Inbound v outbound marketing – what you need to know

April 29, 2022

When it comes to marketing, is it a case inbound versus outbound – or aren’t you too sure of the difference?

Getting the most out of a marketing budget is key, saving money spent on generating leads (which turn into customers) and that gives your business a decent return on investment.

A marketing strategy will help to achieve this – with businesses perhaps considering whether to adopt inbound or outbound marketing – or a hybrid of both.

Peterborough-based PR and Digital Marketing Specialists Media Matters have some advice.

“When faced with the decision, many businesses will want to know if the resource, manpower and budget they have available will be enough to make inbound marketing a success. If done correctly, then the answer is yes!” said Brad Mylne, digital marketing specialist.

“The best type of leads are often the ones that come to your business, whether through their own research or via a recommendation.

“They’re already ‘warmed up’: they know your offering and acknowledge that they have a need for it. That’s why inbound marketing is all about generating more of these valuable leads that are primed and ready to purchase.”

Inbound versus outbound:

Inbound marketing is based on attracting your target audience to your brand, drawing them in with appealing content and communications, like PR, blogs, targeted email marketing and social media campaigns, then turning them into qualified leads.

Inbound marketing is also about helping your business to grow, not just by generating new leads but by helping to retain existing customers and turning them into loyal advocates of your brand.

Outbound marketing is about pushing messaging out to your target audience, often using more traditional channels like telemarketing, cold calling or blanket email marketing.

Outbound marketing gives a more scattergun approach – messaging is distributed far and wide, based on the belief that it’ll stick at some point with someone.

Brad added: “It is worth remembering that outbound marketing still has its place – particularly when it comes to raising general brand awareness.

“But if you are adopting a hybrid approach between inbound and outbound marketing be careful that one doesn’t disrupt the other. You don’t want to alienate contacts that you’ve worked so hard to encourage a feeling of familiarity with.”