Is Digital Marketing The Only Form Of Marketing You Need In 2024?

Digital marketing is a big deal in any modern-day campaign, especially with things like SEO and social media making a splash in the online B2B scene.

As much as we love digital marketing, it’s kind of taken the spotlight from the traditional ways of marketing. Not to mention, with all of this excitement around AI and machine learning, it’s easy to forget our marketing roots. But, that doesn’t mean the old school methods are out.

So, this begs the question: Is digital marketing the only game you need to play 2024?

Our answer: Not in the slightest. Old-fashioned offline marketing still has a lot to offer. The best move is to use both digital marketing and offline marketing together. That way, you can really get the most out of reaching and winning over customers.

Quick Takeaways

• Digital marketing leverages online tactics like SEO and social media to engage billions of internet users. 

• Traditional offline marketing methods continue to be effective, offering tangible, impactful advertising experiences.  

• Effective marketing strategies combine both digital marketing and offline marketing to reach diverse customer groups. 

• In B2B marketing, personalized offline interactions are key, often leading to more successful lead generation than online methods. 

What exactly is digital marketing?

Digital marketing is the art of connecting with customers through digital channels. It’s a broad term that encompasses a variety of online marketing tactics and strategies, like:

• Search engine optimization (SEO)
• Social media marketing
• Email marketing
• Content marketing

All of our favorite things here at Marketing Insider Group!

Last year, more than 5.3 billion people used the internet worldwide. That’s a whole lot of eyeballs you could be catching online! Clearly, digital marketing is a key tool for any business that wants to reach and engage their audience.

Image Source: Statistica

Digital marketing is about being smart and savvy in how you use digital channels. You’re not just throwing ads into the void and hoping for the best. Instead, you’re crafting messages that stick, creating conversations, and making your brand something people actually want to engage with.

What is offline marketing?

Offline marketing might sound a bit old-school, but trust me, it’s still kicking and quite effective. We’re talking about traditional marketing methods that don’t require the internet – think print ads, TV commercials, radio spots, billboards, and direct mail.

Despite the digital boom, offline marketing still accounts for a significant portion of advertising spend. For instance, TV advertising spending in the United States is projected to hit more than $44 billion by the end of 2024. Clearly, traditional channels are far from being out of the game.

Image Source: Insider Intelligence

So, what makes offline marketing tick in 2024? It’s the tangibility, the physicality of it. There’s something about holding a brochure, reading a flyer, or seeing a billboard on your commute that digital marketing can’t replicate. It creates a lasting impression, one that sticks with you beyond the screen.

Why you need digital marketing and offline marketing

Let’s face it: You can’t easily target every one of your customers with online tactics. Certain people who need your products/services may not spend much of their time using computers.

This is where your newspaper ads, direct mail flyers, or industry events can complement your online efforts, reinforcing your brand with local prospects. You can’t afford to not be reaching out with physical copies of your messaging and information.

Although, this is particularly dependent on your target audience and various buyer personas. If they make up a young, tech-savvy population that spends much of their time online, then digital efforts are likely to be more effective. But, it’s not likely that all of your buyer personas fall into this category. That’s why you need to embrace alternative outreach techniques to target them effectively.

Patrick Dang does a great job explaining the power of both offline and online lead generation in this short video:

Video Source: Patrick Dang

For B2B companies, offline lead generation yields more leads

There’s nothing quite like the experience of having a face-to-face interaction with potential clients. It’s still the best way to convey sincerity and personalized service, which is why offline lead generation is still important.

This is mostly attributed to the level of personalization you can impart when communicating with prospects offline, and we all know that a little marketing personalization goes a long way.

Image Source: BloomReach 

In the B2B realm, offline lead generation reigns supreme. One study showed that 76% of B2B lead generation comes from offline sources compared to 18% generated via online methods. Of course, this particular case is circumstantial, but over three-quarters of leads generated is a figure we can’t ignore.

Here’s some more offline marketing ideas you can implement alongside your digital marketing efforts:

• Physical mailing lists / flyers

• Cold calls

• Throwing company events

• Utilizing publication media advertisements

• Company swag giveaways

• Giving tours

• Poster campaigns in your town

Get creative! If done correctly and effectively, any of these suggestions can bring more eyes to your product or service.

Now, let’s talk about why digital marketing is important too.

Your target audience is (probably) online a lot

As of January 2024, more than 5 billion people worldwide had at least one, if not more social media accounts. This is driving more and more companies to take advantage of various social media platforms to network across them.

Image Source: We Are Social

Clearly, it’s a digital world. By using social media to place banner ads and links to your website you can generate tons of eyes to your business, not to mention increase your brand’s reputation within the community. An online presence builds credibility with your target audience.

Digital marketing makes it easy to analyze metrics

Measuring success is subjective to each content strategy, and key metrics can be extremely different from each other. Do you want to have more overall clicks than last quarter? What about what happens after the viewer clicks your article – are they converting to a new customer? How many are/aren’t?

These are all just examples. Brainstorm what success in a content marketing campaign looks like to YOU.

Here’s a few metrics to look at when measuring the success of your digital marketing campaign:

Traffic:

Traffic is about pageviews and users. Services like google analytics can give you an accurate read of this data. It also helps you see exactly where your views are coming from.

Conversions:

Views are great, but what happens after the initial click? Is the reader just clicking your ad then exiting the page? Are they sharing it? Are they actually purchasing your product or scheduling your services?

Conversion rate shows how many prospects are becoming customers. This metric is the real shining gem of your content marketing efforts! Converting prospects should be your number one goal with digital marketing.

SEO:

Image Source: Oberlo

Seeing how your organic search rankings are performing is crucial to a healthy digital marketing strategy. Luckily – there’s some B2B tools designed to help you analyze your key metrics and strategy.

Combining Forces: Digital Marketing and Offline Marketing in 2024

In 2024, it’s all about marrying digital marketing and offline marketing. Digital marketing lets you dive into the vast ocean of over 5.3 billion internet users, making connections left, right, and center. Then there’s offline marketing, the old-school charmer, giving you that tangible, face-to-face impact that digital just can’t. Together, they’re unstoppable – reaching audiences everywhere, from their screens to the streets.

Ready to combine forces with digital marketing and offline marketing? Check out our SEO Blog Writing Service or schedule a quick consultation to learn more about how Marketing Insider Group can help you earn more leads for your business.