WAFFLE AGENCY & ADMIRE PR
GUEST BLOG
Back in the mid nineties, when this question was posed in a fantastically written comedy featuring three Irish Priests, this was the height of seriousness of the choices I faced at that time.
For many of you reading this, that may well have been the same for you!
Nowadays, the choices you might face may have more importance, and in my world of Marketing, many people consider the choice between inbound and outbound channels as clear cut – one or the other.
However, just like in the 1990’s, liking both Oasis and Blur, I feel both channels compliment each other (not something these two bands ever did, of course!) Both inbound and outbound marketing have their advantages, and working alongside each other can have a momentous effect.
In a Lead Generation campaign, inbound leads generated through Social Media or PPC, for example, can fill your database. This can be added to by creating an Ideal Customer Profile and identifying target clients that fit this profile. By creating Account Profiles for both sets of data, all targets can be approached with insight into those leads via outbound channels, be it Calls, Direct Mail or Email, with a relevant user story, showing actual thought into the reason you are getting in touch and what your service actually could mean to them.
Not all your target clients are the same – some will find you and some need to be found. Either way, you need to ensure that your first personal connection with them is genuine, well thought out, and with the clients’ needs and desires in mind.
I love a music analogy, and in this case I’d say Oasis would be the outbound channel – more direct and straight to the point lyrics and music, whereas Blur were always more thought provoking, enticing you to look deeper into the meaning, so you could say represent inbound marketing – And of course the output of both still stands the test of time!
And to finish with one last musical reference, once you have converted that lead, in the words of Simon & Garfunkel, “Keep the customer satisfied”.
