Inbound vs. Outbound Marketing
Inbound and outbound marketing don’t necessarily have to be rivals, but it is important to know the difference so that you can tailor your approach to suit your goals. While outbound marketing is more traditional, it can be seen as quite invasive, which is why marketeers are moving to more subtle content.
Outbound marketing is essentially a type of ad or form of communication from a business that obstructs or intersects prospective customers. Examples are things like display ads, emails, cold calling and TV ads. This type of marketing usually focusses on the product or services provided and can reach audiences far and wide, even people who might not have heard of you in the past. Rather than juggling multiple channels, outbound marketing allows you to concentrate on one thing at a time.
Inbound marketing tactics, on the other hand, are less intrusive. Rather than targeting people when they don’t necessarily want to hear from you, they target people who are actively looking for specific solutions. This allows you to form deeper connections with potential customers/clients and demonstrate your knowledge, allowing them to trust your credibility in the industry. Examples of inbound marketing include general SEO, blogs, eBooks and webinars. In fact, this particular article is a form of inbound marketing. While inbound marketing usually yields better ROI, this can be far harder to track.
Whether you choose to focus on inbound or outbound marketing methods, or a combination of the two, will depend on a variety of factors. For instance, what are your main objectives? What are the objects your target market? What budgets do you have available? Both strategies have their advantages, but there seems to have been a shift in recent years as marketeers focus more closely on inbound methods.
If you would like some more information about the different types of marketing tactics you can use to promote your business, give us a call on 01707 875 721. We can suggest the most appropriate approach, based on data analysis and years of experience in the industry.