Inbound or Outbound? When to use one or the other
Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2024 3:50 am
Choosing between Inbound and Outbound is a task that seems much more difficult than it actually is.
First, the reason why it seems so difficult: when we read texts on the internet about the subject, everything seems to be very 8 or 80: it's either Inbound or Outbound!
And the task is not that difficult precisely because this cell phone number database need to choose between one or the other is completely artificial. It is more of a writing device than a real need.
And even in the application of strategies. It seems that doing Inbound or Outbound is putting into practice all your precepts, all your resources, without leaving anything behind.
The reality, once again, is quite different from this.
Today we are going to attack these myths and try to understand how the choice between Inbound and Outbound really happens.
And we'll also talk in more detail about the best ways to work on both strategies at the same time.
Let's go together? But first a more basic point:
What is the difference between Inbound and Outbound in practical terms?
In the first text of this week we talked a lot about the main differences between Inbound and Outbound.
If you are not familiar with the terms, I suggest you give it a quick read and then come back here. The link is below:
What you need in a digital marketing package
For now, I wanted to talk mainly about the practical side of choosing between Inbound and Outbound. This is what makes the difference for managers who need to choose between one or the other.
Or rather: “choose between one and the other”, in quotes, because it is very rare to find companies that actually choose.
To better organize the text, I have separated the main practical differences between the two methodologies into a few items. See below:
Time to achieve results
Among all the practical differences between Inbound and Outbound, this is probably the most obvious.
The time to achieve results varies from strategy to strategy, of course, but it is still important to understand that Inbound will always take longer than Outbound.
This is because Inbound works mainly with content, while Outbound works directly with ads.
Content, by its very nature, isn’t as scalable as ads. For example, you might create 10 different ads in a single day and have them running before you clock out.
Meanwhile, the content production cycle is slower. In fact, the slower and more meticulous your production is, the better the results you will get.
Therefore, Outbound usually delivers its first positive results between 1 and 3 months after starting the strategy.
Meanwhile, Inbound strategies will only bring returns between 6 and 12 months.
But there is a catch here that we will explore further in the item below. Come with me:
Duration of results
It is also important to understand how long the results of the actions will last. This is essential because this is one of the main differences between Inbound and Outbound.
Outbound in digital marketing is mainly characterized by paid media, such as Google Ads and Social Ads.
Because of this, the results in Outbound are connected to the investment you make in it.
If you invest R$5,000 per month in optimized campaigns, you will see returns that are consistent with that amount.
If you invest half of that amount next month, your results will also have a proportional impact.
Inbound Marketing is a little different. Since it works with content, it tends to be more long-lasting.
Investments in organic traffic and SEO, for example, continue to yield results for a long time. Even if you stop investing in the strategy completely.
There are points in Inbound, however, that are more or less long-lasting. We will talk more about them in the next topic, follow me:
Amount of resources and strategies
Inbound is more varied and requires more knowledge of tools and strategy applications than Outbound.
This is especially true in digital marketing.
When working with Inbound Marketing, in addition to the different types of content you will need to produce, it is also very necessary to know the best strategies for distributing this content.
And then, how to turn that content into leads. And how to turn those leads into sales.
The Inbound Marketing strategy can involve:
Email Marketing;
SEO;
Website optimization;
Content production for blogs;
Content for social networks;
Influencer Marketing;
Lead Scoring and Lead Nurturing;
Relationship with already converted customers;
Among other more specific strategies.
At the same time, Outbound, when restricted to digital marketing, becomes quite limited, with its main resource being paid media, and in some cases ABM strategies — Account Based Marketing.
Analysis of results
Analyzing results is not that different in Inbound or Outbound.
The differences between the two are mainly in the nature of their tool usage, but the tools themselves are not very different.
Confused? Here’s an example to make it clearer: Inbound and Outbound have different strategies on Instagram, but they both use Instagram.
Likewise, Inbound and Outbound have fundamental differences in how they use Google, but they both use Google.
The analysis of the results then follows the same pattern. Analysis of Google results is done using Google Analytics 4. Analysis of Meta results is done using Meta Business Manager.
And speaking of which: we have a full webinar talking about analyzing results using Google Analytics 4, something that everyone needs after the 2023 migration.
First, the reason why it seems so difficult: when we read texts on the internet about the subject, everything seems to be very 8 or 80: it's either Inbound or Outbound!
And the task is not that difficult precisely because this cell phone number database need to choose between one or the other is completely artificial. It is more of a writing device than a real need.
And even in the application of strategies. It seems that doing Inbound or Outbound is putting into practice all your precepts, all your resources, without leaving anything behind.
The reality, once again, is quite different from this.
Today we are going to attack these myths and try to understand how the choice between Inbound and Outbound really happens.
And we'll also talk in more detail about the best ways to work on both strategies at the same time.
Let's go together? But first a more basic point:
What is the difference between Inbound and Outbound in practical terms?
In the first text of this week we talked a lot about the main differences between Inbound and Outbound.
If you are not familiar with the terms, I suggest you give it a quick read and then come back here. The link is below:
What you need in a digital marketing package
For now, I wanted to talk mainly about the practical side of choosing between Inbound and Outbound. This is what makes the difference for managers who need to choose between one or the other.
Or rather: “choose between one and the other”, in quotes, because it is very rare to find companies that actually choose.
To better organize the text, I have separated the main practical differences between the two methodologies into a few items. See below:
Time to achieve results
Among all the practical differences between Inbound and Outbound, this is probably the most obvious.
The time to achieve results varies from strategy to strategy, of course, but it is still important to understand that Inbound will always take longer than Outbound.
This is because Inbound works mainly with content, while Outbound works directly with ads.
Content, by its very nature, isn’t as scalable as ads. For example, you might create 10 different ads in a single day and have them running before you clock out.
Meanwhile, the content production cycle is slower. In fact, the slower and more meticulous your production is, the better the results you will get.
Therefore, Outbound usually delivers its first positive results between 1 and 3 months after starting the strategy.
Meanwhile, Inbound strategies will only bring returns between 6 and 12 months.
But there is a catch here that we will explore further in the item below. Come with me:
Duration of results
It is also important to understand how long the results of the actions will last. This is essential because this is one of the main differences between Inbound and Outbound.
Outbound in digital marketing is mainly characterized by paid media, such as Google Ads and Social Ads.
Because of this, the results in Outbound are connected to the investment you make in it.
If you invest R$5,000 per month in optimized campaigns, you will see returns that are consistent with that amount.
If you invest half of that amount next month, your results will also have a proportional impact.
Inbound Marketing is a little different. Since it works with content, it tends to be more long-lasting.
Investments in organic traffic and SEO, for example, continue to yield results for a long time. Even if you stop investing in the strategy completely.
There are points in Inbound, however, that are more or less long-lasting. We will talk more about them in the next topic, follow me:
Amount of resources and strategies
Inbound is more varied and requires more knowledge of tools and strategy applications than Outbound.
This is especially true in digital marketing.
When working with Inbound Marketing, in addition to the different types of content you will need to produce, it is also very necessary to know the best strategies for distributing this content.
And then, how to turn that content into leads. And how to turn those leads into sales.
The Inbound Marketing strategy can involve:
Email Marketing;
SEO;
Website optimization;
Content production for blogs;
Content for social networks;
Influencer Marketing;
Lead Scoring and Lead Nurturing;
Relationship with already converted customers;
Among other more specific strategies.
At the same time, Outbound, when restricted to digital marketing, becomes quite limited, with its main resource being paid media, and in some cases ABM strategies — Account Based Marketing.
Analysis of results
Analyzing results is not that different in Inbound or Outbound.
The differences between the two are mainly in the nature of their tool usage, but the tools themselves are not very different.
Confused? Here’s an example to make it clearer: Inbound and Outbound have different strategies on Instagram, but they both use Instagram.
Likewise, Inbound and Outbound have fundamental differences in how they use Google, but they both use Google.
The analysis of the results then follows the same pattern. Analysis of Google results is done using Google Analytics 4. Analysis of Meta results is done using Meta Business Manager.
And speaking of which: we have a full webinar talking about analyzing results using Google Analytics 4, something that everyone needs after the 2023 migration.