Insight & Analysis - May 18, 2021

Traditional Marketing in 2021: is it Worth the Stress?

May 18, 2021

5 min read

Ever since the internet became a big deal, a lot of businesses turned the bulk of their marketing efforts online, making the best of digital channels as much as they can. With increased effort in digital marketing and a somewhat neglect of what used to be, one can only ask the question; is traditional marketing dead?

In Africa where internet penetration is still a challenge for most countries and the internet culture is still in its formative years, it’s not hard to see what businesses could be missing out on by ignoring traditional channels of connecting with customers. Nevertheless, it can be argued that it all depends on the nature of your business and your target customers, you might choose to ignore traditional marketing channels and not feel the repercussions. So is it still worth the stress printing flyers, buying billboard space, going on television and radio or meeting people on a one-on-one basis? I’ll let you be the judge of that.

With that in mind, there’s no denying certain best-case scenarios where every brand can benefit from traditional marketing. While you’re weighing the odds, let’s take a look at 3 ways traditional marketing in 2021 outshines its digital counterpart.

1. It Builds Trust a lot Faster

Digital marketing reaches more people, but it does not often present a business as being well established or dependable. When customers see your business on flyers, billboards, TV or on the radio, they tend to trust your brand more. Why? Because people believe that a business that can afford to pay for these traditional ads is successful and stable.

2. It Makes Consistency in Messaging a lot Easier

Several brands spend huge amounts of time planning content for their various digital channels, they understand that consistency has a major role to play in creating a meaningful connection with their customers. What they are trying to do is be ‘there’ with the customer for as long as it takes to realise a favourable response, and this is something traditional marketing achieves without breaking too much of a sweat.

When prospective customers collect your flyer, they may not have the time to skim or scan through, but as far they keep that flyer, they’re most likely going to read it, and if they leave it on the shelf, there’s a good chance they’ll come back to it in the future. The same goes for other traditional marketing channels.

3. It’s Great for Reaching a Diverse Audience

One of the major perks of digital marketing is the ability to run targeted ads, pinpointing your prospective customers from the crowd. However, if you’re running a brand that caters for a diverse audience, reaching out to as many people as you can be an added advantage. This where traditional marketing comes in. Traditional media channels are not the most targeted in nature, so you can trust that you’re reaching a diverse audience.