Why Startups Are Rediscovering Old-School Marketing

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Old-school marketing still has a place among a sea of digital campaigns and online strategies. Many startups today are embracing a hybrid model of marketing to cover all bases. However, traditional approaches are still practical and can help keep the costs down when starting out.

Starting a business is hard enough, and you may not even be thinking about marketing. But don't worry, as there are agencies who can help focus on traditional methods that don't hurt as much as digital. From easier projects to a solid foundation, here are some pros of old-school.

Meeting Rising Costs

There are many unconventional marketing moves that make their way into mainstream society, usually dreamed up by savvy agencies with a flair for the dramatic. However, as effective as these are, they also cost a pretty penny. As a startup, funding is typically tight, and marketing budgets could be pretty lean. However, a traditional marketing method such as good quality leaflets can help spread the word about your new venture and keep the costs pretty low.

Old-School Marketing is Easier to Manage

In the US alone, digital marketing accounts for 80% of all ad spending. However, as powerful as digital marketing can be, it relies on specialist skills, knowledge, and tools. You shouldn't discount digital marketing, but there are some problems that you must be aware of:

• Digital marketing data tracking depends on a high level of knowledge and skill.
• There can be an information overload when using digital resources for data.
• Even when using AI, digital data analysis can still be very time-consuming.

Digital Marketing Doesn't Always Deliver

With most companies pushing for online service, it makes sense that digital is a large part of the overall campaign. However, there is a lot of hyperbole around digital methods, and no one will tell you that they don't all work for every campaign. For example, a marketing campaign that is effective one day can yield minimal results the next, solely because Google made a change to their search engine algorithm. Whereas, traditional marketing always reaches the audience.

A Broader Brand Awareness

Digital marketing relies on targeting a specific audience. In short, you can't really "canvas" with a digital campaign, and if you try, it is likely money will be lost. However, a traditional method such as handing out flyers, billboard ads and ads on local radio has the potential to reach a broad audience. Of course, not everyone who comes into contact with an old-school ad will engage. However, it potentially has a broader impact than a digital campaign that relies on SEO.

Old-School Marketing is Safer than Online

Of course, scamming is a massive issue online today. In the UK alone, a relatively small country, scammers steal over £11 billion from Brits each year. Of course, security is made easier with secure online document portals, a bit of knowledge, and common sense. However, scammers are pretty sophisticated today and knowingly target digital marketing campaigns.

People perceive tradition as safe

While younger people might be drawn to digital engagement more than others, older generations may have already been scammed and trust traditional mediums more than online.

Concerns over data privacy

Pretty much everything is tracked online these days, as we have given up most privacy for convenience. However, traditional engagement can't be tracked by a malicious outsider.

Online hacking scams

Scamming online is at pandemic levels, with people of all ages, backgrounds and expertise being conned all the time. While old-school marketing can be used for this, it isn't common.

There are several reasons why traditional marketing is thought of as safer than online. Physical ads like direct mail have a presence and are trusted by pretty much everyone. However, online marketing comes with well-known risks to the consumer and requires vigilance and adaptation. 

Works Well with Digital Marketing

Going old-school doesn't mean that you have to ignore digital marketing. Startups today are also embracing a hybrid approach to marketing as they seek to reap the benefits of both paradigms. For instance, a segmented email campaign alongside a segmented direct mail campaign covers a much larger part of a targeted audience. You can also use traditional marketing to direct customers towards digital aspects of the online marketing campaign.

Powerful Combined Options

While there are numerous methods of digital marketing, such as content marketing, SEO, and PPC, there are many more methods of traditional marketing. Whether you choose old-school, digital, or a combination of both, a campaign is only as effective as its reach. With traditional marketing, you can combine multiple tried and tested methods into one powerful strategy. This includes direct mail for segmentation, out-of-home ads such as billboards, and promo merch.

Old-School Marketing is a Great Foundation

When funds are low, marketing may not be at the top of the list. Small businesses can expect to pay up to $20,000 per month for a digital campaign, yet only around $6,000 for an old-school campaign. Therefore, traditional marketing is a better foundation for low-cost public exposure:

• A business can create awareness with traditional ads and follow up with digital.
• Traditional ads can have a stronger impact and encourage word-of-mouth positivity.
• Customers are likely to absorb more information from a conventional type of ad.

Something More Tangible

It's hard to find someone who doesn't own at least one web-connected device. Even octogenarians are online these days. However, just because someone is online, it doesn't mean they trust what they see. A lot of people, especially older generations, prefer something tangible to interact with instead of code and pixels. Traditional print media is more engaging for some people and because they are tangible, marketing materials like this aren't as easily dismissed.

Summary

Keeping costs low is a top reason why startups are using old-school marketing methods over modern digital. However, there is also an element of fear associated with web marketing because of scammers, which isn't present in traditional marketing. Older generations and younger people alike are also more likely to engage with tangible media they can't dismiss.

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