The Shift from Traditional Marketing to Social Media Marketing

While many businesses use traditional marketing methods to attract new business and clients, others have added or completely replaced traditional marketing with new and innovative marketing tactics. Traditional marketing was based around the marketing mix which included promotion, product, placement, and price. This type of marketing referred to any type of promotion, advertisement, or campaign that was proven successful and was used by companies. One could often see these marketing practices on billboards, in newspapers, and on flyers. As technology was improved, came new practices of marketing including the use of the television and radio. Traditional marketing was continuously successful in grabbing companies attention and increasing the clientele rate. 

The internet has taken on a new form of marketing, including social media sites and online ad campaigns. 

Although traditional marketing practices were very successful, many companies today are changing their own marketing style and using a new approach. With the increasing popularity in the internet, more and more companies are switching from the traditional newspaper ads to social media sites. Through the internet, companies can develop webpages or blogs that provide up-to-date information on their products or services. Customers can then subscribe to news feeds and receive alerts to sales or company events. Companies with an online presence can also advertise their business on other popular websites to direct unique visitors to their company's webpage. Using social media as a way to market to an audience allows a much more diverse clientele. People from all over the world can view the companies ad, as opposed to only a community being able to look through a newspaper and see the companies ad. 

Although both have there advantages, social media marketing can offer much more than traditional marketing can. 

While newer marketing methods do work and can increase a company's client base, completely replacing traditional marketing with the latest marketing techniques can prove dangerous. Traditional methods have a high success rate and are proven. Internet methods are subject to clients or customers having access to an online medium and being Internet savvy. With traditional marketing, anyone with a newspaper, mail service, television or radio can learn of your business or service. Rather than customers going online to find your business or service, you bring your business or service to potential customers with print advertisements and other traditional methods. While traditional media has it's advantages, social media is increasingly becoming more popular for companies. Although older generations may not know how to use a computer or surf the web well, the majority of people are catching on to the new technology and are beginning to use it quite often. Generation Y is the upcoming business people and they will be the ones companies want to market to. Also, the creation of smart phones have completely changed the game of marketing in that people from all over the world can at anytime view the internet. This not only creates a more diverse marketplace, but it allows companies to constantly produce marketing ads that will grab the attention of companies and clients many more times than a newspaper would. One of the most used and successful social media marketing techniques is through the popular websites known as Facebook and Twitter. Companies are now able to place advertisements on Facebook that appears when people log into their account and look at their news feed. This is a great way to advertise to people because the amount of people who not only own one of these social media websites, but also check it several times a day is monumental.