Traditional media has taken a hit over the past decade.

With the ease of access to digital platforms, established channels are increasingly being cut out of the media mix… deemed to be too expensive, unrealistic to produce and difficult to measure in comparison to pay-per-click and social media.

In fact, most small businesses don’t even consider traditional platforms in their media mix.

While digital advertising is certainly less expensive than broadcast, the landscape is rapidly becoming cluttered, requiring larger ad spends in order to break through. Platforms are becoming more and more sophisticated in their targeting abilities. Which means bringing in a specialist or resolving yourself to higher learning curves and longer hours spent just trying to understand how to set up a campaign, let alone implement a successful one.

Small businesses have many things in common. How they advertise is not necessarily one of them.

For those in niche markets or whose audience is mostly online, digital is most likely where you’ll spend most of your advertising dollars. But, for brick and mortar businesses or those with a wider audience, there may be a case for including traditional media in your media mix.

But, you need to be very strategic about it.

The Case for Traditional Media

According to a recent Marketing Sherpa study, consumers still trust traditional advertising over digital by a wide margin. And, surprisingly, they engage with television and print ads more than many forms of digital ads. In fact, print, television, direct mail, radio, and out-of-home were ranked the top five most trusted advertising formats.

The least trusted? Digital pop-up ads. 73 percent of consumers surveyed from HubSpot dislike them.

Just how realistic are traditional channels for your business?

I reached out to Nina Steffen of NRS Marketing Solutions to get a sense of cost in comparison to digital advertising.

Traditional vs. Digital Media: Cost Comparison

Based on an average of recent ad buys that Nina has placed for clients, the following provides an overview of how much you can expect to pay for digital advertising.

• Pay-Per-Click (PPC): Targeted display campaigns (such as Google AdWords) based on target demographic and geographic location:
  • $700 per month per city
  • $2,000/mo. per region
  • $5,000/mo. national
• Social Media: Paid ads on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. based on geographic target:
  • $600-$2000 per month
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Services geared toward improving site or page rankings in search results from link building and keyword analysis to social media postings:
  • $600 – $1,500 per month

So how far will the same advertising dollars take you for traditional media vs. digital? Here’s a look at some of the more popular platforms for small businesses.

How Much Advertising Can You Buy with $1,200?

Here’s a look at what $1,200 could afford you in a mid-size market such as Houston, San Diego, Portland, Seattle, or Denver.

• $1,200 in a Mid-Size Market
  • Radio: 1 to 5 days
    • 5 – 10  60 second spots (depending on time of day and station)
    • Tip: Most stations will produce a spot for you
    • Tip: To make the advertising dollar go further, consider “live reads” and sponsorships (“This traffic report is brought to you by….”)
  • Cable: 5 to 12 days
    • 25 – 40  30 second spots (depending on network and time of day)
    • Tip: For 3-6 month contracts Time Warner will produce a commercial for you
  • SEO: 1 to 2 months (depending on scope and type of service)
  • Targeted Display Ad (pay-per-click): 1 month per city
  • Targeted Video (YouTube): 1 month per city
  • Direct Mail: 2,500 pieces
    • Includes postage, printing and mailing
    • Tip: Some companies will include design at no additional cost

*Numbers reflect rough estimates

The Benefits of Traditional Media vs. Digital Media

Do you serve a niche market? Or do your products and services appeal to a wider audience? What are your key audience demographics… older? Younger? What about the end user?

The answers to these questions can help you determine whether your business would benefit from even one week of cable versus a month of pay-per-click. Some benefits to consider for each category:

Digital Media:

• Cost: The cost of the actual media is lower which means you can run longer campaigns
• Granular: With digital you can target interests (such as camping, travel, wine tasting), behaviors, income level, age, gender, profession, and much more

Traditional Media:

• Builds Trust & Authority: Remember those studies? Television, direct mail, radio and out-of-home are among the most trusted advertising platforms which can translate to building trust for your brand.
• Reach: Where digital is great for narrowing in on specific groups, traditional media excels at casting a wide net and reaching a variety of people. If you’re target or end user isn’t active online, then traditional channels are going to serve you better.

Of course, some form of digital advertising is going to be part of the mix for any business that has an online presence. The key is to figure out which platforms make the most sense for your business regardless of what might be the latest trend.

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Jacqui Genow

Brand & Business Strategist

J. Genow Marketing

Jacqui Genow is the founder and principal of J. Genow Marketing. She works with clients in aligning their brand message, building their marketing roadmap, and helping them stay on track to move their business forward. As a Brand and Business Strategist, her focus goes beyond marketing; making the connections between how marketing decisions made today can impact a client’s business in the future. You can find Jacqui on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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