In the digital age, all marketing can be summarized into two categories: inbound and outbound marketing.
But which one is right for your business? Or should you use both?
In this article, we will examine the differences between outbound marketing and its younger brother, focusing mainly on the former. Don’t worry, next week we will also talk about the latter. We will also see which strategy can work best for your brand!
The Difference Between Inbound and Outbound Marketing
First, let’s look at the difference between these two types of marketing. Outbound is basically our parents’ marketing: it’s what people did before the Internet became popular in the 90s.
Inbound on the other hand, is digital. It is about finding ways to attract consumers online. But it is also more than that.
Outbound marketing is more salesy in nature. It is clearly a determined attempt to close a sale. Inbound marketing is more subtle. It is used to attract people who are already genuinely interested in your product.
The best outbound marketing strategies
As we have seen, outbound is mostly offline marketing. You can therefore consider it an “old school” marketing. This, of course, does not mean that it is not useful. Some brands still manage to make millions with this technique.
But what are the means used? Here are some:
TV/Radio ADS
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It’s hard to believe that once upon a time, TV was considered the new medium. Yet, so was radio! As technology evolves, so do marketing techniques.
There is still a lot of demand for TV advertising: that’s why a 30-second spot can cost up to 5 million dollars during the Super Bowl in the USA!
Telephone advertising
Some people have the impression that the days of telephone advertising are over just because the information age has arrived. Nothing could be further from the truth. For example, Salesforce is a high-tech company that has reached a market cap of $78 million producing outbound marketing software. This is just one example of using “new school” technology to support the old.
Trade fairs
Some marketers do a great job of making regular appearances at trade shows. They shake hands with prospects, chat with potential partners, and network successfully. These professionals believe that a trade show presence is far more effective than any online advertising.
Mail
Yes, snail mail is still a thing. In fact, some marketers see snail mail as a way to gain an edge over competitors who they believe Conference tables with storage solutions: organizing your meeting space are useless. They also like the fact that postcards can be set aside on a desk and read later, while emails that aren’t read right away are often deleted.
Newsletter
Entrepreneurs still use newsletters as a way to buiey need to be sent frequently, though; a one-sided effort won’t yield much results.
Press releases
One of the best old-fashioned ways to get the word out about your company or something new you’re offering is with a press release. Even if the BJ Lists press release itself doesn’t reach the public, it might catch the attention of a journalist who will contact you for more information. This is how you get free publicity from an article.
Gadgets and merchandising
A good way to be in the right place at the right time… is to always be everywhere. Many believe that this is possible with brand marketing. So USB sticks are made with the company logo. Calendars with contact information are distributed. and many other objects that are used very often are given away.
Printed paper
There are still people who read newspapers and magazines. These people obviously also have money to spend. That’s why some invest part of their budget in print media.
Billboards
Typically, billboards are best suited for local businesses. However, businesses with memorable names or websites can still benefit greatly.
Advantages and disadvantages of outbound marketing
Outbound marketing stands the test of time. It has been around long before the Internet was a thing and was actually used to reach consumers in the decades of the 20th century.
And, as we have seen, it is still used today.
Additionally, outbound offers some opportunities if you are a multi-channel business. Even if you believe that old marketing methods are not as effective as digital, they still offer ways to get your company talked about.
Remember: there are thousands of consumers on the planet who aren’t that geeky. You’ll reach them more easily with outbound strategies.
On the other hand, outbound marketing also has limitations.
First of all, it is difficult to calculate ROI with these methods. For example, you can run an ad on TV and your sales might go up after a week, was it because of your ad or was it a coincidence?
Sure, you can poll consumers and ask them if they’ve heard of your company, but the results aren’t “scientific.” Plus, outbound tends to cost more than inbound. According tocontent marketing costs 26% less than traditional marketing.
Targeting
Outbound marketing also lacks personalization. Everyone sees the same copy, hears the same story, or watches the same video. It is difficult to reach different market segments with mass marketing.
It is even more difficult to target specific market segments with outbound strategies. A television advertisement, for example, will often appear to different people in different demographics.
There are also several statistics that give marketers concerns about these strategies. For example, 200 million people in America have signed up to a list that contains people who do not want to be contacted by phone. This means that people do not want to be interrupted with sales attempts.
84% of 25-34 year olds have left a site because of intrusive ads. Millennials don’t like marketing that interrupts you.
In light of what we have seen, is outbound marketing still useful? We can answer yes, but with attention to some data, such as the type of business, the audience you are addressing, the budget available and the target to hit.
When people in your market tend to get their information from traditional sources, it’s probably wiser to invest in outbound marketing. If you’re targeting people who watch a lot of TV in the afternoon, it’s a great idea to run ads during the most popular programs during that time of day.
If your target audience is made up of people who are in a hurry, you will definitely benefit from outbound marketing. Why? Because this is often the case when people do not have time to do research. When it is time to buy something, they will rely on brands that they have heard good hype about.
And can inbound marketing be more useful?
We’ll find out next week, when we’ll decree the winner of the outbound vs inbound challenge!
