Marketing is becoming more diverse today as more creative campaigns come into the limelight. The existence of guerilla marketing makes it possible for any company to create a viral marketing campaign using a bit of creativity. How about the traditional marketing and advertising options? Are they still viable today? And if they are, how can you apply them to your company?
Businesses spend about 7.5% of their overall revenue on marketing alone. For bigger companies, this average increases to 10-15%. That’s a decent annual expense, especially for smaller businesses. However, the reality is that most businesses don’t have bombastic budgets when it comes to marketing and advertisement. Some resort to traditional advertising to get their brand out.
Traditional Ads
Traditional ads come in the form of radio, newspaper, TV, billboards, and more. These are the ads we had before digital marketing even existed. We’re talking about 100 years of marketing history and counting. You might ask yourself, do these ads still work today?
Radio Ads
You might question whether people still listen to the radio nowadays and whether it’s worth investing in radio advertising. The reality is that local SMBs still benefit from radio advertising, especially in growing their customer base. Shockingly enough, people still listen to radios because of the modern podcast and if they want access to free music. Some radio stations even have millions of Americans following their programs.
It’s a cheap but robust marketing strategy, especially if you want your business to flourish locally. Even some big companies still do this to this day because it’s such a reliable option for its given price point. Furthermore, it requires minimal hassle to do. Some radio stations may even offer to do the advertisement for you if you pay extra.
Newspaper Ads
Much like radio stations, newspaper ads are the best if you want your brand to be known locally. People are always checking local newspapers for local businesses and are more likely to visit your store if they see good reviews about it. Therefore, the combination of radio and newspaper ads will make your brand famous locally.
We also consider having a good partnership with your local press, just in case you need a good public relations officer. They can certainly help you out with that.
TV Ads
You might think that TV ads are no longer a viable option because of the existence of YouTube and Google ads. However, if you think about it, TV ads should have killed both newspaper and radio ads the moment they existed. However, radio and newspaper ads still exist and are stronger than ever.
So YouTube and Google ads haven’t killed TV ads, the same way TV ads haven’t killed radio and newspaper ads. But does that mean it’s still worth it? Well, if you want national coverage, then we’re going to say yes, it’s still worth it.
A recent survey says that an American household watches seven hours of TV every day. It has certainly decreased throughout the years, but it still has millions in viewership. Cable channels won’t certainly give up without a fight, either. They are increasing their funding more than ever to attract more viewers to their channel. This means more viewership when it comes to ads.
TV ads are still a reliable choice if you want the U.S. to see your brand. We don’t suggest it if you’re still a growing company, but once you’ve expanded and have grown your brand, then this advertisement choice is for you.
Flyers and Billboards
Lastly, we come down to some of the oldest forms of marketing, flyers, and billboards. Flyers and billboards used to be the stars of marketing way back then. If your company is on a billboard, other brands know that you’ve made it on top of the world. Nowadays, people barely take a glance at them. But they are still effective given their decreased price nowadays.
If you want flyers to be effective, make them part of your guerilla marketing strategy. If you want your billboard ads to be successful, create thought-provoking messages that’ll make people have a good look into your ad. These are ways you can still make the oldest advertisement platforms effective. With enough creativity, you can start bringing more customers into your business, the same way digital ads do.
The Bottom Line
Traditional advertising platforms are still worth it, as long as you add some creativity to your ads. It can even surpass digital advertisements if you do it well enough. It’s the best choice for businesses under budget, and it can be the best choice for you, who’s looking for some exposure for your brand.
