Outbound marketing refers to marketing activity where a business starts a conversation with a consumer. It does this by sending a message out to an audience of customers or prospects. It is the opposite of inbound marketing, where customers find you when they need your product or service.
Typical forms of outbound marketing are; print and online advertising, promotions, telesales and branding. The idea is to allow customers to know your brand, products or services and improve visibility. Businesses are also trying to gain your trust in their brand.
Traditional Marketing Activities
Outbound Marketing often includes more conventional marketing activities, such as:
• Branded marketing (newsletters, giveaways)
• Direct mail (brochures, postcards, catalogues)
• Email marketing
• Newspaper advertising
• Press releases
• Telemarketing
• Trade shows
• TV/radio advertisements
• Websites, blogging, and social media
Outbound marketing can be useful when targeting older customers, particularly TV, radio and print advertising. It is a style of marketing they find most familiar. Older consumers may not routinely engage with smartphones, tablets or search engines. It is essential to define your audience and target customers when defining your strategy, tools and tactics.
Push Marketing Strategy
Outbound marketing is a push marketing strategy. It grabs the attention of as many potential customers as possible. It can be expensive as it often produces a temporary effect. The brand, product or service needs to be visible to create a level of customer awareness and engagement. The marketing activity used is usually a mix of print, TV, and online to make an impact on customers and prospects.
Push marketing is often used by start-ups or companies to introduce new products. The focus is to make consumers aware of the products or services you provide. The purpose of a push marketing strategy is to create interest, build trust and generate leads or sales. Social media platforms can be useful to extend your brand reach. It is essential to select the right platform for your target audience, so it has the right fit.
All marketing material sent out should include a specific call-to-action. Calls-to-Action may be a link to a website, landing page, a phone number, or a location where they can find out more about the product or service.
Business-to-Business Marketing
Outbound marketing is beneficial in business-to-business marketing. Potential customers will often research companies online. Yet, they usually prefer to arrange face-to-face meetings or network at events. Often overlooked but getting to know your customer is vital and building a strong working relationship is key to long-term success.
Want to Push for Marketing Success?
Blackberry Design can help you achieve marketing success. We work with you to create a range of marketing tools to deliver exceptional results. Blackberry can design and print newsletters, brochures, leaflets and organise mailings. Our creative team can create email newsletter templates, landing pages, websites that work. We can help with content marketing; blog articles, case studies and social media graphics that engage your audience.
About Blackberry Design
Blackberry is a creative design agency. We work with businesses in Redditch, Worcester, Birmingham, the Midlands and nationally. We help our clients build strong brands that can create loyalty and add value.
Got any questions about marketing? Speak to Blackberry Design to see what we could do for your business. Get in touch on 01527 517309 or fill in our contact form.