Today’s Advertising industry has become more competitive than ever as brands go head-to-head with strategic marketing approaches to reach consumers. According to Forbes, “Americans are exposed to around 4,000 to 10,000 ads per day,” meaning there is an extreme amount of competition for consumers’ attention– forcing businesses to ask, “How do I reach the consumers I need?” and “What can I say to get them to invest in my brand?”

Inbound and Outbound marketing are two distinct, yet complimentary strategies used to reach prospects that should both be taken seriously when determining a marketing mix and promotional strategy. In this blog, we will introduce these concepts and the fundamental differences and relationships between the two.

WHAT IS INBOUND MARKETING?

Inbound marketing focuses on creating quality content that “pulls” people toward your company and product or service, where they naturally want to be. By aligning the content you publish with your target customer’s interest, you will naturally attract inbound traffic. Traffic is derived through digital marketing tactics that attract potential prospects through websites, blogs, social media, opt-in emails, and SEO, ultimately converting them into leads.

This form of digital marketing allows each interaction to be highly measurable and result-oriented, proving incredibly successful when implemented correctly. According to Weidert, “persona-driven content generated by inbound increases the volume of sales qualified leads by 45%.”

Inbound is designed to bring potential customers to your business who are actively looking in the market, meaning it is meant to attract a select group of consumers who have a high intent to purchase your product or service. It’s all about getting found when they’re looking and providing them the answer as the expert on the subject. rather than promoting your message to people who may or may not be interested. With a funnel that organic, trust is easy to build. However, this strategy requires time and intentionality, and though leads gained are often sales ready, leads will flow in more slowly and methodically than when employing outbound techniques.

INBOUND TACTICS

• Pulls interested consumers in
• Addresses the consumers’ needs or pain points
• Positions your product or service as a solution
• Interactive with consumers
• As helpful content is consumed, audience members become leads
• High intent, low volume
• Where you see it: websites, blogs, social media, opt-in emails, SEO

WHAT IS OUTBOUND MARKETING?

As opposed to marketing to people who are already looking for solutions like yours, outbound marketing aims at trying to reach as many people as possible– whether they’re active/potential buyers or not. It is also referred to as “interruption” or “push” marketing, which gets a message to a vast and broad audience to make a sale.

Outbound marketing is a form of traditional marketing that promotes products and services through tactics such as radio, television, newspapers, magazines, direct mail, telemarketing, billboards, and event sponsorships.

However, in the modern-day era, that list of tactics has expanded to include advertisements in paid forms of media strategies across digital platforms like Facebook, Google, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and much more. Again, in direct contrast to inbound marketing, these tactics are put out as interruptions as a one-way communication to a high volume of consumers.

OUTBOUND TACTICS

• Pushes messaging to the masses
• Written to sell products
• One-way communication
• Disrupts whatever content is being consumed
• Low intent, high volume
• Where you see it: radio, television, newspapers, magazines, direct mail, telemarketing, billboards, event sponsorships, Facebook ads, Google ads, Twitter ads, LinkedIn ads, etc.

WHY YOU NEED BOTH

The benefits of an integrated marketing strategy are unparalleled. In fact, both inbound and outbound tactics complement each other very well. As you build an inbound approach, you can reach a more targeted population to attract and convert qualified consumers. By adding an outbound approach, you can expand your audience and increase brand awareness. While being found is nice, it can also be very limiting. If you want to grow your reach and create a greater marketing velocity, combine both approaches to generate a competitive edge.

Marketing efforts should be made to strengthen one another, and with today’s wide selection of advanced inbound and outbound marketing platforms, there’s no reason both shouldn’t be incorporated into your marketing strategy. At GriffinWink, our experienced team is committed to knowing our client’s business, understanding their target audience, and implementing a strategy that utilizes both inbound and outbound marketing efforts. Allow us to find the best marketing strategy for your business by combing both inbound and outbound approaches to create the ultimate campaign for your brand.