Inbound / Outbound

Is your CMO crazy to keep outbound marketing in the mix when inbound marketing is the hot topic of todayโ€™s marketing world?

The short answer is decidedly, no.

In the internet era, itโ€™s virtually impossible to be successful in business without a strong online presence. Websites, blogs, Twitter feed, Facebook, if youโ€™re not participating, youโ€™re not in front of your customers. As a result, businesses are hyper-focused on inbound marketing leaving some sales and marketing professionals unsure where traditional (outbound) marketing fits into the new digital landscape.

According to the Corporate Executive Board, 57% of B2B buyers are already through their purchase decision before they even engage with a sales representative. This means that potential prospects are already researching and evaluating products and solutions and creating their own preconceived notions about which companies they want to buy from and those they do not.

Statistics like these drive marketers to invest more money on inbound marketing, content marketing, SEO optimization and the works. All important stuff. However, there are still plenty of reasons to keep investing in outbound.

  1. Create the first contact with prospects

Outbound marketing increases the companyโ€™s probability of creating the โ€œfirst contact,โ€ which will lead to a customer relationship you can develop further. A personal customer relationship is often the tipping point when it comes to making the sale.

  1. Tap into the power of personal

People ultimately seek personal contacts through face-to-face meetings, networking at industry events and trade shows when considering purchasing B2B products and services, according to Marketing-Schools.org. Outbound marketing lays the groundwork for these types of contact. This is especially helpful for CMOโ€™s conducting B2B marketing or marketing a high end product.

  1. Take control of the future sale

By reaching out to the prospect before their evaluating process begins, you can tailor the message and highlight the specific benefits for the particular buyer. This will also give you the advantage of being ahead of your competition and by reaching the prospect before they do with their inbound marketing.

  1. Growth of channel and device choices

In the digital age, outbound marketing is not limited to the traditional channels. The growth of social media and the ever-present mobile device makes the process of reaching customers more precise and timely than ever before. Email, social media and PPC campaigns allow marketers to highly target prospects and analyze results to hone campaigns for maximum effectiveness. Social media networks and digital communities offer numerous ways for marketers to reach an audience via suggested or promoted posts, display ads, hashtag campaigns, etc. And because smartphones keep us constantly connected, the potential exposure to your messages is exponentially increased.

Today, the buzz in marketing is all about inbound. But outbound is still often the best way to reach the widest possible audience in the shortest amount of time. It stacks up as a solid lead generator. Itโ€™s highly targeted. And, since certain outbound marketing strategies are not widely used by the masses, it might actually be cheaper and a better ROI to invest in these strategies since the playing field is not as big anymore.

Is outbound marketing part of your marketing strategy? Tell us how you use it.

About The Author

Usman Sheikh

Founder and CEO

xiQ, Inc.

Usman Sheikh is the visionary founder and CEO of xiQ, an award-winning B2B sales and marketing platform. Through the fusion of generative AI, behavioral science, and ChatGPT, xiQ is revolutionizing the industry with its personality-driven sales approach.
As a futurist and design thinker, Usman aims to humanize B2B sales and marketing by leveraging generative AI and psychology. With xiQ, sellers can understand the mindset of prospective buyers and hyper-personalize engagement at every stage of the sales cycle.
Before xiQ, Usman held various global roles at SAP, including Vice President of Corporate Development, Product Management, Sales Enablement, and Digital Commerce.
Usman frequently serves as a guest lecturer on AI and B2B sales and marketing at renowned business schools such as the University of Texas, University of Wisconsin, University of Alabama, Louisiana State University, and Clemson University.
A graduate of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Usman’s diverse passions extend beyond business. He enjoys Squash, architecture, design, cooking, and hiking.