Inbound vs Outbound Marketing: Making Your Brand Stand Out
The good news about both inbound and outbound marketing is that you can reach your customers faster and target them more easily than ever before. The bad news is that your competitors can do the same. So, unlevel the playing field by giving some thought to how your business is different from the competition.
Your brand has something to offer that no other brand has … and that difference is You, of course. And you can build an empire on this difference.
Inbound vs Outbound Marketing Strategy: Be Yourself
Some of the most memorable brands out there were and are built on the personalities behind the products … Ben & Jerry’s, Apple, Tesla Motors. You’re probably as cool as Ben Cohen, Jerry Greenfield, Steve Jobs, and Elon Musk. So, be who you are and put it on your website.
- Have a mission statement that reflects your personality
- Tell the story about how you came to lead your company
- Be utterly sincere and cheerlead for yourself a bit
Storytelling as brand development is a good strategy as long as it’s rooted in the truth. In a world where the marketplace is becoming increasingly intimate and segmented, this kind of honest transparency will connect you with an ideal audience of loyal customers.
Inbound Marketing Storytelling
Improve your brand by clarifying your story, addressing customer issues, and countering false images. Start by:
- Putting your mission statement and core values on your webpage
- Posting first-person blogs about activities relevant to your core values
- Starting social media conversations about your values-driven approach
Also, be sure to keep abreast of the conversations happening on social media about your brand. A social listening platform can help you track keywords, get on top of trends, or address any misperceptions about your company before they become problematic.
Outbound Marketing Storytelling
For many small businesses, outbound marketing takes a backseat to inbound marketing. But, as your marketing budget grows, you will want to extend your storytelling to your outbound marketing mix with:
- Print ads that attract new customers based on your mission statement and values
- Catalogs that present your products and services in light of your brand image
- Email blasts that connect on a personal level with your existing customers
Did you shrink away from the phrase “email blasts?” Spam gave email marketing a bad name for a while, but savvy marketers have adapted and recovered. Email marketing is again a viable and effective way to reach customers. In fact, survey after survey shows that customers are still signing up to get emails, they are opening them, and they’re linking to parent websites, particularly when email marketers use data to personalize their messages as much as possible.
Inbound vs Outbound: Reputation Management
Monitor your online reputation. Think of branding as part PR and part popularity contest, then use both inbound and outbound marketing to get attention and craft your image.
Outbound Marketing: Ask for reviews, send surveys, request feedback, and collect customer data
Inbound Marketing: Link your website to review sites such as Yelp, Angie’s Place, or Google Reviews
If you create a story that is genuine and attractive to customers, you run the risk of becoming beloved, popular, and highly recommended. Is your business ready for that? Make sure your infrastructure can handle the business your branding efforts will bring. Is your website mobile-optimized and prepared for high traffic? If you’re not sure, a qualified web developer can let you know.
