B2B outbound marketing might have been synonymous with cold-calls, direct mail and trade shows in the past, but it’s evolved into something a lot more powerful and applicable in today’s digital world. The thing is, it’s got a lot of new contenders – inbound marketing being the chief one.While there are very real advantages to incorporating inbound marketing into your marketing mix – supported by plenty of statistics – B2B outbound marketing is still a highly effective way of getting your brand messaging to your audience and generating revenue – especially if you’re planning on taking your brand and products into international markets. In this blog, I’m going to explore some of the reasons why B2B outbound marketing still has a place in the digital age, and how it can be used alongside digital marketing for integrated lead generation.
Outbound marketing has evolved – and if paid advertising is anything to go by, it’s showing no signs of abating
When we talk about B2B outbound marketing, we’re not referring to the outbound marketing of old: one-size-fits-all billboard campaigns, incessant TV ads or cold-calling. Outbound marketing has evolved in response to buyer preference and behaviour. It has its foundation in highly targeted data, and has a place in personalised marketing strategies like account based marketing. Rather than being a choice of whether you use outbound or inbound marketing, marketers can use a combination of both – and you can bet that’s what your competitors are doing, judging by how strong the revenue from paid online advertising is. Google’s revenue from AdWords coming in at around £43 billion in 2015: paid advertising works simply because of the volume of people you can get your message in front of.
B2B outbound marketing has the potential to generate leads quickly – ideal for new businesses
One thing B2B outbound marketing is great at is generating leads quickly. Long term, inbound marketing has the potential to generate plenty of leads, but this requires patience. If you’re a new business, relying solely on inbound practices to get those leads into and down the sales funnel isn’t the best option for quick results. But by using both outbound and inbound marketing, you can generate leads today, and ensure they keep coming in one year down the line.
Outbound marketing tactics, such as email marketing, have become more powerful thanks to targeted data
As I mentioned above, data drives the success of marketing campaigns, and when combined with B2B outbound marketing tactics like email marketing, you’ve got a powerful cocktail for enjoying strong ROI. In fact, research from Econsultancy found that 73% of marketers view email marketing as good or excellent when it comes to ROI. But for an email marketing campaign to be successful, you need to source data that’s up to date, targeted, opted-in and compliant – or enlist the help of a partner who can source that data for you.
B2B Telemarketing is a channel for qualifying and nurturing leads, as well as collecting data about them
Telemarketing is a facet of B2B outbound marketing that is brilliant for qualifying and nurturing leads. Not only that, it’s a chance to begin a personal relationship with your prospects – one that should establish your brand as one they can trust. And given the fact that 80% sales are made only after the 5th to 12th contact with your brand, telemarketing is a great way to give your prospects as many touch points as possible. What’s more, B2B telemarketing is a chance for you to find out more about your prospects’ needs and pain points and enrich your databases.
Our guide, ‘Telemarketing in the Digital Age’ explores how B2B telemarketing has adapted to changing consumer behaviours and marketing trends, and how it can be used to generate and convert leads. Download it here:
