WebitMD Blog

What will prove most beneficial: Web2.0 or traditional marketing?

When it comes to new marketing strategies using the Internet’s “search and converse tactics,” compared to traditional marketing, target segments are reached at higher rates at a lesser cost. However, the more tactics you use, the more your messaging determines your visibility and your profitability.

Messaging is everything you say, do, how your website, marketing materials and even your employees present themselves. To avoid any communication problems it is crucial to maintain the same face across all mediums. If you excel in one area of these messaging mediums, but lack in another, a major marketing problem arises.

Traditional marketing can be a lot easier to maintain consistency when compared to online marketing. “Once you make your website more interactive, build search traffic, and begin to use social media, you’re suddenly engaged with multiple conversations, audiences and environments. Plus, other sources start picking up your messaging. Getting mentioned by bloggers, flagged by search engines, and having “fans” spread the word is a very good thing. But if you don’t have the right messages — and keep them consistent — it can be a very bad thing.”

Consistency does not necessarily mean repetition. Search engines and consumers do not like repetitive content. “If, for instance, your over-arching message is that you can save a customer money, don’t just repeat that phrase – amplify it with specific examples. Promote one example in a blog, promote another example in an online press release, and promote a third example in your traditional-marketing ad or mailing. All three examples support your overarching messaging. Plus, instead of one set of keywords, you’ve got three phrases that can bring your name up in searches. Make sure your website — your marketing hub — pays off on all three and you’ve got a great shot at converting consistent messaging about how you save customers money into new visibility.”

Along with consistency, keyword optimization also plays a big role. Keywords used in traditional marketing may not transfer over to online marketing. For example, a law office emphasized the words “litigation support” in their traditional marketing but received zero ROI for those words online. This is because prospective customers were searching for “lawyer, Richmond , VA ,” instead of “litigation support” online. Once proper keywords are chosen it seems obvious to utilize them, right? Sometimes we are distracted by competition, and lose sight of the big picture- what people are looking for. It’s important to choose specific words that optimize the service/product being offered.

“Bottom line: Messaging matters — and it matters in a 2.0 world more than ever. So before you market, message. Be absolutely sure that the messages you’re about to pump out onto the Web (and which, according to Trendwatching.com, will stay visible forever) are (1) right for your brand, (2) right for the media you’re using, and (3) right for engaging your specific audience. With a little upfront work on messaging, you can create a rich mix of new and traditional tactics that can quickly increase – and sustain – your visibility.”