Traditional Advertising

In the most recent times, web business analysts have started to draw convincing comparison between SEM (Search Engine Marketing) with traditional advertising of the industrial period. The reason is because of the striking similarities in the basic features of both business advertising concepts. While trying to draw a close comparison between the two, a web business analyst agreed with many others that traditional advertising along with your website gets shoppers and prospective clients to your doorstep. Is he right?

The basic feature of traditional advertising comprising of print and broadcast media is that it informs a prospective buyer of an existing product that you offer, with an appeal for quality, efficient service and value, and directly leads the customer to your doorstep. Traditional advertising applies conventional means associated with the industrial period to communicate your message to your target audience.

However, traditional advertising is limited by numerous factors. One of those factors is geographical limitation which gives it access to a limited number of target audiences. Another factor is cost which makes difficult to have a maximum return investment. Again, traditional advertising is lacking in the area of proper and real metrics application to show customers the return on investment. It is also incapable of tracking effectiveness to measure customer response. With the rate of the speed at which trade globalization is moving, it is believed by some that traditional advertising will likely run out with this century.

SEM which means search engine marketing is a paid online marketing and advertising package that enables your web page to naturally and organically place itself on the top ranking of the search engines in way that brings it to the online doorstep of your prospective online buyers who are online at that traditional advertising. SEM informs your prospective buyer of your products and values, and directs them to your webpage. It employs paid placement, contextual advertising, and paid inclusion to get your specific target audience.

Like SEM, unlike traditional advertising explores the unlimited possibilities of the internet to give you unhindered access to your global target audience. With real metrics, SEM informs your target audience on the investment return and monitors effectiveness. With impression data and analytic software, SEM is able to track, measure and analyze customer anxiety and respond appropriately and timely. This feature helps webpage businesses to retain customers, especially choosy ones.

Conclusion

Search Engine marketing shares some basic features with traditional advertising especially in the area of leading specific targeted prospective customers to your doorstep or your webpage. However, traditional advertising and search engine marketing are quite different from each other when their specific individual features are considered in details. And as days go by, SEM is undergoing unimaginable innovations. These new innovations keep distancing SEM from traditional advertising.

Although we often compare your website to bricks and mortar we never lose sight of the fact that a website is just another means to advertise your bricks and mortar.