What Is Outbound Marketing All About?

Outbound marketing is a modern term that refers to traditional advertising methods. The name was devised to differentiate this type of marketing from the newer “inbound marketing” which has become more popular in recent years.

Outbound marketing tries to reach consumers through mass media advertising and in-person tactics. Most outbound marketing involves television, radio, print, telemarketing, and outdoor advertising. The idea behind outbound marketing is to push a message or product out to the public hoping it finds a target audience interested in your services. In other words, outbound marketing means getting your message out to the largest number of people possible through techniques many perceive as interruptive (think TV commercials or door-to-door advertising). That’s why outbound marketing is often referred to as interruption marketing.

What Is Inbound Marketing All About?

Outbound marketing had been the norm in the advertising industry for decades, but more recently people are slowly beginning to pay more attention to inbound marketing strategies.

A Definition of Inbound Marketing

Inbound marketing encompasses a set of techniques that focus on pulling audiences through creative content. These tactics focus on having potential customers come to a brand rather than a brand using aggressive tactics to get to customers.

Inbound Content Marketing

In today’s world, inbound marketing relies almost exclusively on content creation. The goal of content marketing is to provide potential customers with valuable information about problems they may be experiencing and solutions to those problems. The purpose of content creation is for your business to be trusted as an expert in the field. The most basic forms of content creation are web pages and blogs, though in recent years other forms like photos and videos have become as essential.

The Essential Difference Between Inbound and Outbound Marketing

In simple terms, you could say the major difference between these two types of marketing tactics is that outbound marketing focuses on push tactics while inbound marketing consists of mostly pull tactics. Overall, inbound marketing includes:

• Pull tactics
• Passive, permissive strategies
• Marketers provide assets
• Two-way communication
• Customers come to you
• Makes use of SEO, referrals, and social media

In contrast, outbound marketing involves:

• Push tactics
• Interruptive strategies
• One-way communication
• Marketers provide no assets
• Customers are sought after
• Makes use of TV, print, radio, telemarketing

Inbound Marketing Examples

The most effective inbound marketing strategies are built around using the internet to discover and explore the content you have created. For example, if a homeowner was interested in redecorating their house 30 years ago, they might have looked for interior design service in the yellow pages or newspaper flyers. However, homeowners today will most likely resort to Google or another search engine to look for “interior design near me.” This search may lead potential customers to your website, blogs, videos, or social media pages where they can read about your services and products. Sure, inbound marketing tactics may seem more complex and indirect than outbound marketing, but they have proven to be more effective in today’s market.

The most effective inbound marketing strategies are built around using the internet to discover and explore the content you have created. For example, if a homeowner was interested in redecorating their house 30 years ago, they might have looked for interior design service in the yellow pages or newspaper flyers. However, homeowners today will most likely resort to Google or another search engine to look for “interior design near me.” This search may lead potential customers to your website, blogs, videos, or social media pages where they can read about your services and products. Sure, inbound marketing tactics may seem more complex and indirect than outbound marketing, but they have proven to be more effective in today’s market.

Inbound Marketing Funnels

Sales and marketing experts often use funnels (or inverted pyramids) to visualize customer experience and the process it takes for them to get to you. Inbound marketing has its own funnel which is divided into three main categories:

• Top Funnel
  • This accounts for about 85% of your traffic. The top funnel consists of potential customers in “research mode” who are simply looking to learn. While they may not come to your site ready to make a purchase, engaging–not pushy– content may motivate them to go back to your site when they are ready to buy.

• Middle Funnel
  • The middle of the funnel is made up of about 10% of your overall visitors. Middle of the funnel traffic consists of people who have a clear idea of what type of service or product they want and are just exploring their options. Since they may not make a purchase the same day they find your site, find a way to stay in touch with them through offers via email, social media, etc.

• Bottom funnel
  • Only 5% of your traffic is found at the bottom of the funnel. However, these visitors often referred to as “buyers,” are the most profitable. Bottom of the funnel buyers are ready to make a purchase and have their credit card in hand. Your focus should be on facilitating the buying experience by making the sign-up and checkout processes easier for them.

Why Inbound is Win-Bound

Whether you are a new or established business owner, it is crucial for you and your business to keep up with the latest trends in content creation to survive in today’s highly demanding, information-heavy marketing world. Inbound marketing companies and can not only provide your business with useful, effective content, but they will also improve your business’ position in search engine rankings organically through different forms of creative content.