The Digital Counterparts of Traditional Marketing

The American Marketing Association defines marketing as the activity of creating, communicating and delivering an offer of value to customers, clients, partners and community. Typically, the term ‘traditional marketing’ refers to any marketing activities prior to the introduction of the internet.

For law firms and attorneys, traditional marketing could include:

• Handing out business cards
• Advertising on billboards or in magazines
• Broadcasting TV or radio ads
• Printing pamphlets, flyers and brochures
• Attending networking events
• Joining professional organizations

Digital marketing, on the other hand, is the use of traditional marketing strategies applied to technology-driven tactics. The same proven principles to create and communicate your value to the right customers at the right time hold true in the digital market.

Though a learning curve exists, mastering digital marketing channels like social media and search engine marketing provide attorneys ample benefits including reduced marketing costs and more measurable results. Here we outline a few old-school, traditional marketing tactics and compare them with their digital marketing counterparts:

Key Summary

This article from InApps Technology, authored by Phu Nguyen, explores how traditional marketing strategies, as defined by the American Marketing Association (creating, communicating, and delivering value), are adapted to digital marketing for law firms and attorneys. It compares traditional tactics (e.g., business cards, billboards, networking) with their digital equivalents, emphasizing that digital channels like SEO, social media, and online advertising offer cost-effective and measurable benefits. The article advocates for an integrated approach combining both traditional and digital strategies for optimal results.

• Context:
  • Traditional Marketing: Pre-internet methods including business cards, billboards, TV/radio ads, pamphlets/flyers, networking events, and professional organizations.
  • Digital Marketing: Applies traditional principles using technology-driven tactics, offering reduced costs and trackable outcomes for attorneys.
  • Focus: Tailored for law firms, highlighting how digital tools enhance client targeting and engagement.
• Comparison of Traditional and Digital Marketing:
  • Targeting Markets:
    • Traditional: Relies on physical outreach (e.g., phone calls, handshakes, market research) to find clients.
    • Digital: Uses Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and web searches to identify and target qualified clients efficiently, leveraging research quality.
  • Advertising:
    • Traditional: Limited to TV, radio, print, or direct mail.
    • Digital: Offers pay-per-click (PPC), social media ads, programmatic buying, and retargeting, providing broader reach and precise targeting.
  • Public Relations (PR):
    • Traditional: Built on relationships with newspapers and print media.
    • Digital: Focuses on social media presence (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) to manage public perception and share real-time updates.
  • Marketing Collateral:
    • Traditional: Physical brochures, pamphlets, and flyers with long shelf life.
    • Digital: Online versions on websites, blogs, or social media, enabling easy sharing, saving, and updating.
• Key Takeaways:
  • Digital Benefits: Lower costs, measurable results, and scalability compared to traditional methods.
  • Integrated Approach: Success lies in combining traditional and digital tactics, as no single strategy is universally effective.
  • Learning Curve: Digital marketing requires adaptation but aligns with proven marketing principles.
• InApps Insight:
  • InApps Technology, ranked 1st in Vietnam and 5th in Southeast Asia for app and software development, specializes in digital marketing solutions for businesses, including law firms.
  • Leverages React Native, ReactJS, Node.js, Vue.js, Microsoft’s Power Platform, Azure, Power Fx (low-code), Azure Durable Functions, and GraphQL APIs (e.g., Apollo) to build digital marketing platforms.
  • Offers outsourcing services for startups and enterprises, delivering cost-effective solutions at 30% of local vendor costs, supported by Vietnam’s 430,000 software developers and 1.03 million ICT professionals.
• Call to Action:
  • Contact InApps Technology at www.inapps.net or sales@inapps.net to schedule a consultation for integrated marketing strategies or explore digital marketing solutions.

Targeting Markets

Traditionally, attorneys have had to research their market and find new clients by hitting the pavement, working the phones and shaking hands. These days, the web has made identifying and finding potential clients as easy as a Google search. Yet targeting the right clients is still determined by the value of your research. Some law firms and attorneys are harnessing the power of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to better target qualified clients.

Advertising

The traditional way to communicate the value of your practice was previously restricted to TV, print, radio or direct mailings. Digital advertising presents attorneys with a series of new avenues for reaching new clients including pay per click advertising, social media advertising, programatic buying and retargeting.

Public Relations

In the good ‘ole days of marketing, public relations was based on relationships with newspapers. These days, good PR means having a good social media presence. All news breaks on the web and smart attorneys are managing the public’s perception of their practices by sharing information on platforms like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Marketing Collateral

Traditional marketing collateral tools that have a long shelf life such as brochures, pamphlets and flyers are still as useful as ever. Digital marketing, however, just removes paper from the equation by putting the hard copies online on your website, blog or social media profile. This way, your law firm’s information can be easily shared, saved and even updated.

Remember, digital marketing is not an all-or-nothing strategy. But neither is traditional marketing. Marketing firms will tell you that there is no magic bullet or “one-size-fits-all” approach. What makes a marketing strategy successful is an integrated approach that finds a balanced mix of digital and traditional tactics.

To learn more about how you or your practice can benefit from an integrated marketing strategy, contact InApps to schedule your consultation.