Imagine you’re about to board MRTs in Singapore in the 2000s with colourful exterior ads, or you’re riding a bus in the 80s carrying advertisements of famous brands like Kodak, where, as you travel, you see more ads on billboards along the way.
Back then, ads were put up in locations with high human traffic. But with the emergence of the internet, even the word ‘traffic’ has a different meaning now–at least in the online marketing dictionary.
It only shows how marketing has evolved over time, from terms used to methods and strategies implemented. Marketing is any brand’s activity to promote its products or services to its target customers.
Putting up ads on public transport, banners, posters, or billboards are all forms of conventional marketing. However, with the online space gaining more prominence each day, it gave birth to modern types of marketing that many brands are embracing now.
From traditional to modern marketing strategies, we have listed the different types of marketing that you can consider in your next campaign.
Traditional Marketing
Traditional marketing uses offline media to advertise products or services to its target audience. It is one of the oldest and most researched types of marketing, gaining the credibility of being tested and true. It is an effective way to reach the local audience, using print, direct mail, television, and more as the typical channels.
Types of Traditional Marketing
1. Print (Newspapers, Magazines)
Print ads can help establish more brand awareness in a community. Advertising in newspapers and magazines enables better local targeting based on the target audience’s demographics and geographical location. Conduct audience research and identify the types of print or reading materials your audience likes to increase the chances of acquiring high-quality sales leads.
2. Broadcast (TV, Radio)
Television or radio advertising is one of the most common types of marketing you’ve probably encountered and heard of. Broadcast advertising through TV and radio commercials can tap into customers’ visual and auditory senses, capturing their interest and intrigue for your brand.
3. Direct Mail (Postcards, Flyers)
Direct mail involves sending print materials like postcards, flyers, letters, or postcards to the addresses of potential customers living in your target area. It builds awareness, and companies–mostly non-profits–use it as an emotional marketing tool, leveraging personalised messaging and targeted distribution.
4. Telemarketing
Telemarketing is a type of traditional marketing where brands reach out to their target customers via phone. Also known as cold calling, business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) companies can use this strategy to directly interact with customers, build personal connections, and establish credibility.
5. Outdoor Advertising (Billboards, Banners)
Outdoor advertising promotes your services and products in public spaces through billboards, banners, posters, and more. It targets high-traffic areas where pedestrians and commuters can see your offers.
Pros and Cons of Traditional Types of Marketing Strategy
Pros
- Physical presence, enhancing visibility and memorability
- Enables targeted, local marketing
- Broad reach, strong impact
- Promotes better credibility, especially with the presence of ads in newspapers and magazines
Cons
- There is limited access to in-depth insights regarding data and analytics
- Traditional marketing channels, such as broadcast or print, do not enable two-way communication, making you miss on interaction opportunities
- Production of advertising materials, especially in print ads and television, can be expensive
- Traditional types of marketing, like cold calling, often raise privacy concerns.
Digital Marketing
Unlike traditional marketing, digital marketing is the implementation of online advertising campaigns on websites, social media channels, search engines, emails, and more. It uses digital channels to reach an audience and promote a service or product.
Essential digital marketing types include SEO, content, social media, email, paid ads, influencer, and affiliate marketing.
Major Types of Digital Marketing
1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search Engine Optimisation or SEO services aim to make a brand’s website visible on search engines. With a comprehensive SEO strategy in place, your site can rank higher on search engines organically, which means you’ll attract more traffic or visitors to your pages. It will increase your brand’s visibility and awareness.
2. Content Marketing
Content marketing focuses on creating and distributing relevant, consistent, timely, and valuable content to attract customers. You can establish authority and lead your audience to conversion with a top-notch content marketing strategy. It can also work hand-in-hand with SEO, as it is ultimately the visible front search engines can crawl to.
3. Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing uses Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and other social media channels to promote your product or service. It helps build a company’s branding, increase sales, and improve website traffic. The effectiveness and power of implementing social media marketing strategies are rooted in its capability to connect and interact with the audience on an easier, deeper level.
4. Email Marketing
Email marketing services enable direct communication with the audience through newsletters and promotional emails. Like direct mail in traditional marketing, email marketing is also a direct marketing form–the difference is that it’s being delivered online. Businesses can use emails to increase brand awareness, inform customers of promotions, and promote services and products.
Some of the most common and best types of email marketing campaigns include welcome emails, customer onboarding campaigns, discounts, and limited offers, among others.
5. Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising
In contrast to SEO, which involves ranking organically, Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising involves paying to rank higher on search engines like Google or Bing for specific phrases or keywords.
When implementing a PPC campaign, businesses often hear about Google Ads. It is Google’s advertising solution where businesses bid on keywords to showcase their ads on Google search results.
6. Influencer Marketing
Years ago, celebrities were the only ones most of us considered as ‘influencers’. However, with social media’s popularity, even simple individuals sharing their daily lives and routines on their socials can now be tagged as influencers.
Influencer marketing involves leveraging individuals with a large follower base to promote products. It is a social media marketing approach operating on product mentions and influencer endorsement strategies. These influencers are typically seen as experts in their niche.
7. Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is a commission-based partnership. It is a promotional strategy where a company pays third-party publishers to drive traffic or generate product and service leads. These publishers, known as affiliates, earn a commission based on their success in promoting the company, which motivates them to find effective ways to market its offerings.
Pros and Cons of Digital Types of Marketing
Pros
- Builds brand visibility, authority, and loyalty
- The internet is a vast space, increasing the potential to reach a bigger audience
- Increased engagement and interaction with customers
- Conveniently track and adjust campaigns based on campaign results from analytics
Cons
- While it can reach a large audience, competition in the digital marketing landscape can be high
- There is an increased risk for privacy and data concerns operating in the online space
- The digital marketing landscape is ever-evolving–there’s a need for constant optimisation and updates
- Technical knowledge and skills from specialists are required
Inbound vs. Outbound Types of Marketing
While traditional and digital are the only and most common types of marketing most people are familiar with, the concepts of inbound and outbound marketing are also essential to know. They are influential approaches crucial in shaping a company’s marketing strategy.
Outbound marketing is an aggressive marketing approach where brands intrusively reach out to customers with content they might not always want. Inbound marketing is more subtle and focuses on creating and distributing content that pulls and attracts people to your site.
Both types of marketing can take on many forms. An effective inbound marketing strategy can include SEO, content marketing, email marketing, social media marketing, video marketing, usage of lead magnets, and creating engaging landing pages.
Meanwhile, outbound strategies include cold calling, direct mail, display ads, events, billboards, broadcasting, and print. Outbound marketing shares similarities with traditional marketing, but what draws the line is that outbound marketing can also encompass newer technologies, such as pay-per-click (PPC) advertising and spam emails.
Inbound marketing is popular in the digital age because its strategies align better with modern consumer trends and behaviours. However, this doesn’t mean that outbound strategies are ineffective today. Inbound strategies take time to work, but outbound campaigns reach a wider audience quickly. So, if you’re seeking rapid visibility and immediate impact, outbound marketing remains a powerful tool.
Hybrid Marketing Strategies
Hybrid marketing is a new and evolving marketing type. It combines digital and traditional marketing to promote services and products. By merging both approaches, businesses can maximise the effectiveness of both types of marketing.
Some examples of hybrid marketing are facilitating live events promoted through online platforms and influencers promoting physical products.
With a hybrid approach, relying on two channels, there is greater brand visibility, improved data collection and analysis, and increased conversions.
Choosing the Right Marketing Strategy for Your Business
Different brands, different needs. In identifying the suitable types of marketing for your business, consider three things: target audience, industry, and business goals.
Whether you intend to use multiple types together or choose only one, you should be able to tailor your approach to fit your unique circumstances.
A digital marketing agency in Singapore like iFoundries can help you navigate these considerations and develop a strategy that aligns with your needs. With almost 20 years of experience, our team empowers companies to boost their business growth with data-driven strategies.
