The number one difference between online marketing and traditional marketing

With 20+ years of experience in both fields, we can safely say that the number one difference between online marketing and traditional marketing is this: who is really in control of YOUR campaign.

While everyone is excited about doing what's trending, few realize that, as marketers, we do no more than play by the rules the social platforms, search engines and marketplaces set for us. In fact, we do exactly what they want and how they want us to do it. And this is the underlying reason for the lack of organic growth in your campaigns. It has become so out of control that online marketing is now cost-prohibitive.

Compare that with traditional marketing where you purchase advertising space or air time to promote your products. Sure, you need to respect some technical requirements when preparing ad materials ads. But that's it. The rest is up to you. You do not have to please the media stakeholders or perform a multitude of tasks just to hopefully get better results. Just focus on your message, your image and your goals.

Completely the opposite happens online. You want to please a certain search engine, then you need to do your web site following pages and pages of requirements. A new algorithm or device is introduced, then it is back to redoing your web site. When you had enough and decide to place ads instead on the results' pages, you discover that your ad is not relevant enough. Because who knows more about your products than you. And by the way, the lack of relevance will cost you more per click. Just for fun, check out text ads next time you perform a search and see how well this is working for them.

Social media? Forget about it. These platforms have gotten marketers to jump through hoops for years. The amount of control is amazing. Promise amazing results through case studies, and no marketers will dare question the greats of the social networking world. So, they got you producing tons of posts, videos and content because this is what THEY need to grow their business both in terms of subscribers and advertising placements they can sell. You are left with your series of x-number-of-character posts without really getting a solid return for your investments. Even your social audience can disappear overnight simply because they control it. You don't.

We are reaching a tipping point whereby online marketing is not producing the results it once did as least not cost-effectively. We suspect that many businesses will over the next few years take a second look at some of the more traditional services for their marketing needs. Both channels present opportunities at any given time. A mix of the best tools at the time of campaign execution will be your best bet. Not just following trends.

That being said, Apple just introduced a new iPhone. So, I am leaving you to create new screenshots and product images to ensure our iOS apps still appear on the AppStore or something like that.