Nobody would be aware of your goods and services if you didn’t advertise them. Traditional marketing and content marketing are two different approaches to getting the information in front of the consumer. Both strategies should be included in a well-rounded marketing plan; the difficult part is deciding which advertising approach will best help you reach your objective.

Let’s examine the differences between these two approaches, particularly contrasting content marketing with traditional marketing, before declaring either as outmoded or content marketing the only viable option at this time.

What is content marketing?

In order to draw in and keep the interest of a target audience, content marketing is a strategic marketing method that focuses on producing and disseminating worthwhile, timely, and consistent content. It is a long-term marketing plan with the objective of creating and nurture relationships with customers by providing them with informative, entertaining, or educational content.
Search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, email marketing, and other digital marketing techniques are frequently used with content marketing. Using content to benefit your audience is a powerful method to increase brand recognition, cultivate client loyalty, and boost conversions.

What is traditional marketing?

The term “traditional marketing” describes marketing strategies and platforms that were commonplace prior to the advent of the internet. These marketing strategies use traditional or offline media to advertise goods and services. Even if digital marketing has become more popular recently, many businesses still employ traditional marketing techniques to connect with their target market.

Traditional marketing techniques are still applicable for companies looking to reach a local or wide audience through reputable and established channels, even if digital marketing has grown in popularity because it is more affordable and can target particular populations. To accomplish their marketing objectives, a lot of businesses decide to combine traditional and digital marketing techniques.

The key differences between traditional marketing and content marketing

Traditional marketing and content marketing are two distinct approaches to reaching and engaging with an audience. Here are the key differences between them:

Nature of content:

Traditional Marketing: Conventional marketing makes use of frequently interruptive promotional content. This covers telemarketing, direct mail, billboards, and ads. The advertising of goods and services is the main focus.

Content Marketing: The focus of content marketing is on producing informative, pertinent, and non-commercial information. Usually instructive, entertaining, or enlightening, the content tries to provide the audience something more than just straight-forward sales pitches.

Communication style:

Traditional Marketing: Conventional marketing usually communicates in one direction. Companies broadcast their messages to the public without anticipating a response or contact right now.
Content Marketing: Two-way communication is encouraged by content marketing. It seeks to elicit remarks, talks, and discussions from the audience. It values audience participation and input.

Mediums and channels:

Traditional Marketing:  Traditional marketing primarily uses offline channels, such as print media, TV, radio, billboards, and direct mail.
Content Marketing: Content marketing leverages online channels, such as websites, blogs, social media, email newsletters, videos, podcasts, and more. It can also include offline channels like magazines, but the focus is on creating digital content.

Cost and scalability:

Traditional Marketing: Traditional marketing campaigns can be costly, particularly when they are run in print or on television. The campaign’s reach and longevity may have an impact on costs.
Content Marketing: Oftentimes, content marketing is more economical. Digital content creation and distribution are typically less expensive, and they may be readily scaled up or down to meet objectives and budgetary constraints.

Traditional Marketing Channels vs. Content Marketing Channels

The first and most obvious difference between content marketing and traditional marketing is the means of distribution.

Traditional marketing uses the following mediums to get its message out:

• TV and radio commercials
• Newspaper and magazine ads
• Banner ads
• Direct mail advertisements, brochures, fliers
• Billboards and signs

Content marketing uses entirely different distribution channels. According to the Content Marketing Institute, social media is the most popular way to publish content, with 92 percent of marketers using this tactic. Other popular distribution methods include:

• Email newsletters
• Website articles
• Blog posts—either your own blog or guest posts
• Infographics
• Videos, webinars, and podcasts
• White papers and ebooks

Stationary vs. Shareable

Traditional marketing aims to raise awareness through self-promotion, and because it typically doesn’t provide anything worthwhile, it is difficult to spread. You can tell a buddy to keep an eye out for a humorous TV ad, but you are not allowed to forward it to her (unless it’s on YouTube, in which case it becomes content marketing).

With content marketing, it’s much simpler to spread the material as you’ve given the audience something amusing, educational, or motivational through an interactive platform like social media. Additionally, since people share things that make them appear good, better content will receive greater exposure.
The Takeaway
Does this mean you can’t use both marketing strategies at once? Not at all. Both conventional and content marketing strategies are employed by many prosperous businesses.

One excellent example of this is Coca-Cola. This company has long been recognized for its narrative-driven conventional ads, which feature everything from happy families having a cold drink to a cheerful St. Nick enjoying a Coke at Christmas. However, Coca-Cola also plans to use Content 2020, a content marketing strategy, to double its sales by 2020 in an effort to carry on this interactive storytelling history.

Think about the audiences you need to target, the marketing channels your business has access to, the money you have allocated to different campaigns, and the kinds of marketing that your target audience is most likely to respond to. Then benefit from the best of both scenarios!