Digital's Victory Over Analog Can Be Yours Too

In the ’90s and even up until the early ’00s, paper newspapers and magazines were the go-to choices for businesses looking to place advertisements. Published in English and Spanish, the Classifieds could be conveniently found outside your local grocery or hardware store on colorful metal stands. Today, analog print magazines have all but vanished. Instead, people now turn to their internet-connected mobile phones and laptops to search for the information they need. With the simple click of a button, they have access to thousands of online sources.

As a result, magazines and similar relics of the analog era are increasingly becoming a liability to businesses who want their brands (and fortunes) tied to the modern economy.  Consider this. Polls show that in five years, there will not be any magazine racks left on street sidewalk s.A whopping 85% of all local newspapers have already made the switch entirely to digital platforms.  Those that have resisted the switch to digital are increasingly going out of business.  Companies who share this reluctance to make the switch to digital could face a similar fate

Change isn’t always easy. However, founders and entrepreneurs must embrace change; they must become digital explorers to gain a competitive edge in the twenty-first century. What does it mean to be a digital explorer? It means hopping on board the digital train and leaving the analog past behind for good. Thomas Kuhn once famously said: ‍“All significant breakthroughs are breaks with old ways of thinking.” ‍

Companies’ entire marketing mindset will need to change, starting with how and where business owners allocate their advertising dollars. Remember, dollars that go to advertising your business in traditional print media are going to waste. If companies want to reach their ideal audience, they will need to advertise tactically on digital platforms. Furthermore, digital platforms offer companies an essential feature that analog lacks: Audience Targeting. At Cerebrum, we use Audience Targeting to show your ads exclusively to a select group of people who are most likely to buy your products and services.

This targeted process is growing in popularity due to its ability to attract more of a company’s preferred customers while simultaneously improving their return on investment. To repeat, with analog formats, Audience Targeting is not an option. It’s worthwhile to point out a company’s public-facing marketing is a reflection of its brand. Business owners need to ask themselves the following, “Do you want your business linked with the past or the future?”  If the answer is the latter, going digital is a no-brainer. Indeed, going digital will signal to potential customers that your company is truly in it for the long haul.