In a recent
article I talked about the importance
of using multiple marketing tactics in
order to reach your goals. This month
I drill down into this concept a little
further, and discuss "inbound"
vs. "outbound" marketing.
Inbound tactics, while they still require
effort on your part, tend to be a bit
more passive. These tactics often involve
putting something out there "in general,"
hoping that it will find its way to your
target audience. Outbound tactics, on
the other hand, are rarely passive. They
involve actively sending your marketing
message to your target audience, and instructing
them how to respond.
Linda Coss
949-699-2749
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Effective Lead Generation:
Inbound vs. Outbound |
There's
no shortage of tactics that you can include
in your marketing mix. One way to categorize
your marketing options is to classify them
as either "inbound" or "outbound."
"Inbound marketing" refers to
when prospects contact you, often unexpectedly.
"Outbound marketing" includes
all of the ways in which your company proactively
reaches out to your prospects.
Which is best for lead generation?
Unfortunately,
there's no "one size fits all"
answer. By definition an inbound lead is
likely to be a fairly high-quality lead,
since this person has taken the time to
seek you out. However, there's no guarantee
that an inbound lead fits your customer
profile or is shopping for something at
your price point. I frequently run into
this problem with prospective customers
who Google "marketing writer"
and find me. Although they're in the market
for my services, they're often looking for
a writer who charges somewhere around minimum
wage.
Many companies
generate their best leads (as measured by
ROI, or return on investment) through outbound
marketing efforts. This may be because outbound
marketing tends to be extremely targeted,
and provides an opportunity to really sell
the benefits of what you're offering.
Some
common marketing tactics, categorized
The following list will help you see which
channels are considered "inbound"
and which are "outbound" - and
may even give you some new ideas:
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Inbound
Marketing Channels:
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Web
sites, including "organic"
(i.e. non-paid) search results
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White
papers
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Blogs
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Articles
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Books
-
Signage
on your car
-
Referral
programs
-
Outbound
Marketing Channels:
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Telemarketing
-
Direct
mail
-
Email
-
Pay-per-click
ads
-
Newsletters
-
Print
ads
-
Seminars
-
Webinars
-
Trade
show exhibits
- Radio
or TV ads
Which is best?
Usually a mix of tactics. Try different things,
track your results, and see how different
options compare.
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Customer
Spotlight:
Baker's Village Garden Center |
Baker's
Village Garden Center and Gift Shoppe, a
"destination" garden center in
Columbus, Ohio, employs a variety of inbound
and outbound marketing tactics to reach
its various target audiences. They hold
in-store classes and events (many of which
have become family traditions for area residents),
put out a regular newsletter, advertise
seasonal promotions, and much more. Click
here to see the website which I helped
them write.
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| ©
2010 Linda Marienhoff Coss |
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About Linda
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Linda
Coss is a freelance marketing writer who helps
businesses become more profitable by writing
persuasive, targeted and effective messages
for their brochures, websites, letters, ads,
fliers, press releases, newsletters and other
written materials.
Whether
you need something written "from scratch"
or want a professional to edit what you've
created, Linda is your on-call marketing writer.
For
more information
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