Marketing is invaluable to the success of each and every company, and with our progressively more complex world comes increasingly complex marketing tactics. Many of these tactics can be categorized as inbound or outbound marketing strategies or a unique blend of both. In order for these tactics to work effectively, though, they need to be properly implemented by trained professionals with a solid education in marketing.
Continue reading to find out just how these two different approaches to marketing compare, and how you can use them to their full advantage during your marketing career.
Reaching Out to Potential Customers
Outbound marketing refers to the method of marketing where companies push their message out to their audience through television and radio advertising, cold calling, direct mail, and other such ways of ‘reaching out’ to potential customers.
As students in marketing colleges sometimes learn, the older the age of a potential customer, the more likely he or she is to respond positively to being greeted by outbound marketing. This positive response is called a ‘lead’ and is the beginning of a relationship with a customer that will hopefully develop into a sale. Outbound marketing is tried and tested as a method for generating sales, but the way in which the world is living, shopping, and consuming is changing drastically, which is why inbound marketing has entered the scene.
Why Pros are Turning to Inbound Marketing
‘Inbound marketing’ is a term coined by Brian Halligan, CEO of inbound marketing agency HubSpot, which is hailed as one of the world’s leading inbound marketing agencies. Inbound marketing flips outbound marketing on its head, by attracting potential customers to the product or service rather than reaching out to them.
Many customers—especially young Millennials—have become increasingly wary of outbound marketing and more interested in pursuing content that caters to their lifestyles and personality. Inbound marketing takes advantage of this cultural shift to create content like blogs and videos that prospective consumers can find while browsing online. Marketing training can teach students to take advantage of this trend, as they learn the ins and outs of the internet’s effect on businesses throughout their education.
Professionals Use Both Inbound and Outbound Marketing Strategies
As you begin your career, you might sometimes need to decide whether to use an inbound or an outbound approach. Sometimes, though, you won’t have to choose between outbound or inbound at all!
Creating marketing plans that mix both inbound and outbound marketing can be extraordinarily effective for developing your consumer base. A blog link on Facebook, for instance, that promotes an eBook to people who have shown interest in eBooks online, is precision marketing that blends both inbound and outbound tactics. In your marketing coordinator career, why not see what elements of inbound and outbound marketing would be most effective for your particular brand and goal?
Contact an advisor today to find out how you can create the next great marketing campaign.
