Hi everyone, welcome to WMB (What is Marketing in Business). In this article, you will know about the difference between inbound marketing and outbound marketing according to, marketing methodology, marketing strategies, channels, etc. 

Inbound Marketing vs Outbound Marketing : Definitions

Inbound Marketing : Definition

Inbound marketing is a methodology of marketing that is used to attract visitors and targeted customers to your owned digital assets like your websites, blogs, social media pages, product landing pages or your YouTube channels etc. Inbound marketing provides customers centric solutions to their certain problems with the help of content marketing.

Outbound Marketing : Definition

Outbound marketing is a methodology of marketing in which the business owners reach out to their potential customers by using outbound channels like traditional advertisements, billboards ads etc. Since if you are a new business then no one knows about you, therefore you need to initiates the interaction with a group of audience. Thus, an outbound marketing is business centric methodology in which you promote your business.

Inbound Marketing vs Outbound Marketing : Tools/Channels

Inbound Marketing : Channels

Inbound marketing includes the following channels or tools:

1. Websites,
2. Blogs Content/Articles,
3. Social Media Pages,
4. Landing Pages,
5. SEO strategies,
6. Keyword Targeting,
7. Organic Word of Mouth,
8. Search Ads,
9. Opt In Email Marketing,

Outbound Marketing : Channels

outbound marketing includes the following channels or tools:

1. TV Advertisements,
2. Radio Advertisement,
3. Flyers,
4. Banners,
5. Billboards,
6. Telemarketing,
7. Direct Mails,
8. News Paper Ads,
9. Magazine Ads,
10. Trade Shows and Events

Inbound Marketing vs Outbound Marketing : Audience Engagement

Inbound Marketing : Permission Based & Relevant

Inbound marketing is a permission based marketing in which the targeted audience gives permission to communicate with them by using social media, or answering the questions asked by them. All of these done via digital marketing medium. When a visitors comes to your digital assets and if they like your content, images or any form of digital content, then in return the targeted audience gives their emails, or any subscriptions methods.

Outbound Marketing : Interruption Based & Irrelevant

Outbound marketing is an interruption based marketing in which the business broadcast their business ads to advertisement channels when the audience is engaged with their own interests like a person is watching his/her favorite TV shows and they see the business ads unintentionally. In this case, a small percent of audience is converted into the customers.

Inbound Marketing vs Outbound Marketing : Brand Positioning

Inbound Marketing : You Are LEAD HERO

In inbound marketing, you are the LEAD HERO or SPEAKER of your business and your audience listen to you. You are always visible to your targeted customers. This methodology is done by sharing a great content with your audience through the digital medium. When your audience are listening you, then you need to delight them, educate them, and engaged with them through social media platforms.

Outbound Marketing : You Are SIDE HERO

In outbound marketing, you are a SIDE HERO of your business and you are not visible to your audience every time. The audience will create a relationship with you when you grab their attention. Thus, outbound marketing is based on attention grabbing rather than providing values.

Inbound Marketing vs Outbound Marketing : Marketing Strategies

Inbound Marketing : Cross Channels Strategies

In inbound marketing, you attract visitors with the help of your websites or any digital assets and the visitors may be your potential customers. But, to implement inbound marketing campaign successfully, you need a complete strategy to rank your websites. This complete strategies includes SEO (Search Engine Optimization), video promotion, webinars, social media traffics like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Email Marketing, Content marketing, call to action strategy etc. This bundle of complete strategy of inbound marketing is known as cross channel strategy or holistic strategy. When this holistic strategy of inbound marketing is applied to your business website, your website will be rocked over the internet and your audience will also connected with your business.

Outbound Marketing : Linear Strategies

An outbound marketing campaign is done with the help of TV advertisement, radio advertisement, direct mails, tradeshows and billboards, sponsorships, news papers ads etc. You have so many options to implement outbound marketing. You need to identify which channels most accurately promote your business and calculate the percentage of more effectiveness and then leave out the least effective channels. It means, you are using one of the channels to promote your business. Thus, this outbound marketing strategy is a linear strategy.

Inbound Marketing vs Outbound Marketing : Specific vs Generic

Inbound Marketing : Educational, Specific & Personalized

In inbound marketing, the messages are educational that educates or engages and answers the audience’s questions. Thus, messages in inbound marketing are specific, useful and personalized for your prospects. Earlier, the inbound marketers advice to their clients to create a discount offers in sales and then they advertise them to all channels of inbound marketing. But now a days, the inbound advertisers advice them to offer something that has greater value.

Outbound Marketing : Broad, Complicate, Generic

In outbound marketing, the main goal of advertisement is to stand out in newspaper ad or in a few seconds of TV or radio advertisement. For which, the outbound marketing messages are full of shits. Suppose you have a newspaper and you are reading an article of sports and in the corner of that article, an outbound marketing messages are printed. In these types of traditional outbound marketing ads, the marketers are trying to force the outbound marketing content to fit in the brain of audience. This works in rare cases. Thus, the outbound marketing messages are broad, forced, complicated and generic.

Inbound Marketing vs Outbound Marketing : Distribution Channels

Inbound Marketing : Owned, Continuous & Iterative

In inbound marketing, you have own distribution channels and it like your assets. These own distribution channels are created by your email list, top raking on product related keywords, building social media fans page etc. In the making of these inbound marketing channels, there is cost of acquisition. These own distributions channels will help in the promotion your business for a long time, even after you stop posting for a year. Hence, inbound marketing distribution channels are continuously and iterative. Suppose you have a websites with 10000 blogs post that generates about 1000 leads every months through online and you stop posting for a year, then the number of generating leads volume will decrease slightly but it will be more than the traditional advertisement that is done in outbound marketing.

Outbound Marketing : Rented, Inconsistent & Varied

In outbound marketing, the distribution channels are rented. So, you have any assets in outbound marketing. Suppose you got a lot of sales in your last campaign on your last buying marketing medium, then it may or may not work for the next campaign. Thus, the outbound marketing distribution channels are inconsistent and varied.

Inbound Marketing vs Outbound Marketing : Data Attribution

Inbound Marketing : Quantifiable and Measurable

In inbound marketing, you have websites, blogs, content, articles, social media pages, landing pages etc. It means, everything is digital in inbound marketing. You know that all the digital medium has an analytics and you can track and analyze your traffics and effectiveness of your digital medium. Using this analytics mechanism, your inbound marketing is quantifiable and measurable. You don’t need to assume anything like in outbound marketing.

Outbound Marketing : Immeasurable and Hard to Track

In outbound marketing, you broadcast your business promotions on TV advertisements, radio advertisement, flyers, banners, billboards etc. There is no analytics in these channels. It means, you cannot track who is watching your ads and how many of your prospects are seeing your banner ads, billboard ads etc. Thus, outbound marketing advertisements are hard to track and hence this is immeasurable.

Inbound Marketing vs Outbound Marketing : Pull vs Push

Inbound Marketing : Pull (Customers come to you)

Inbound marketing is about attracting your prospects to your business with the help of inbound marketing channels. When you provide the solutions or answers to your prospects’ problems, then they are highly interested in your business. Thus, inbound marketing built a mechanism where the customers are pulled in your business.

Outbound Marketing : Push (Your Ads are force to customers)

Outbound marketing is all about traditional marketing, where your promotional messages are displayed on TV, radios, flyers, banner or billboards ads. It means, you bombard your messages to the people with irritating promotions, emails blasts, uninterested banners etc. Thus, outbound marketing is a type of push marketing in which your ads are pushed to your audience that leads to spamming and using blocking techniques used by your audience.

Inbound Marketing vs Outbound Marketing : Communications

Inbound Marketing : Two Way Communication

In inbound marketing, you are using pull marketing that’s why your audience are interested in your business and they always interact with you. Your prospects communicate with you by commenting on your blogposts, asking some questions on your social media pages etc. and you provide answers. Hence, inbound marketing is a two way communications in which you and your audience always interacts with each other with the help of inbound marketing channels.

Outbound Marketing : One Way Communication

In outbound marketing, you are using push marketing and you are allowed to broadcast your messages to a group of potential customers. But, there is no medium to facilitate any direct form of reactions. Thus, outbound marketing is a one way communication in which you always interact with your audience but they don’t.

Inbound Marketing vs Outbound Marketing : B2B Business

Inbound Marketing : Help

Using inbound marketing in B2B business, your business promotional activity attract your prospects business with the help of publishing blogposts, articles, social media posts etc. You provide some educational tutorials that will educate you client’s business owners. With the help of these, they will get more business using your guides in tutorials. It means, you are helping to a B2B business in inbound marketing techniques.

Outbound Marketing : Hype

Using outbound marketing in B2B business, your business promotional activity is only pushing the messages to other B2B business owners. You broadcast your business advertisement on all the outbound marketing channels. Outbound marketing main motive is to draw a business instead of helping you prospects like in inbound marketing. Thus, you are drawing a B2B business profits in outbound marketing by paid advertisements.