Traditional media vs. new media: what is the difference? Your business probably already has a marketing strategy. Over time, however, marketing methods need to evolve and change to meet the times. Has your business come up with a 2021 strategy? It might be time to update your marketing strategy to include some new media tactics. As marketing strategies evolve, new media is emerging. Typically, new media delivers better results than traditional media. We’ll tell you everything you need to know about new media, how it compares to traditional media, and how SEO Design Chicago can help you formulate the right marketing plan for your business.
Table of Contents
The Difference Between Traditional Media vs. New Media
In discussing traditional media vs new media, traditional media involves businesses targeting a large audience via billboards, print ads, and TV commercials. On the other hand, new media allows companies to target a smaller yet more specific target audience through social media marketing, pay-per-click ads, and SEO. New media typically also costs less than traditional media, because of the smaller audience and more specific advertising channels.
Traditional Media
Traditional media refers to non-digital advertising and marketing strategies, including:
- TV ads
- Radio ads
- Print advertising, like newspapers and magazines
- Direct mail
- Billboards
- Cold-calling
- Door-to-door sales
- Banner ads
Businesses have used these forms of advertising for decades to reach consumers. Until lately, these marketing and advertising tactics worked well and helped companies like yours find new customers. However, as the expectations and needs of customers change, marketing has to evolve, too. This has led to the rise of internet marketing strategies, and the decrease in popularity of some traditional methods. It has also led to the debate of traditional media vs new media.
New Media
When it comes to traditional media vs new media, new media, also referred to as digital media, is made up of digital strategies that involve the internet in some way, including:
- SEO (search engine optimization)
- Pay-per-click advertising (paid search)
- Content marketing (writing with purpose)
- Social media marketing (content creation and distribution)
- Email marketing
Several of these strategies have been around for a while now, but have only lately gained popularity. When we discuss traditional media vs. new media, it isn’t right to call these tactics “new,” because very few of them are actually new at all.
The Decline of Traditional Media
There are many terms that describe the difference between traditional media and new media: push vs. pull marketing, outbound marketing vs. inbound marketing, and more. Over the last few years, and particularly in 2020, traditional media experienced a major decline. Why? One reason is because audiences have become less engaged with traditional media campaigns.
They can even tune it out to a degree. After all, why purchase a billboard if no one is driving down the expressway to see it? And TV commercials can be skipped with DVR, radio stations can be changed when commercials come on, and direct mail can be thrown in the trash. At the same time, a new type of media strategies have been on the rise. As people do more of their shopping and conduct more of their daily life online, advertisers too have moved to the digital realm.
These are just a few reasons behind the decline of traditional media and the rise of new media. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that traditional marketing isn’t right for your business. A marketing agency can tell you which strategies are right for your business. Though digital marketing tactics are typically the best options for most companies, sometimes a combination of traditional and new media works, too. If you have been using traditional media but noticing lower return on your investment, it might be time to invest in some new media strategies.
New Media Strategies to Try
There are five excellent new media strategies that your business might like to try. Each of these strategies involves your website. If your website is not ready to support these strategies, you might consider a website rebuild or redesign first.
SEO
Search engine optimization, or SEO, refers to the processes in which a website improves its rankings on search engine results pages. SEO is a critically important part of online marketing, because if your website doesn’t rank in searches, it might never attract leads or customers. There are several ways you improve your ranking on Google and other search engines. The main way is by using keywords. Keywords are words or phrases that you select and place strategically throughout your website’s content. These keywords are chosen based on the search terms that someone might use to find your website. If you use keywords correctly, your website is more likely to rank higher for those keywords. However, SEO is not solely about keywords. Linking is another critical component of SEO. Links to and from other websites help websites become more visible on web searches. If your website has several links to it, it shows Google that your site is a trustworthy source that other sites find valuable. On the other hand, if your website has very few links, it will rank lower. There are many other factors that affect your SEO. It is best to leave SEO tactics to the experts. SEO Design Chicago offers search engine optimization services to help your website rank higher and find more leads.
PPC Advertising
Pay-per-click, or PPC, is another new media strategy to try. PPC is a digital advertising method in which you choose which keywords you want to bid on. Then, if your bid is the highest, your ads will show up above the organic search results for those terms. The best part? You only pay for the ad when someone clicks on the advertisement (as the name implies.) So, if no one clicks on your ads, you don’t have to pay. The results of PPC ads are immediate, unlike SEO. Pay-per-click ads can begin driving leads to your site right away. It’s a great option if you’re looking to quickly boost your website traffic and sales. SEO Design Chicago manages PPC campaigns for many of our clients and are ready to help you with yours, too.
Content Marketing
Content marketing is a strategy that relies on distributing valuable content to your target audience that develops a loyal audience – and hopefully customers. Though content marketing has been around for a very long time, its popularity has exploded over the past few years as a new media strategy. It is an excellent way to develop a relationship with potential leads. Plus, content marketing can also boost your SEO. For example, if you start a successful blog on topics within your industry, your website is likely to rank for several keywords. Content marketing is an effective marketing strategy, but it does take some time to conceive, develop, and put in action. However, it does create a loyal and devoted following for your brand.
Social Media
You are probably familiar with social media on a personal level, but are you also using social media as a marketing tool? As of 2021, 82 percent of the U.S. population has a profile on a social media network. Businesses are increasingly utilizing social media to reach new customers, and also to strengthen their relationships with current clients. Social media allows you to control your narrative and have one-on-one conversations with potential clients. You can answer questions, respond to feedback, and address concerns or issues right away. It allows a personal touch that many traditional media methods do not when you invest in a social media marketing strategy, you don’t have to create a profile on every single network on the internet. Rather, you can choose the platforms that are the best fit for your business on which to market from. Which platforms are your target audience using? You can check each network’s demographic to see, then utilize the right platform to reach your audience. Just remember that your social media strategy needs regular attention. It’s important to monitor and update your pages on a regular basis. If you need social media management services, SEO Design Chicago can help.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is one of the best new media methods to reach your audience directly. How you use your email marketing strategy is up to you. You can use it to share your content, or offer discounts and promotions. Or, you can check in with customers following a purchase and ask them to share a review. No matter how you choose to utilize an email marketing campaign, it can help grow your relationship with your audience.
New Media Marketing with SEO Design Chicago
Now, you should know all there is to know about traditional media vs. new media. If you are interested in trying any of these new media strategies to help your business grow, contact SEO Design Chicago today. We can help you with content marketing, SEO, PPC campaigns, social media, or email marketing. Our specialists help you determine which form of media marketing is the best choice for your business, then help you execute a professional new media marketing strategy.
FAQs:
- What is traditional media?
- What is new media?
- Should I stop using traditional media?
- What are some examples of new media strategies?
- Which new media is right for my business?
Contact Us Today!