want to keep them there as long as possible by providing them with the best possible experience.

On the other hand, social media is an ever-changing landscape, and if you want to stay competitive, you may need to adapt your approach. Having a social media manager who can get to grips with the various platforms and keep up with the latest trends is something you may want to consider. You can also get social media help from an agency who may be able to recommend the best platforms to target different market segments.

Traditional Marketing: The Pros

If your industry isn’t on the internet and you want to advertise in shops and on billboards, then perhaps traditional marketing is a better option. Mailing lists, flyers, and newspaper ads are all proven ways of getting the word out there and turning heads towards your business.

If your industry is still heavily reliant on word of mouth and you don’t have the budget for expensive ads, then traditional marketing may be the next best thing. The advantage of this strategy is that it doesn’t require as much effort as social media or online marketing, and you may find that customers are more receptive to the information contained in flyers and ads because they don’t know who you are or what you offer. This means you can get your message across to a lot of people with very little effort.

Digital Marketing: The Pros

So, you want to use all three? Well, maybe not. It depends on your target audience and what you’re trying to achieve. If your target audience is already on the internet, then perhaps consider using it as a tool to connect with potential customers. You could create an email marketing campaign to promote your business or send out a mailing list of customers who signed up to receive special discounts or early access to new products. If you need inspiration, check out what other businesses in your industry are doing.

Creating a brand voice and identity for your business is essential, and using platforms like Google Ads or Facebook Ads to promote your products and services is the perfect way to do this. These brands will often advertise on social media platforms like Twitter and YouTube, as well as in traditional media outlets like magazines and newspaper websites. Using popular platforms like these can help drive more traffic to your site and increase your conversion rates.

Choose Your Weapon

Now that you know what the options are, it’s time to figure out which one is the right tool for the job. Remember: your goal is to eventually drive traffic to your site, so you may end up using multiple channels. Deciding which one is the best will depend on your industry, budget, and personal preferences.