The growing popularity of social media raises a question: does eCommerce still need traditional advertising? Is social media marketing the perfect form of advertising? As always, the picture is more complex than it seems at first glance, so let�s consider the main arguments in the discussion.

TV ads as strong as ever������������

It seems that TV ads are winning with social media ads. The two main reasons are the dynamic content of TV ads and their trustworthiness. Simple, 30-second long TV ads are far more attractive than flat pictures. They are captivating and compelling, because they invoke emotions through smart use of pictures and narration. According to a Nielsen report, TV ads also have higher trust value than social media ads: 46 percent of viewers trust TV ads, while only 32 percent of users trust ads they see on social networks. Advertizing via social media can be also more difficult, since many users consider ads and promoted posts shown on their social media feeds as obtrusive and annoyingly inaccurate.

The benefits of social media ads

Current personalization techniques might be still far from perfect, but social media advertising seems to be doing pretty well too. The exposure of Facebook and Twitter ads outgrows that of TV ads due to the large number of people, who use social networks every day. Advertising new products among loyal customers � the group of social media followers � costs far less and can be far more effective than running a nationwide TV campaign. The most recommended approach is to combine traditional and new methods of advertising. For example, studies show that 19% of TV ad viewers look up information about the advertised products while watching the ads on their TVs. Many of those viewers use mobile devices to search for the product, so make sure that you have ordered eCommerce web design services to allow easy access to your mobile website.