Inbound Marketing Vs Outbound Marketing: Features And Differences

Both Outbound and Inbound marketing has dominated the marketing space for quite a long time. Marketing people are quick to realize that era of outbound marketing which includes TV and ads, direct mail and telemarketing is on decline. These strategies are referred to as “outbound marketing” since you’re “pushing” your message out and hoping it falls on receptive ears. The other (modern) option is “inbound marketing” and it’s becoming a much more efficient strategy.
Statistics could be more helpful for proving my point here: 200 million Americans are on the Do Not Call List, 91% of email users end up unsubscribing from company newsletter and 86% of people skip ads on TV. In contrast, 57% companies reported that they acquired customers through Linkedin accounts and company blogs, and 48 and 42% were Facebook and Twitter numbers respectively. So even companies doubled their average budget to be spent on social media and blogs and reaped the benefits.
So let’s dig deep into the concepts and find out which one would fit better for your business marketing:
Features of Outbound Marketing
1. Old Marketing is any marketing that pushes products or services to customers.
2. Communication is one-way.
3. Customers are sought out via print, TV, radio, banner advertising, cold calls.
4. Marketers provide very little to no added value.
5. Marketers hardly try to educate or entertain.
Striking features of Inbound Marketing
1. Inbound Marketing believes in earning people’s interest instead of buying it.
2. Communication is two-way and interactive.
3. Customers come to you via search engines, referrals, and social media.
4. Marketers provide value.
5. Marketers seek to entertain or educate.
But considering today’s market, Inbound Marketing has definitely emerged as a personal favourite for many marketers. The major areas in which outbound marketing is surpassed by inbound marketing are:
1. Cheaper medium of marketing: Small marketers cannot afford costlier marketing mediums like TV, Billboard that are preached by outbound marketing. Inbound marketing is digital content like emails, blogging, social media which requires comparatively less expenses.
2. An effort on understanding target audience: Outbound marketing runs on the push strategy. In contrast inbound marketing works on pull strategy by placing maximum focus on understanding target audience.
3. Comparatively effective: Gathering all possible mediums of marketing, spending huge expenditure, without analysing, for faster results has made outbound marketing lose its credibility. Inbound marketing works on the principle of slow and steady wins the race.
Inbound marketing requires creating content worth discovering and then ensuring it is found through search, social and other independent media. Therefore marketers are still in a nascent stage to embrace inbound marketing as a whole and sole marketing medium. But those who have already taken the risk are reaping the success out of it.
Sources:
www.esalesdata.com
http://www.business2community.com
http://www.optify.net