11 Of the Best Outbound Marketing Strategies

If you’ve been doing research on marketing strategies, then you’ve probably noticed that inbound marketing is all the rage. 

However, outbound marketing is still one of the most valuable marketing avenues. According to reports, many businesses dedicate as much as 90% of their marketing budgets to outbound marketing strategies. 

This stat alone shows how impactful outbound marketing can be. 

That said, you have to use the right outbound marketing strategies if you want to see results. 

Not sure which outbound marketing avenues will generate results? Maximize your budget and efforts by reading this guide on the most effective outbound marketing strategies you can leverage. 

1. Pay-per-Click, Display Advertising, and Paid Search Ads

Some of the most popular outbound marketing strategies for driving lead generation and sales are pay-per-click (PPC), display ads, and paid search ads. 

These ads allow you to market your offerings across websites and search results. Not only can they win you more traffic, but they are also a lot quicker to generate results than organic methods such as search engine marketing. 

Compared to traditional media advertising, these types of online ads are often also a lot cheaper and allow for better targeting. 

While traditional media advertising such as TV commercials are displayed to a wide swath of people for a set price, online marketing ads methods enable you to:

• Set a maximum ad budget (after this your ads don’t display)
• Target specific demographics, life events, custom intent, interests, etc. 
• Guide leads directly to your landing pages

With traditional media, there can also be more friction points. For instance, during a radio ad listeners would need to write down your phone number before the ad ends to get in contact with you. With digital advertising, they can simply click on your ad or call to action and be directed right to the applicable landing page. 

2. Social Media Advertising

Another form of digital advertising that’s very effective is social media advertising. Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram allow marketers and businesses to create minutely targeted ads. 

Because social media platforms have access to very specific user data, they can offer highly refined targeting parameters to advertisers. 

This is very advantageous, both for your marketing budget and conversion rates. Highly targeted advertising costs less than broadly targeted ads because they display to fewer people. 

However, the people that these targeted social media ads do display to are more likely to click on or react to them. Why? Because they are a niche, target audience whose interests and needs are more aligned with what you are advertising. 

Curious to learn more about using social media channels and ads to promote your business? Check out our post on how to use Facebook ads for your local business. 

3. Boosting Popular Social Media Posts

Besides investing in social media advertising, another effective outbound strategy is boosting successful social media posts. 

This is a great way to maximize your content creation efforts. You can also use this to promote a post linking to a blog post that you want to drive traffic to. 

The best rule of thumb for promoting popular posts is to wait a few weeks and see which posts stand out in terms of engagement and shares. Once you can see which were the most successful, you can start a campaign to promote them. 

4. Ad Retargeting

Ad retargeting is arguably one of the best outbound marketing strategies. 

Ad retargeting is the practice of targeting digital advertising to leads that have already displayed interest in your offerings. For example, you could direct retargeted ads to a lead who visited your website. 

By retargeting them you can remind them of your offerings and keep your brand top of mind. This can result in increased sales, leads, and conversions. 

Besides being highly effective, retargeted ads can also be less annoying than other types of advertisements and marketing strategies. One of the reasons for this is that retargeted ads are relevant to the viewer. According to research, 74% of people hate being shown irrelevant content. 

What’s more, some people even like receiving retargeted advertising. This could be because retargeted ads are often helpful for consumers, and help to remind them of sites they want to revisit or purchases they still need to make. 

Stats show that 25% of consumers enjoy seeing retargeted ads. Additionally, consumers who see retargeted ads are 70% more likely to convert than those who don’t. This means that retargeted ads perform 10x better than regular display ads. 

5. Email Marketing

Another highly effective outbound marketing strategy is email marketing. Email marketing is notorious for attracting a high ROI, and for triggering supercharged conversions through lead nurturing. 

Stats show that email marketing ROI can be as high as 4,400% and that shoppers spend 138% more when marketed to via email than those who don’t receive email offers. 

Besides driving consistent results and having an attractive ROI, email marketing also ties in very well with other marketing methods. 

When it comes to inbound vs outbound marketing, many people think of these two areas as completely separate. However, most of the best marketing campaigns feature a combination of complementary inbound and outbound marketing methods. 

Email marketing happens to fit hand in glove with things like SEO and content marketing. These inbound marketing strategies can be a powerful way to generate leads organically. Once they land on your site, you might be able to draw them into your email list. 

In general, leads are more likely to sign up to an email list through free value and content than things like paid ads. Once they are on your email list, you can continue marketing to them and begin building a relationship. 

Besides asking leads to join your email list, you can also engage in cold email outreach. 

Of course, just like any other digital marketing strategy, email marketing will only yield impactful results if you do it right. 

Some of the tips for successful email marketing include segmenting your list for better targeting, catering to the buyer’s journey, and providing continual value. 

You should also pick a good cadence for emails, work on including a good call-to-action, and focusing on targeted communications over general email blasts. 

6. Video Ads

Video ads are another of the top-performing outbound marketing strategies. Video is fast taking over as one of the most engaging content types. What’s more, viewers are usually forced to watch at least a portion of video ads. 

For instance, on Youtube, viewers watch a few seconds of most ads before having the option to “skip ad.” If you can create compelling, engaging ads that are targeted to the right potential customers, you can maximize the chances of viewers watching the whole ad.

Even if they don’t watch the entire ad, video ads are great for increasing brand awareness.

7. Print, TV, and Radio Ads

Print, TV, and radio ads are some of the oldest outbound marketing strategies. These traditional advertising methods include:

• Magazine ads
• Newspaper ads
• TV commercials
• Radio ads

As digital marketing has taken off in full force, these traditional media ads have lost some favor. 

However, they still deserve a place in your marketing budget. Although these older outbound strategies might not have the reach and versatility as certain digital methods, they can still be a successful outbound strategy. 

One of the reasons for this is that traditional media advertising is less crowded these days than online marketing methods. As fewer companies are opting to advertise on mass media channels, this can allow your brand to stand out. 

It can also be an effective way to reach niche audiences, particularly older demographics who still consume more traditional media and may not utilize online channels. For instance, you might reach more seniors through something like a newspaper ad than a display ad. 

8. Cold Calling

Outbound marketing strategies sometimes get a bad rap, and one of the most discredited ones is cold calling. However, cold calls can still be effective if done properly. 

This is because some consumers are better reached over the phone than via other channels. Additionally, like traditional media advertising, cold calls are less popular than they once were. This means there is less competition, and more chance that your cold call will be accepted. 

Phoning up leads also lends a personal element to your brand and gives leads a chance to engage with a real human voice. 

To maximize cold phone calls, make sure you contact qualified leads. If leads are qualified, this maximizes the chance of a conversion. Also, ensure that your sales agents are well trained and able to inject warmth and feeling into marketing calls.

9. Trade Shows and Industry Events

Attending trade shows and industry events can be one of the more expensive outbound marketing strategies. Dispatching members of your sales team to a trade show means you will have to pay for transport, floor space, etc. 

However, depending on your business type, trade shows and industry events can garner your brand valuable exposure. 

Not only do these types of events win you exposure, but they are also a source of prestige. Securing a stand at a renowned trade show in your industry can cement you as a winner in your niche. 

10. Direct Mail

Another traditional outbound marketing strategy a lot of marketers are passing by these days is direct mail.

Snail mail used to be the equivalent of email marketing. Previously, people would receive a thick stack of direct mail marketing every week.

Now, this has shrunk to a trickle. Which is one of the reasons why direct mail is once again a winning strategy. 

Because direct mail is becoming such an underutilized marketing tool, your mail is likely to stand out and catch receivers’ attention. 

What’s more, direct mail is still a very effective way to reach older audiences and target groups. 

Another reason to use direct mail is that there is something noteworthy about receiving a physical letter nowadays. A consumer who receives a hardcopy letter from a brand or company is likely to feel more valued than if they simply received an email. 

Additionally, many people are starting to crave a break from digital content and communications. Where before it was commonplace, now being able to read a physical letter has a hint of luxury to it. 

The final reason to leverage direct mail is that it triggers higher recall rates. According to one scientific study, brand recall is 70% higher with direct mail than online ads. 

11. Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing often falls as an inbound marketing strategy. However, many of its elements define it as an outbound marketing technique. 

If you’re unfamiliar with the term, influencer marketing is the practice of partnering with influencers to promote your content. For example, if you’re a brand that sells natural body and hair care products, you might partner with a beauty or eco-freindly influencer who will then feature you in some of their content. 

Because it taps into successful influencers’ audiences, influencer marketing can be a powerful way to leverage social media while you are still creating a social media strategy of your own. Besides this, you can also use it as a long-term technique to promote your brand. 

If done right, influencer marketing can not only generate leads but also be a powerful way to build trust and brand awareness. 

The key is to vet influencers thoroughly and choose ones who have loyal audiences that also match your target market. For example, partnering with an influencer who creates content around, say, breeding goldfish, is probably not going to be a suitable match if your offering is hair and body products, no matter how many followers they have. 

Implement These Outbound Marketing Strategies for Enhanced Growth

Although inbound marketing is all the rage, this doesn’t mean you should avoid outbound marketing strategies. On the contrary, outbound marketing is essential for driving growth. It can be an invaluable source of lead generation, especially while you’re waiting on slower building inbound methods to mature. 

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