Confused between inbound and outbound marketing? With so many technical terms and jargon, understanding the difference can often become complicated. This article will cover the fundamental differences between inbound and outbound marketing – in simple words, and which one’s the “better” one. The article will also cover some good practices for inbound and outbound marketing.
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Outbound Marketing:
Outbound marketing, also known as “push marketing,” involves actively pushing out to prospects, and marketing your product/service directly. Though very aggressive in nature, outbound marketing performs surprisingly well.
Here are 5 of the most common outbound marketing channels:
- Cold calling
- Email marketing
- Billboard advertising
- Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
- TV commercials
Outbound marketing allows you to target a wider market. A multi-channel outbound campaign outperforms a mon-channel one. Cold calling and cold emailing are the most effective outbound marketing channels, and help you generate revenue even during the starting phase of your business.
Good Practices for Outbound Marketing
Ensure your marketing messages align with your brand’s tone. Consistency in branding builds rapport and trust, and makes prospects more likely to buy from you. Try to target people with different awareness levels, and see where you get the most positive response from.
For cold calling, don’t pitch over the call. Book a meeting, and pitch in that meeting.
Inbound Marketing
Inbound marketing, also known as “pull marketing,” relies more on building an audience and relationships, and educating them – primarily through social media and search engines. This is beneficial in the long run for establishing trust and authority.
Your goal with inbound marketing content should not be to attract clients but to advise them. Provide your audience with so much valuable information for free that your audience gets skeptical.
Give, give, give, and then ask.
You’re likely not going to get clients early on with inbound marketing. However, as time passes and your audience grows, only then will you start to see results. Not sure what type of content you should make? Get in touch with us, and we’ll guide you.
Which One Should You Go for?
No marketing channel is the “right” one. The “right” marketing strategy is the one that works for you. If your business is fairly new, and you don’t have an audience, go with outbound marketing. Once you’re in business, start focusing on inbound marketing.
Once you’ve got enough clients to stop the outreach process, focus on content creation for inbound marketing. Make a content calender, find out what your audience is struggling with, and educate them on how they can solve their problems.
Conclusion
Where inbound marketing is educating your audience and building relationships using content creation, outbound marketing is outreaching prospects and pitching your services directly.
Not sure whether you should go for outbound or inbound marketing? Book a consultation call with us now, and we’ll tell you exactly what to do.