How Outbound Marketing is Different from Inbound Marketing

Most people can guess the difference between outbound marketing and inbound marketing. But the details of how they are different are super important. 

While both can produce marketing ROI, the time, cost, and effort to get there varies greatly. 

The careful combination of these two strategies can deliver the best results for the lowest risk and cost. 

This article will explain the differences between inbound and outbound marketing and what you need to consider in crafting the most effective marketing strategy.

Key Takeaways

• Outbound marketing is a strategy that marketers use to attract customers with ads, offers, and promotions. 
• Inbound marketing is a strategy that marketers use to attract customers by providing helpful content.
• Both outbound and inbound marketing are necessary for a strong digital marketing strategy.
• Outbound marketing doesn’t always get the recognition it deserves. 

Understanding Outbound Marketing vs. Inbound Marketing

In marketing, you have to get your brand out there and to the people who need it. However, before you can dive into deciding which tactics will work best for you, you must understand that there is a difference between outbound marketing and inbound marketing.  

Outbound Marketing

Outbound marketing, also known as “push marketing,” is the process of reaching out to potential clients to gauge their interests. 

With this method, you initiate a conversation with new leads through various methods, including email, social media, and direct mail. 

One primary advantage of this strategy is that you can reach a lot of people simultaneously. However, one significant downside is that it’s not effective in all cases because it’s often considered a one-way form of communication. In some cases, the strategy just doesn’t line up with a particular product or market segment. 

Additional pros of outbound marketing include:

• Puts you right in front of your ideal audience – You’re choosing who to target, so the audience should be top quality.
• Easy to implement – At least in theory, the mechanics of most outbound channels are pretty simple. The devil is in the details, as they say.
• Quick results – With outbound, you have a higher likelihood of super-fast results because you’re not waiting on other steps in the marketing funnel.

Cons worth considering with outbound marketing include:

• Outbound leads often take longer to close – You contacted them (vs. them contacting you), so you’ll need to nurture the demand.
• You can really annoy people – Or worse, you can scorch your reputation if you do a poor job of implementing an outbound program. Think about the awful cold calls or emails you’ve gotten.

Inbound Marketing 

Inbound marketing is also known as “pull marketing” because it uses strategies that bring your customers to you rather than you finding them. 

Many marketing professionals prefer inbound marketing because it’s a more organic method that draws in leads via search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, and content marketing.

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Some of the most noted pros of inbound marketing include:

• Generates leads that are usually quicker and easier to close.
• Easy to measure through various key performance indicators.
• Generally becomes less expensive over time as inbound marketing assets tend to be evergreen.

Cons of inbound marketing include:

• Requires time and patience to implement properly
• Needs a good strategy to make sure that everything is executed properly
• Involves plenty of trial and error before you find what works best

Why Outbound Marketing is Beneficial to Your B2B Business 

Outbound marketing is beneficial to your business because:

• It allows you to get in front of potential customers. You don’t have to wait for them to come to you, so making the first move can be advantageous. You can target precisely the right prospects with precisely the right message.
• It’s a low-risk method. It’s easy to get started, and it’s usually fairly obvious fairly quickly if your process is working… or is going to work. One of the most complex parts is collecting the names and contact information for your ideal leads, but you should already gather this critical information if you’re using outbound tactics alongside inbound… and RevBoss can help with this!
• It’s part of a balanced breakfast. Inbound and outbound are the peanut butter and jelly to your B2B marketing sandwich – they’re both delicious for very different reasons, and you need ’em both to make things work. Outbound makes up for inbound deficiencies in speed, flexibility, and addressability… and inbound offsets outbound in the speed-to-close and cost-over-time departments.

3 Examples of Outbound Marketing that Work

Outbound Marketing is a great way to increase leads and sales. This type of marketing has been around since the beginning of time, but in the digital age, you need to be more aggressive in your approach. Here are three examples of outbound marketing that work.

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1. Outbound Email Marketing

Email marketing is one of the most effective forms of outbound marketing. It’s also one of the most affordable ways to reach out to potential buyers. 

Email marking averages an ROI of approximately $36 for every $1 spent. Furthermore, research shows that outbound email campaigns have an approximate open rate between 15.22 and 28.46%. 

The key to success with outbound email marketing is ensuring that the email is relevant to the potential buyer. It’s also essential to have all of the information necessary to make a compelling offer, such as a clear call to action. You should also specifically address the needs of each lead individually. Otherwise, you run the risk of being deemed spammy.

2. Cold Calling

Cold calling is when you reach out to potential customers with the intent of finding out if they are interested in what you have to offer. It is an effective way to get in touch with leads who didn’t come to you on their own. 

3. Events and Tradeshows

Events and tradeshows can help you get in front of your ideal audience. It’s also a great way to meet and build relationships with the people in your target market.

Outbound Marketing Services Done Right with RevBoss

We have a straightforward mission at RevBoss: helping our customers get more customers through  outbound email prospecting.. Our secret sauce is a combination of smart software, great people, and lots of customer love.

We use outbound email software, expertise, and dedication to help our clients generate more sales leads and win over more customers. Our team of knowledgeable account managers and copywriters develops and executes high-quality email prospecting campaigns that create sales conversations and helpful marketing insights to help our clients get more clients.

Curious how we can help you get more customers?? Contact us today.