74% of marketers admit to using inbound marketing strategy alone in their businesses.
From that statistic, it’s evident that inbound marketing is the common marketing technique. When compared to outbound, the inbound strategies are cost-effective, and they have better conversion rates.
This does not mean that outbound marketing is no longer important. It’s great for situations where the inbound marketing strategies cannot apply.
This guide discusses inbound and outbound marketing tactics. Read on to know more about these two options, their differences, and how you should choose the right for you.
What Is Inbound Marketing?
Maybe you have heard people talk of inbound marketing and you have been wondering, “What is inbound marketing?”
This is a relatively new marketing concept that involves the creation of exciting content. Here, the marketers work on their website, blogs, social media, and SEO to pull more customers.
The idea behind this strategy is that if you produce catchy and informative content, you will attract more clients, and you will not spend much money doing traditional advertising methods.
The inbound marketing method converts strangers to customers by attracting, converting, closing leads, and then satisfying them. Satisfied customers can then share your content with other people via online means.
Here is how it works:
- Blogs and the right use of keywords attracts the clients
- Landing pages and CTAs convert the customer
- Emails and workflows close leads
- Compelling content, social monitoring feedback, and the surveys create delight
Examples of Inbound Marketing Methods
Content creation is the leading inbound marketing tactic. Nearly 97% of online users use search engines to find local businesses. If you write engaging content and implement SEO, you will increase your business’s visibility to many people, and your brand awareness will be high.
The other inbound strategies methods are:
- Use of social media
- Use of whitepapers and eBooks
- Use of webinars and case studies
- Podcasts and video series
The last is the use of social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. All strategies may not work for you, and you should only choose the best for your niche.
What Is Outbound Marketing?
Outbound is an “interruptive” marketing method. It is a direct advertising method that pushes the entire market into your business, whether they are interested or not.
Outbound marketing is also known as traditional marketing. It was popular in the past, but the involvement of the inbound methods has lessened its use.
The outbound tactics are great when you would like to create public awareness for everyone, including those who don’t use the internet. The strategy has lost most of its appeal in this digital era. However, some firms still find it an excellent marketing method and invest up to 90%.
Examples of outbound strategies include:
- Televisions and radio advertisements
- Magazines and newspapers
- Use of billboards
- Press releases
- Direst mails such as brochures, catalogs, and postcards
- Trade shows
Websites and social media may fall under the outbound marketing strategies category, as well. This is true when the business uses its website and social platforms for press releases and direct advertisements.
The Differences Between Inbound and Outbound Marketing
Inbound vs outbound marketing, what are the differences? Read on to know the differentiating aspects between them so that you can choose the best option for your business.
Resources: Traditional vs Modern
Outbound marketing uses conventional methods of marketing, while inbound marketing uses modern methods of marketing.
Focus: Consumer vs Products
Outbound marketing focuses on the product’s needs. It gives a detailed description of the product or service that the business offers. Inbound marketing focuses on consumer needs, by explaining what the customers’ needs.
Audience Engagement: Disrupted vs Permission-Based
Outbound marketing reaches everyone including those who don’t have the interest. This makes it quite disruptive. Inbound marketing only attracts interested customers.
Feedback: Delayed vs Instant
Outbound marketing is not interactive and aims at informing only. The feedback is often delayed. Inbound marketing is more interactive and provides instant feedback.
Messaging: Educational vs Complicated
Outboard marketing involves broad (general messages) which might be complicated to the unconcerned consumer. Inbound strategies are quite specific and educational to the consumer.
Performance Metrics: Immeasurable vs Quantifiable
Outboard marketing is not measurable because it’s one-way communication. For instance, you can’t know the number of people who saw your billboard.
Inbound marketing is easy to measure the performance metrics to know the impacts of your marketing efforts. You can monitor the clicks, comments, and likes to know the conversion rates.
The Distribution: Owning vs Renting
Outbound marketing uses renting services. Televisions, radios, billboards, and newspapers are all rented platforms. Your ad is dropped immediately after a specified period. The inbound strategies are owned, and they can stay on your platforms for as long as you want.
Inbound vs Outboard: Which Is the Right For You?
All options are great, although inbound marketing is more popular and influential in the digital world. However, you should only choose what works for you. You may also try both because a change is good for your business.
For instance, if you have been using outbound for a prolonged period, it would be great to check what the inbound might do for you. If it does work, then you should drop it. The vice versa is also true.
When choosing the ideal strategy, consider your budget, your business needs, and your customer needs too. You may conduct surveys to know what your customers want. Also, you may check on your competitors and adopt the practices which are working for them.
And to answer your big question, inbound and outbound strategies are compatible. You can use them together to increase the visibility of your business. However, you should invest more in the method which generates the most leads.
Seek Expert Help
Don’t invest in the wrong marketing method. If you are starting your business, you will need to choose the best marketing method, which means you seek help.
An SEO marketing expert can help you choose between inbound and outbound marketing. The right marketing tactic will reduce your marketing costs and help you grow your firm well.
A successful marketing plan requires the right tools. If you opt for inbound marketing, you will have to choose the right keywords and links to make your site visible.
Webconfs.com can help you only get the keywords, check your keywords’ density, build your backlinks, and much more. Check out our other posts to learn more.