Do We Still Need to Call it "Digital Marketing"?

Today’s world is almost entirely digital, yet it’s still common to draw a line between digital and traditional marketing. It’s often seen as social media vs TV, blogging vs print, or paid ads vs billboards, but this can be a costly point of view. 

 

Sure, in its early days, digital marketing was something for the tech gurus. Others were unsure of whether it worked, or how to make it work. Nowadays, though, digital is part of life – so shouldn’t it be part and parcel of marketing too? 

Running simultaneous digital and traditional marketing campaigns alongside each other only results in duplicate roles and responsibilities, extra planning, wasting time and reducing efficiency. Splitting marketing efforts into two different camps will make investment less effective, team members less involved, and it puts more focus on how you’re doing the marketing, rather than who you’re doing it for. 

Because, ultimately, marketing is about understanding the customer and being relevant to them. It doesn’t matter how the message gets in front of them, only that it does, in fact, get there. 

 

In an era where we consume a blend of both digital and non-digital media, marketing campaigns should be cooperative endeavours that prioritise a relationship with the customer over the medium of communication. One objective, one kind of marketing. 

 

Makes sense, surely? We’re also not saying marketing has to have a blend of these digital and traditional methods to be considered proper marketing. We’re saying that specialists in social media or PPC should be considered marketers, just as oil painters are considered artists all the same as cartoonists. We might even be pedantic enough to say that TV, radio, print and billboards all integrate some form of digital interaction today anyway. 

As you probably know already, the best way to run a marketing campaign is by focusing on the customer. Understand their journey and acknowledge all of the channels they’re exposed to, digital or otherwise. 

 

Marketing to business professionals? Chances are you can find them on LinkedIn with social media marketing, but also via their car radio as they commute to the office or posters on the Tube. Don’t obsess over splitting efforts based on the platforms – focus on the people and where you can reach and convert your target audience, wherever that may be. 

 

The old way of marketing might aim to hook a viewer offline then point them online to convert them, but, these days, both on and offline should be equally incorporated. Train or hire multi-skilled marketing professionals, have different departments work collaboratively, and execute a single marketing plan. 

In our opinion, no, we no longer need the “digital” in “digital marketing”. A proper campaign should focus on the customer, not the medium, and digital marketing specialists are marketers all the same as any other. 

Have a different point of view on digital vs traditional marketing? Share it down below, we’d love to hear what you have to say on the matter.