{"id":1691,"date":"2019-06-12T09:54:21","date_gmt":"2019-06-12T13:54:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/360leads.com\/?p=1691"},"modified":"2022-01-21T15:54:18","modified_gmt":"2022-01-21T20:54:18","slug":"inbound-and-outbound-marketing-for-lead-generation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/360leads.com\/blog\/inbound-and-outbound-marketing-for-lead-generation\/","title":{"rendered":"Inbound and outbound marketing for sales lead generation"},"content":{"rendered":"

No doubt you\u2019ve heard about inbound and outbound marketing for sales lead generation. They’re often viewed as choices that a marketer makes when deciding how to generate B2B sales leads. Instead of thinking about this as a choice, it’s better to view them as complementary forces. Combining inbound and outbound forces can create a more cohesive – and powerful – marketing strategy.<\/p>\n

Inbound: Content that attracts sales leads<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Inbound marketing is a passive way of marketing, in which you wait for the customer to come to you, through content related to the solutions that your company can provide. These potential customers are out information shopping, and they likely have the budget to buy. However, they might not have heard of you, hence the importance of creating appealing content to draw them in.<\/p>\n

Inbound: Make it relevant and diverse<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Creating a diversity of content \u2013 from blog posts to white papers to podcasts on hot topics \u2013 helps strengthen your reputation and the likelihood these interested readers become buyers. Yet inbound won\u2019t necessarily get the whole job done, since it also draws people who are not necessarily qualified leads. It also takes time and patience as you attract an audience. In other words, inbound marketing shouldn\u2019t be the only strategy that you deploy.<\/p>\n

Outbound: Requires a deft touch<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Outbound marketing is traditional marketing which actively reaches out to customers where they are most likely to be and appeals to them directly, through advertising, direct mail or phone calls. These methods draw prospects into the sales funnel while clearly and overtly positioning your products and services. Outbound requires that you find customers who aren\u2019t necessarily looking for your products or services – in fact they may know nothing about it at all.\u00a0 But once they’re presented with your offering, they can see a need.<\/p>\n

Outbound: The interruption factor<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Outbound marketing enables you to choose your target audience, (something inbound is notoriously bad at doing), but there is a risk. It can feel intrusive to buyers who are used to dictating when, where and how they educate themselves. Since outbound techniques tend to be focused on the immediate, i.e. the call from a sales rep<\/a>, the banner ad, or the webinar currently taking place, one way to lessen the interruption factor is by combining it with inbound marketing techniques<\/a> to familiarize buyers with your company before more direct contact is made.<\/p>\n

Combining inbound and outbound marketing for sales lead generation<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The smartest marketers combine both approaches in their B2B sales strategies. Here are a few examples of how you can mesh inbound and outbound marketing activities into a cohesive sales and marketing strategy:<\/p>\n