Different Types of Marketing and When to Use Them

Marketing is a crucial process that must be paid attention to, so you can proactively promote and grow your business. And to keep yours afloat, it’s essential that you know the different types of marketing and when to use them.

Although they might sound quite the same (and even confusing at times), there are different types of marketing suitable for various business needs. So, as a business owner or a marketing specialist, it is almost a requirement to be thoroughly familiar with the knits and bits of marketing.

Here are the different types of marketing and when to use them.

Traditional Marketing

In its simplest form, traditional marketing is any type of marketing that does not use any online channels. It primarily relies on traditional modes of communication such as radio, television, and newspaper―hence the term traditional marketing. And because of that, it is the most recognizable type of marketing for older generations.

Even with the advent of the internet revolution, traditional marketing still thrives today. As long as print and broadcast media are alive, traditional marketing has a place in today’s society.

Print Marketing

Often regarded as the oldest form of traditional marketing, print marketing enforces advertising in papers. Businesses may opt to contact publication or printing companies to have their marketing materials included in the printing process for distribution. Such publications or printing companies can be newspapers, magazines, newsletters, or other printed materials widely distributed to a large audience.

Broadcast Marketing

This form of traditional marketing mainly utilizes broadcast channels such as television and radio. Even on-screen movies in theaters now incorporate advertisements before the actual film is screened. But perhaps the most common are television commercials. 

Direct mail marketing

To attract customers, direct mail marketing uses postcards, catalogs, brochures, and fliers sent to targeted customers via mail. A thorough audience research and list-building are prerequisites to make this strategy effective.

Telemarketing

Known as the most aggressive form of traditional marketing, telemarketing uses the telephone to forward advertisements and convince consumers to buy products or services. 

When to Use Traditional Marketing

If your business is targeted towards customers belonging to the older generation, you might consider this type of marketing strategy. Consumers that do not have direct access to digital devices and platforms will mostly pounce upon advertisements offline. More than that, a survey in the US found that TV consumption is higher among older adults in general, and the daily time spent with traditional television is higher among adults aged over 50. So, if your main customers’ demographics are in this age group, traditional marketing might be a way for you.

More than that, if you’re running a small business and you are tight on budget, you may opt to use print marketing and direct mail marketing since they are somewhat less costly.

Digital Marketing

Digital marketing uses digital channels such as social media platforms, search engines, websites, mobile applications, and email for advertisements. Businesses can endorse and market their products, services, and goods to potential customers through their online channels.

Unlike traditional marketing, digital marketing provides more opportunities for businesses to generate a higher return on investment and conversion rate. Aside from that, this type of modern marketing helps businesses establish their brand reputations across multiple media channels. Since billions of people have access to the internet, utilizing digital marketing can help businesses connect with those users.

SEO Marketing

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) marketing improves a business’ website ranking in various search engines like Google by ensuring that the content or web pages are quality. The main objective of this form of digital marketing is to ensure that you will appear on the top-most results of a user’s search engine.

SEO marketing is very crucial to small businesses that are still starting out. Why? It gives you a chance to compete with bigger and established businesses online. Since many potential customers search for products and services online, it must be a priority for small businesses to fully implement SEO marketing in their strategy.

Learn more about why SEO is important online success.

Social Media Marketing

Since social media networking sites have taken over the online space worldwide, social media marketing is probably one of many businesses' most sought-after marketing strategy forms. The trick here is to find out the most effective online channel best suited to your business. For instance, if your promotional materials are embedded with a strong visual impact, you might think of using Instagram. If you’re after professional clients, you might consider LinkedIn.

For what it's worth, social media marketing is all about connecting with your probable customers and keeping your client relationship intact. It’s really just about connecting with them instead of directly selling.

Email Marketing

This form of digital marketing is quite similar to direct mail marketing―only that email marketing is done electronically. Technically, almost every email sent to a list of recipients can be considered email marketing, especially the content is an advertisement or solicit sales.

Read here to know more about how email marketing works.

When to Use Digital Marketing

Since promotional materials used in digital marketing are received through online channels, you need to ensure that your target customers use these online platforms. They do not have to be tech-savvy. What matters is that they can see your advertisements in their feeds whenever they go online. 

More than that, if you’re a small business looking to expand your clientele, you might consider this type of marketing. Although, it is important to note that this marketing strategy―like the others mentioned in this article―might also require a budget. 

Learn more on how you can boost your digital marketing with our services.

Multichannel marketing

Like the name suggests, multichannel marketing maximizes the use of multiple channels and platforms in delivering promotional materials. It could combine the use of traditional marketing and digital marketing. When this strategy is implemented, a business can directly advertise in retail stores, use print formats such as magazines and newspapers, or even set up an official Facebook page to post its publicity materials.

When to Use Multichannel Marketing

If your customers’ age demographic is pretty diverse, multichannel marketing might be the best option for you. You could reach a combination of young and older generations all at once, and many businesses implement this type of marketing in their repertoire of strategies.

Conclusion

Marketing is a long process that requires thorough planning. If you can afford to outsource specialists who would do the rigorous tasks for you, then that’s great. But for many small businesses that are just starting out and do not have all the resources yet, that might not be an ideal case. So, they would be prompted to do all the work themselves. But this doesn’t mean that they can’t do it at all. It starts with knowing the different types of marketing and when to use them.