Marketing comes in two forms: tangible and digital. The primary difference between the two is that traditional advertising relies on tangible items that can be touched, heard and smelled. Digital advertising is done mostly on the internet using digital technologies. Examples include websites, blogs, YouTube videos and banner ads.
The differences between tangible marketing and digital marketing go far beyond smelling and touching products. Let’s look deeper into the qualities that separate the two methods and why both are part of a robust advertising strategy.
Understanding Tangible Marketing
People are familiar with traditional advertising. It’s involved in many of regular activities, such as reading billboards off the highway or receiving product samples in the mail. With this type of marketing, advertisers can reach a local audience and the materials are kept. This helps form deeper connections with customers, as they can browse through the items again and again.
Perhaps the strongest benefit of tangible marketing is brand loyalty. Placing a promotional item into the hands of customers shows that you understand their needs. You can also use these items to give prospects direct access to your email, phone number and social media accounts. In a world where people are consumed by online advertisements, tangible marketing is refreshing and memorable.
Understanding Digital Marketing
Digital marketing may not put physical products into customers’ hands, but it is certainly effective in terms of promoting products and generating brand awareness. With digital advertising, you can reach highly targeted audiences, choose how content will be received and measure campaign performance.
Digital content can also be interactive and done in real-time. This helps builds strong brand-customer relationships. As you learn about your audience and their behaviors, you can use this data to tweak your campaigns. Unlike physical products that are printed and ordered ahead of time, digital marketing allows you to jump in and make changes that result greater success.
Why Both Methods are Necessary
Tangible marketing should support digital marketing and vice versa. For example, trade show attendance benefits from both tangible and digital efforts. Your booth might include signage, interactive activities and branded merchandise for investors to take home. To get people excited, you might promote the event on your blog and use social media to share photos and updates.
In the end, don’t feel that you need to take an all-or-nothing approach. Use both tangible and digital advertising to reach customers, generate brand awareness and build stronger connections.
