Inbound versus Outbound Marketing

As more companies migrate to inbound marketing, the role of outbound marketing continues to evolve and adapt to the changing landscape. Outbound marketing 2.0 is a more targeted and effective way of targeted outbound marketing. It leverages the information gained from inbound marketing and combine it with traditional knowledge and customer relationship building.

Outbound marketing places a key role in many B2B industries including heavy equipment, capital equipment, manufacturing tools, defense and commercial aircraft. These transactions and purchases involve a significant amount of capital investment and the decision making is drawn out and involve a whole group of key people. Outbound marketing provide more direct contact and exchange of information with the potential customer and offer the chance to build up relationship and trust.

In many engineering electronics and design firms, marketing engineers play a key role in working with potential customers to define their needs and requirements and help garner design wins for the company products. Products are often designed or modified with one particular large vertical customer in mind and outbound marketing plays a key role in identifying the need of the customer and the key person for making the decision to use your part in the final product.

Even in consumer markets, targeted outbound marketing can be used to reach out to customers who opt in to the direct email campaign in order to receive news on deals and products. Outbound marketing can also be effective in industries where the consumers may not always be actively thinking about the particular products. A well crafted outbound marketing campaign can help a consumer realize the advantages of acting and start thinking of your product. Some examples include Geico in auto insurance, offering lower rates than other insurers, mortgage refinancing, when a quick notice from a trusted mortgage broker can help the consumer realized that it is time to refinance again.

At the same time, many small businesses survive solely on inbound marketing in the age of the internet. The use of inbound marketing has made it easier for consumers to locate small businesses that they may not have been able to find or locate in the past. It also opens up the market beyond the local market for some small businesses.