Beyond the Digital Horizon, There’s Marketing Opportunities You Might Have Overlooked. By Sarah Garner
The era? Attention economy. Standing out in all our beautiful essence of what makes us unique, like a tall sunflower amongst, well, a sea of other tall sunflowers? It’s a balancing act between traditional and digital approaches. I believe the marketing landscape is one of the most fascinating industries. Why? It’s constantly undergoing evolution. Which makes it tricky as heck to keep up, especially as a small business. Lemme guess, most, if not all of your marketing efforts are focused on digital tactics? You’ve probably sunk thousands into paid ads this year? Whilst there’s 1000% nothing right or wrong with that, might you consider taking a few steps back and look at your strategy from a holistic lens? Because after all, just as yin and yang come together in balance, your marketing plan can (and I believe should) include several approaches that combine multiple channels together to work in harmony and have a wider impact on communicating your message. Let’s dive into the relationship between 78
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traditional and digital marketing and how they work in harmony to capture (and hold) your audience’s attention.
Tangible Presence with Print Media
Smartphones and social media at the forefront, print media - a mere memory of pastimes gone by when you ran through sprinklers on a hot summer’s day, your parents flicking through the catalogues to shop the coming week’s grocery specials. A 2022 study by Marketingsherpa found that when it comes to making purchasing decisions, consumers are 82% in trust of print media as the top contender over other channels of marketing. Investing in marketing assets like brochures, flyers and aftercare cards can leave a lasting impression. Why? Because physical interactions with your audience are opportunities to provide a recurring presence in their lives that digital ads often lack. Seen the ad once? Gone. Maybe peeks back for a
second time if you’re lucky. Physical flyer? It sits on your fridge, in the bin (until it’s taken out), on the coffee table, your desk - you get the picture. Of course, you’ve probably had a printing company or even a graphic designer who quoted you higher than your budget allowed? So, it made sense that going all-in on digital ads at the time. Imagine taking your overpriced Facebook, Instagram, or Google ad budget allocation each quarter and halving it to create another stream of opportunities? You could distribute your beautifully designed marketing materials in strategic locations throughout your business’ local community - not to mention, the brand visibility and point of difference to stand out goes through the roof!
Local Partnerships
Traditional marketing techniques like sponsoring local events, sports teams, teaming up with a fellow small business to
