There are two overarching marketing strategies: Inbound and Outbound.

As the name suggests Inbound is the kind of strategy implemented keeping in mind that the customer is himself or herself coming into the business to purchase your service or product.

And Outbound, on the other hand, is meeting customers where they are not looking for your business.

In simple terms, Inbound is when customers come to our business. Outbound is when we go to the customers

Now, let’s dig into the details of what outbound and inbound marketing is?

Should you opt for Inbound marketing strategies or outbound marketing strategies?

What are the inbound and outbound strategies that you can implement for your business?

What is Outbound Marketing?

Outbound marketing could be understood in the sense when you approach your customer and start a conversation with them in order to draw them into your business. Outbound marketing involves proactively reaching out to consumers to get them interested in a product.

Examples of outbound marketing are TV commercials, direct mail, cold calls, paid ads, billboards etcetera.

The objective of this method is: Show ad to larger groups of people, and you are likely to get greater returns.

The Benefits of Outbound Marketing

Outbound marketing strategies are the age-old marketing techniques which have always been a friend of marketers. With the changing time, outbound strategies and techniques must should also be evolved in order to reap the benefits of this marketing effort.

Below are the advantages that outbound marketing strategy entails:

·       Brand Awareness: This strategy has always been used in order to get on top of the mind of the prospect or client.

·       Valuable results: The customers who get their interests sparked by looking at your advertisement do make a purchase. Also, since the ad is visible to a huge number of people, the results are often high.

·       Due to this method being traditional, consumers already expect to see advertisements in the newspaper, on television, on billboards and often rely on these traditional advertisements more than those shown digitally.

Through Outbound marketing you reach people even when they are not looking for your business. It can be expensive, but, when done right, it provides excellent returns.

What is Inbound Marketing?

Inbound marketing is when your customer makes the move on you.

Like: browsing your website, downloading an E-book or watching a video.

Inbound marketing is all about establishing relationships rather than just selling. It is focussed on inducing the involvement of the customers with your brand, and meeting them in the right place at the right time.

Drawing people’s attention subtly, non-invasively is what inbound marketing efforts are.

The content that you create (text, graphic, video) should be intended to serving your customers and not pushing your products and services towards them. It is to tell them how you can help them solve their problems. It is about you can add value to their lives.

Each content piece can help you stand out and differentiate yourselves from the rest of the players.

Ensure that what you have created is thoughtful at each point in their customer journey.

Through Inbound marketing you build long-term relationships with your customers, leads, clients by meeting them when and where they want to, with the thoughtful, valuable, & engaging content. You draw them to your brand, rather than pushing yourself to them to gain attention.

The Benefits of Inbound Marketing

Inbound marketing is a very beneficial approach if you do it right. Check out the following benefits you can reap out of this marketing effort:

·       Inbound marketing is subtle way to draw customers towards you — The prospects take their time to read the content or watch the video you have designed for them. Thus, with respecting their personal space you non-invasively reach out to them.

·       Inbound marketing content is always informational or entertaining— Since it is designed in a very personalised manner as per the prospect’s customer journey, the chances of them converting is quite high.

·       Inbound marketing is measurable 一 You can quantify and measure the status of your marketing efforts since it is all digital.

The inbound marketing strategy is divided into four stages: attract, convert, close, and delight.

Inbound vs Outbound Marketing

The difference between Outbound marketing strategies and Inbound marketing strategies is that in former businesses reach to the client to generate interest in their offering and in the latter clients approach the business.

In the Inbound technique, engaging and valuable content is created so the customers get attracted towards your business and in Outbound technique, businesses push themselves towards the customers or potential customers to get their attention with the hope that they will convert.

Outbound Strategies to Drive Business Growth

Here are four outbound strategies you can use to enhance your marketing.

Outbound Strategy Number 1: Cold Email

Although, the cold emails (like cold calls) are unwelcomed emails but this is generally accepted strategy to use in Outbound techniques to initiate a conversation with them. (Somewhat like how you try to gain the attention of the person you like)

But the good news is, you can use the creativity and techniques of Inbound into your Outbound strategies so that they don’t seem pushy and needy.

You can personalize the emails, and offer something more valuable than just your product or service.

Here are some things you will want to concentrate on:

·       Get rid of unwanted or less-likely-to-convert leads: make sure you’re reaching live emails

·       Eye-catching Subject line: don’t push but draw them to click on your email

·       Make it personalised: make the user feel like you recognize them and they not just a random person in list of millions

·       offering value: you want business and money from them, then give them something valuable. (It is always a give and take relationship and not an only take relationship)

·       Do the testing after each trial: A/B test subject lines, signatures, CTA’s, interval between each email, the time you send each email, and the copy itself

Outbound Marketing Strategy Number 2: Direct Mail

Getting a mail in our mailbox has still not gotten outdated. We still feel special and excited to get a mail from somewhere or someone.

Therefore, even in the age of highly digitalized era, sending a direct mail is still an effective technique.

Though it is a highly effective technique, you still need to be mindful when you send out the direct mail:

·       Have a precisely targeted list of leads and customers and segment them on the basis of past purchases, location, demographics, etc.

·       Use all your creativity and make your ad stand out

·       Offer them discounts, a coupon code or the like so that you can track the success of the campaign

Outbound Marketing Strategy Number 3: Search Ads

Search advertising are always a great way to achieve quick results.

When you sponsor an ad, you provide your business with a specified guaranteed space in the SERPs. With the right and precise optimization you get back the result and value for each click you pay.

Your advertisements should not beat around the bush but come straight to the point: What is your product, why is it helpful, why should someone purchase, what you want the people to do after seeing the ad.

Make the landing pages equally on point and show the customers exactly what they clicked to see and do not take them on a stroll around the irrelevant things in your website or you WILL lose them.

ALWAYS BE ON POINT.

Fun Fact: The average conversion rate for search advertisements on the Google network is 4.4 percent.

Outbound Marketing Strategy Number 4: Social Media Ads

Every day, billions of people use social media. The average daily time spent on social media is two hours and twenty-five minutes.

With this much amount of time being spent by your consumers on social media, you HAVE TO HAVE a presence there and tap into the plethora of resources and opportunities present there. You cannot afford to miss-out on social media and it’s excellent advertisement options.

Paid social media is cheaper and it enhances brand exposure and reach. They also allow you to reach a precisely targeted audience.

Inbound Marketing Strategies to Drive Business Growth

Inbound Marketing Strategy Number 1: Survey

The first and foremost way to learn about your customers and the market is through surveys.

You need to ask about their struggles in order to know their problems to which you can either pitch or offer them a solution.

After knowing their problems, the next step you will do is create a highly engaging and compelling content to target their interests and/or struggles.

Inbound Marketing Strategy Number 2: Create Content Like You Would Create a Proposal for the Person of Your Dreams

Yeah! I know! The headline is too cheesy. But I mean it.

If you are not going to use the words in the most magical way to compel them to say YES! To your offering, you may lose out on so many valuable customers/leads.

Stand out. Tell them how you are better than others. And don’t just create. Engage with them through your creation. Have a dialogue.

The best content marketers tailor their content/copy as per the target audience and as per where they are in the customer journey.

Inbound Marketing Strategy Number 3: Writing Alluring Headline

The headline is the most important part of your content. It is where the hook is.

As you get the reader hooked, that means you grabbed their attention- they want to listen to you. Now you need to make the best out of this opportunity.

And as you grabbed their attention, don’t just jump onto selling your products to them. Create a story around your offering and relate it to them, to their lives, to their struggles.

Then the customer would want to go on and read your content.

This is how you will get more clicks and increase the number of new visitors.

Spend a substantial amount of time developing a headline. Learn how to create a hook. Doing so will appeal your targeted clients.

Inbound Marketing Strategy Number 4: Make Your Content More Visual

We as humans love interacting with visual content. Plain text and numbers make us bored and we don’t get repelled.

Again, imagine your personal life. If you talk in a single tone for happiness, sadness, anger, excitement, then the listener will fall asleep there and then.

You don’t wanna do that to your customers or potential leads.