Top Facts You Must Know
Marketing evolves rapidly due to both the need for innovation and adaptation to post-COVID-19 conditions. Hybrid digital marketing is one example of such an evolution. Although it is not a new concept in marketing, hybrid digital marketing has seen enough widespread acceptance to merit discussion.
We will therefore devote this article to exploring hybrid digital marketing and the reasons it is needed.
Definition of Hybrid Digital Marketing
Marketing definitions are often ambiguous in terms of their application and interpretation. These terms can be divided into two categories:
These terms are interchangeable and colloquially related.
The terms are used in a broad sense and have a subjective interpretation.
Consider, for example, “lead acquisition” and “lead generation” or “brand awareness” and “brand recognition”. These terms have similar meanings in everyday life and can be used interchangeably.
Consider “retargeting” or “remarketing” for the latter. Both terms refer to the same practice, namely retargeting customers to remarket. Marketers may subjectively choose one of the terms, depending on their practice.
“Hybrid digital advertising” is therefore somewhere in between these two types. It both overlaps with other terms, and has varying uses. Let’s look at three possible meanings of hybrid digital marketing to illustrate the point.
1. Hybrid Marketing
This term is most commonly defined as a combination of digital and traditional marketing. This definition of hybrid digital marketing or hybrid marketing refers to the combination of digital marketing and traditional marketing avenues such as:
Legacy media: TV, radio, print
Billboards
Mailers and flyers
They are not meant to be used alone, but they can be used to supplement digital marketing strategies such as:
Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Search Engine Marketing, (SEM), SEO analytics
Social media marketing and pay per click (PPC) ads
Email marketing
Hybridization is the use of both to meet the specific campaign’s needs. CMSwire will replace traditional with direct; mail, call center, point-of-sale. These definitions agree on one thing: hybrid marketing is marr[ying] the offline and online worlds”.
2. Multi-channel and Omni-channel Marketing
A second set of terms are “multi-channel and “omnichannel marketing”. Both terms refer to different channels that are used to connect and reach customers. They see the two as interchangeable. Many see them as one multi-channel approach at different scales. Others marketers may disagree, citing different marketing focus. Shopify defines omni-channel marketing, as “putting the customer, and not your product at the core”. John Bowden, senior VP of Customer Care at Time Warner Cable famously stated that “omnichannel is multichannel done right!”
Both overlap with hybrid marketing to complicate matters, since “hybrid”, which refers to using multiple channels, can also be used. This is a simple, but crucial distinction.
Hybrid marketing can be multi-channel, or omnichannel.
Hybrid marketing can be multi-channel or omni-channel.
A strictly digital campaign can be multi-channel or even omni-channel and span across multiple digital channels. It will not use traditional marketing because it isn’t hybrid marketing. A hybrid marketing campaign, on the other hand, will not be limited to one channel. Due to Google’s prominence, it will engage in SEO, but as a hybrid campaign, will also expand to other channels.
Alt-tag: A tablet in black on a desk that displays Google’s search engine page.
3. The Hybrid Digital Marketing Model
The term “hybrid” is used again to describe agency models. Bannerflow defines hybrid marketing as an in-house agency, which is separate from the brand’s marketing department. It may also occasionally collaborate with other agencies on an agency-by-agent basis.
Hybrid marketing no longer refers to preferred channels or the combination of digital channels with direct channels. Hybridization is now a component of agency models. It describes the combination of in-house marketing staff with agencies.
This definition can be used in its own way. It does not include marketing methods, so it doesn’t overlap. It is therefore more of a business strategy and less of a marketing strategy in this sense.
Hybrid Digital Marketing
Let’s now distinguish our terms and discuss why hybrid marketing has become so popular in recent years. This development has been accelerated by COVID-19, but it’s not the only factor. Let’s look at three key factors that drive hybrid marketing.
1. Traditional marketing isn’t going away.
FinancesOnline stated that “it is unlikely to disappear completely”, based on such statistics as these:
“53.3%” of all global advertising dollars were spent on traditional media. (WARC, 2019)”
“Television is still the world’s largest media channel, accounting for 33.5% of all ad spend. (WARC, 2019)”
“TV advertising is responsible for 24.7% in total media ad revenue in 2021.” (Statista [Group M], 2020)”
Digital marketing can also include outbound advertising, just like traditional marketing. Combining the two can lead to greater visibility and insight acquisition.
Alt-tag: One who reads an open newspaper on a grey desk.
2. The Customer is the Center Stage
Marketers continue to adopt a customer-first philosophy in the digital world. This philosophy drives optimizations in User Experience (UX), and Customer Experience (CX), at least partially. It is the core of multichannel and omnichannel marketing, which has been a driving force for many years. HubSpot recommends replacing the funnel model by the flywheel model. This model focuses on retention rather than acquisition. This direction is essential because customer acquisition costs are often higher than retention, according to studies. For businesses in Lynchburg, VA seeking to align their digital marketing strategies with customer-centric approaches, partnering with Lynchburg VA’s Premier SEO Services can provide tailored solutions to enhance customer experience and drive sustainable growth in the local market.
3. COVID-19 has changed the consumer.
Hybrid marketing is a way to adapt to dramatically different consumer behavior and habits. ResearchWorld has identified powerful consumer trends that marketers must adapt to, ranging from economic strife and social isolation. These consumer profiles are far too tech-savvy, fiscally conservative, and socially aware to be marketed exclusively digitally. Hybrid digital marketing is both a necessity as well as a promising direction, thanks to the above statistics. You can check Starmusiq blog to read more information on this topic.
Conclusion
Hybrid digital marketing is, in short, a combination of traditional and digital marketing techniques. It may also be called multichannel or Omnichannel marketing. These terms don’t really convey the substance of hybrid digital marketing. It may also refer to the combination of in-house and outsourcing marketing, a well-established practice that has distinct benefits. In all cases, hybrid marketing blends the best of both digital and traditional channels. It aims to engage new audiences and address emerging marketing challenges by doing this.
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