Outbound vs Inbound marketing. Which is better?

According to Forbes.com, an average man comes across 4000-10,000 outbound and inbound marketing advertisement messages each day. This including TV ads, outdoor signage to radio spots, digital ads, and ads all over the internet. That means there’s a lot of competition for your prospects’ attention. The question that keeps most B2B marketers awake at night is, “How do I reach the people I want to talk to, and what do I say to get them to buy?”

“Content marketing is more than a buzzword. It is the hottest trend in marketing because it is the biggest gap between what buyers want and brands produce.”
Michael Brenner

A marketeer can reach her or his prospect in two distinct paths: inbound marketing and outbound marketing. Let’s take a look at the difference between the two.

What is Outbound Marketing?

Outbound marketing is referred to as push marketing. It uses tactics that get a message to a large number of people in an effort to make a sale. Print/TV/radio advertising, social media advertising, cold calling, direct mail, email blasts and other methods to target the audience. It’s a one-way conversation that typically focuses on the product and the reasons why a person should buy it.

Why outbound marketing isn’t successful

The problem with traditional marketing is that it’s impossible for these tactics to be relevant to a variety of specific needs and challenges. Because every person has different needs and wants much more personalized attention

There are some reasons traditional marketing isn’t working today:

93% of email users have unsubscribed from an email they previously opted into. Most likely, because the content wasn’t relevant to them now,
Online TV streaming services have enabled users to skip television ads and fast-forward them. 87% of people skip TV ads.
Digital music services have made it easy for listeners to avoid radio advertising. As of July 2019, there were 230 million active users on Spotify alone.
The average banner ad response rate is one tout of every 1000 people who come across it.
89% of 25-34-year-olds have left a website because of intrusive or annoying advertising Outbound Marketers who are still using these tactics are asking themselves

How should we reach buyers who are looking for our solutions?
What will turn those prospects into customers? The answer is INBOUND MARKETING

What is Inbound Marketing?

Outbound marketing pushes messages to a wide audience whereas inbound marketing is rather “magnetic.” Rather than sending out general messages to an uninterested audience, inbound marketing allows you to attract your best prospects. Those who are actively looking online for solutions. When they visit your website they find the exact guidance and information they were looking for. This in return converts them into a customer from a prospect

For a complete overview, check out our guide about inbound marketing

The contents of inbound marketing are website content, blog content, and downloadable content offered on a website, like white papers, guides, tip sheets, and other material. When using an inbound approach, marketers develop this content to align with the prospects’ buyers’ journeys:

At the start of their journey, a buyer is getting familiar with the problem and potential solutions.
Somewhere in the middle, they’re comparing a small set of potential solutions;
In the end, they compare all solutions before making the final decision.

What makes Inbound Marketing stand out

Inbound marketing costs 65% less per lead than outbound marketing
Content marketing generates 4x as many leads per dollar than traditional marketing
59% of online users view content at least once per month and the average user spends 21% of their online time viewing content
75% of people would rather learn about a company through content versus advertising
High quality, relevant and valuable information makes prospects more likely to get converted into a customer.

How do you know your content is relevant? Increased social traffic, social engagement and higher-quality leads.
Jason Miller

Ultimately, the best marketing strategy for your business will be the one that works. Remember, audiences and their preference change too. What might have worked last year might not work this year. People get tired of seeing the same thing. Your mix of inbound and outbound marketing strategies will most certainly change with time and as technology adds new features and ways of connecting with people. That being said, we feel the most important strategy will always be: experiment, measure, repeat.

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