Outbound and inbound marketing - find out the differences!

When looking at marketing trends, you will no doubt have come across the trendy phrase "inbound marketing" i "outbound marketing". But what do they mean in practice? Are they just another jargon concoction by specialists in an industry that itself relies on the use of language? Not in this case! In a way, these terms embody a cultural shift within how marketing works. In our article, we will look at the definitions of outbound and inbound marketing, compare the two strategies and consider how to choose the right one for your business.

What is outbound marketing?

Outbound marketing (outbound marketing) is a marketing model that has been around until recently. It tends to be disruptive, 'intruding' into a space and imposing itself on the audience whether they want it or not. Some of the most common examples of outbound marketing include television and radio commercials, banners and graphic advertisements, billboards, newspaper and magazine ads, telephone solicitation, pop-ups or contextual advertising. 

Outbound marketing is traditional methodwhich involves 'pushing' a message to potential customers. Marketers present an advertisement to a large audience, hoping that it will resonate with at least some part of it. 

An effective alternative, inbound marketing

Over the last few years, in an increasing number of companies, outbound is turning into inbound marketing, or so-called inbound marketing. This is a relatively new concept. It involves professionals trying to attract potential customers with interesting content, rather than 'attacking' them from everywhere with advertising messages. The aim is maximum curiosity them with content so that they take the first step towards the company. The basic definition of inbound marketing is that you should share valuable content Where customers are looking for them. Valuable, that is? First and foremost, the kind that solves problems and answers possible concerns. The inbound marketing strategy is particularly recommended in the B2B (Business to Business) sector, where the decision to buy takes more time.

What difficulties do marketing efforts face?

Inbound marketing assumes that you should capture the customer's interest by placing content where they are looking for it. It is therefore obvious to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the Internet. It is, after all, the web that is the first place we try to find the information we are interested in. However, the task of inbound marketers is not as simple as some may think. Why?

The Internet is saturated with all sorts of adverts, and Internet users have learned to ignore them. There is even a professional term for this phenomenon - banner blindness. The term was first used back in 1998! Contrary to popular belief, the contrast between an advertisement and its surroundings does not benefit advertisers. What is more, it increases the likelihood that Internet users will ignore promotional material. His or her gaze will scan the page, miss all the elements deemed worthless, and the brain will filter out the promotional material.

Not only that, traditional advertising acts like a bull's-eye on Millenials. The opposite of what the advertiser assumes - instead of encouraging them to take up the brand's offer, it alienates them. So how do we leapfrog these difficulties? What will now catch the attention of Internet users and your potential customers is authenticity, valuable materials and practical knowledge. 

Inbound marketing tools

Do you want your customers to come to you, colloquially speaking, banging on your door and windows? Do you want to increase sales? Inbound marketing is the right way to go, but you need the right tools to implement it. We already know that you will operate mainly on the Internet, because it is there that potential customers look for answers to their questions and needs. The basis of your marketing activities should therefore be specialised blog corporate optimised for SEO. 

A regularly updated blog with valuable content on the industry you operate in will be a valuable resource for your audience. Credible, expert and sometimes entertaining (why not) articles enhance a company's positive image, build an engaged community around it, and ultimately increase sales results. However, a blog is not the only tool content marketing to be used. Equally important is being active on social media, creating ebooks or podcasts.

Inbound marketing - the pillars

Marketing professionals agree on the existence of certain pillars on which inbound marketing is based. There is just no unanimity on how many there are. Some schools say three, others four and others even five. We will opt for an intermediate approach and cite as pillars of inbound marketing: website traffic, conversion visitors into leads (and leads into sales), relationship building based on brand loyalty, analysis the effectiveness of the objectives set. 

The basis for gaining traffic to the website is creation of a professional website optimised for both SEO and usability from the viewpoint of visitors. Friendly structure, attractive design, valuable content marketing, regular optimisation - are ways to get high in the search results and reach your target audience.

Each site should have specific objective - What do we want from visitors and how do we achieve this through inbound marketing? A conversion can be not only making a purchase, but also signing up for a newsletter, leaving a phone number or sending an enquiry. A CTA on the page, i.e. a call to action, should be selected according to the chosen objective. 

The long-term goal of inbound marketing is not to gain a "one-off" a a loyal customer. They will come back to you and recommend your offer, and in this way you will gain more customers interested in your product or service. But how do you keep your customers coming back for more? Obviously, you need to ensure that your offer itself is attractive. In addition, the company should provide reliable, engaging and interesting content that is useful at each stage of the customer's purchase path.

The final pillar, i.e. website traffic analysis and consumer behaviour is necessary to be able to assess the effectiveness of the chosen strategy. It is also important to track the conversion rate (CR) and control changes. Only in this way will you know what needs to be done to optimise the effectiveness of your marketing activities. 

Outbound or inbound marketing? Which is more effective?

Inbound marketing is definitely more than a trendy phrase. According to HubSpot data, already in 2017, 71% Companies surveyed declared that they focus primarily on inbound marketing activities. Why? Because they influence a higher return on investment (ROI) - they are cheaper even o 62% compared to outbound marketing activities and 10 times more effective! Of course, the role of outbound marketing cannot be unequivocally dismissed. The answer as to which strategy is appropriate will depend on the type of business, its objectives and also the target group.