We fooled you! They both have their place. Much like Posh and Becks, Ant & Dec, or sausages and mash, traditional and digital marketing present an iconic partnership that are stronger together than they ever can be apart. Let’s take a look at why.
What is traditional marketing?
It’s any kind of marketing method that was around before the widespread use of the internet. Things like TV, radio, printed leaflets, newspaper ads and word of mouth.
These methods are also known as ‘push marketing’, because they involve pushing out a message somehow and hoping the right person sees it at the right time. There’s actually nothing wrong with this, there’s a time and a place – especially for businesses who are operating within a local area or who are trying to reach an older demographic, but relying solely on these methods in today’s worlds will leave gaps in even the most thorough marketing plan.
In contrast, digital marketing methods allow you to create content to attract people who will find you on their terms when they need your services. Although there isn’t a cut and dry age divide between traditional and digital marketing, younger consumers tend to object to being advertised to.
What digital marketing isn’t
Often people who are scared of things they don’t understand give digital marketing a bad reputation for being impersonal and stripping away traditional values, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.
If you think about it, posting on Facebook gives you the opportunity to talk to your customers one to one at any time. They could be on their sofa in their pajamas, in bed, or even scrolling through social media while sat on the loo – it doesn’t get much more personal than that!
These traditionalists aren’t completely wrong though, if you try and use traditional marketing methods on social media that involves just pushing out your message and hoping it lands, you’re going to alienate your audience and then it’ll be as impersonal as it gets – because you’ll be shouting into a void!
To make a success of digital platforms content should be:
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- Engaging
- Personable
- Useful, interesting or entertaining to your audience
- Be memorable
It should also cater to people who are at different stages of needing your services. Maybe they’re just starting to think about moving home and researching their options, maybe they need an estate agent right now this second and they’re ready to get in touch and get you to value their home.
Don’t discount younger audiences
Generation Z are not to be trifled with. You might be thinking ‘I don’t sell houses to twenty year-olds very often, they’re not my audience. All of their money goes on avocados and pumpkin spiced lattes’ but consider this: they might not be your target audience yet, but their parents are. 93% of parents say that most of their purchasing decisions are influenced by their kids’ opinions.
How might that look in estate agency?
Picture this:
A parent thinking of selling the family home mentions the name of an estate agent they’ve seen on a leaflet offering valuations that has come through the door. Their Gen Z child picks up a tablet, and heads straight to Google typing in the name of the agent. Nothing comes up. No website, no social media presence, a few lukewarm reviews on review sites that have no replies – they’ll say ‘I’m not sure mum, that one could be a scam. Look at this one though, I’ve seen the directors before, there was a Facebook post about them joining in with the community litter pick a little while ago, shall I fill this form out to get them out for a chat?”
And there we have it. If that isn’t good enough reason to make sure you’ve got a fantastic marketing strategy covering all bases, then we don’t know what is.
Need help with your strategy from someone who has been in the industry for over 30 years? Get in touch with Jane.
Katie Gillingham
Katie is a Freelance Copywriter living in rural Dorset with her daft old Labrador. She first started writing content for the property industry back in 2015, and loves nothing more than bringing brand voices to life!
