Inbound Marketing V Outbound Marketing: Which Is Better?

If you’re a marketer or a businessman, then you probably encountered the terms inbound marketing and outbound marketing. You might also be confused on which is better between the two marketing approaches.

Some experts might prefer inbound marketing, while some organizations might prefer outbound. In other cases, it might be a good idea to combine the two marketing strategies. For your clear understanding, let’s differentiate the two and determine which suits your business better.

What Is Inbound Marketing?

Inbound marketing is a basically a new marketing approach where marketers try to “pull” in new customers with compelling content. Also known as content marketing, inbound marketing engages on social media, blog posts, infographics, white papers, and email newsletters. People find the marketer’s content with the help of SEO (search engine optimization), paid search, and paid discovery.

If your content is engaging enough, people read, share, and interact with it. This makes a good impression on your brand and will influence later purchasing decisions. There’s never an obvious sales pitch, just a nudge to customers to the sales funnel by increasing their brand’s engagement.

What Is Outbound Marketing?

Outbound marketing aims at attempting to reach as many people as possible. Also known as “direct marketing”, this marketing approach is interruptive and it pushes itself at people, whether they want it or not. Examples of outbound marketing are the following: television ads, radio ads, banner, billboards, newspapers, telemarketing, pop-ups, and cold calling.

Over the last decade, outbound marketing has become less popular. Oversaturation led people to begin disregarding display advertising.

What Is The Distinction Between Inbound And Outbound Marketing?

While outbound pushes at everybody, inbound pulls in potential users. The way they’re presented also differs: while outbound is written for the product’s needs, inbound is created for the needs of customers.

Outbound marketing also draws in consumers while outbound marketing seeks out consumers. The former is part of content consumption while the latter interrupts content consumption.

So Which Is Better, Inbound Marketing Or Outbound Marketing?

I’d say neither because these two marketing approaches can be used effectively on their own or even jointly. Each marketing strategy has its distinct set of benefits and drawbacks.

Inbound marketing is a better long-term solution with a bit higher short-term costs. It’s good in building a good relationship between your brand and your potential customers. This also compels potential customers to your brand at the right time.

Outbound marketing, on the other hand, is a better short-term solution with higher long-term costs. It can reach a large number of people instantly and create awareness. If done right, you can introduce an outbound marketing campaign, get watched by a million people, and have new consumers at a short period of time.

Most businesses use both inbound and outbound while keeping an inbound strategy. Ultimately, you have to determine what’s right for your company by considering your market, goals, and brand.
If you need help developing your marketing strategy, speak to a member of our team today for a free consultation.