Inbound marketing vs. outbound marketing - what’s the difference?
Outbound marketing delivers a message to the masses to sell something. Inbound marketing sends out tailored messages to an audience that's actively looking for a solution.
You've probably heard of both types.
Here, we’ll explain the difference between inbound marketing and outbound marketing.
What is outbound marketing?
Outbound marketing delivers a message to the masses to sell something. The audience may not even be looking for it or aware they might need it.
It's usually a one-way street of communication that focuses more on the product and why your audience should buy it rather than on the audience themselves.
The obvious problem here is that the messaging is very general as it intends to reach a large number of people.
It doesn’t address specific or individual needs.
Outbound marketing is marketer-driven. It’s push marketing.
"Pushy" messaging for everyone
Written to sell
One-way communication
Very generic and universal
More about you than about your audience
Aims to interrupt and raise awareness
What is inbound marketing?
Inbound marketing works the other way round. Instead of pushing a general message to a large (probably not even interested) audience, it aims to send out individual and tailored messages to an audience actively looking for a solution.
At the heart of inbound marketing is content that aligns with the pain points in the buyer's journey.
It engages, educates, and guides your audience to find the answers to their questions.
Inbound marketing is consumer-driven. It’s pull marketing.
Tailored content for visitors who are already interested
Solves pain points
Interacts with your audience
Very individual
More about your audience than about you
Useful content turns visitors into leads
Make it magnetic, not pushy
Instead of doing outbound marketing to the masses who probably aren’t interested in what you’re doing, I advocate doing inbound marketing, where you find your niche and be visible to people who are already interested in what you’re doing.
Become a hub of inspiration and knowledge for your audience. So, your audience will naturally find their way to you.
Your content is the connecting bridge between you and your audience.
Content acts as your voice
Your content is your tool to connect and speak with your audience, followers, or fans looking for answers and insights.
Make sure it is:
Timely
Aligned
Personalised
Educate, engage, empower
Create content that adds value to your audience's lives. Make them feel included. And give them an opportunity to interact with you and your content.
Educate them with insightful and meaningful content that adds value for them.
Engage them to feel included and get a chance to interact with you.
Empower them to become active members of your community. Both you and your audience will benefit from it.
Helping your audience reach their goals, find their answers, or solve their pain points positions you as a trusted resource they can turn to and recommend to others.
