Differences Between Traditional Marketing and Cyber Marketing

There are many differences between traditional marketing methods and cyber marketing. Traditional marketing includes print; direct mail, such as brochures and catalogs; television and radio; and billboards. Cyber, or Internet, marketing includes websites and banners, email blasts and forum postings. Many companies opt for an integrated approach to marketing, placing ads in traditional media while having a web presence with a website and banner ads.

A significant difference between cyber marketing and traditional marketing is the ability to track interest. The Internet provides measurable results. Marketers can track the number of clicks for each banner, and companies can see which clicks led from ads to sales and adjust their marketing accordingly. Being able to track not only what the consumers bought but where they were when they clicked on an offer is extremely valuable insight into consumer patterns and potential sites for future advertising. Most traditional types of marketing don't allow the advertiser to follow the consumer's path so precisely, with the exceptions of coupons and infomercials and other commercials with a phone number. Internet marketing definitely makes it easier to confirm the cost per lead, since every click can be measured.

In traditional advertising streams, the exposure for each ad is limited. Only those who are reading that day's newspaper or watching a certain television show at a certain time see the advertisement. The person doing the reading or watching may not even be the advertiser's intended target. Cyber marketing can reach anyone at anytime -- as long as that person is online. The Internet is ready for business 24 hours a day and provides global exposure for brands.

With traditional advertisers, companies use television ratings or magazine subjects to reach their target audience. The problem with this method is that there's no way of knowing exactly who is watching a television program or even if that person is watching the commercials. The Internet allows for more precision when trying to reach a target market; it's just a matter of matching interests or choosing a website that's extremely popular among a certain group. For example, someone marketing a whitewater rafting company just has to look for forums or websites about whitewater rafting.

An important benefit of Internet advertising is the ability to tweak or totally change the company's message. A company can respond to shifts in the marketplace or new trends almost instantly. There is also room for conversation and to answer the questions of potential customers. New ads can be uploaded almost instantly once production is finished. With traditional advertising, an ad cannot be changed once it has gone live. Once brochures, catalogs, print ads and direct mail have reached the consumer, there is no way to get them back. Any printing errors or badly received messages can only be corrected or retracted via another ad in the newspaper and on the company website.