9 killer outbound marketing tips to drive growth in 2018

Despite what many believe, outbound marketing is still a viable option for moving leads through your sales funnel. There has been a recent push to focus more on inbound marketing, and inbound is certainly effective.

However, inbound also has its drawbacks. For example, it may generate demand for your content rather than your product or service. It is best used in conjunction with outbound marketing. You can’t rely on just one, so in order to convert more leads into customers, you need to leverage a combination of both. The question shouldn’t be “inbound vs. outbound,” but rather how can you combine the two to drive growth?

Here are nine highly effective outbound marketing tips to help you close more deals.

1. Social media advertising

With so many people on social media these days (2.34 billion to be exact), it’s hard to go wrong with social media advertising. Plus, that number is expected to grow to 3.02 billion by 2021.

Advertising on different social media channels comes at varying costs. Facebook is normally the cheapest because it’s pay-per-click and can start as low as five dollars. Twitter is likely the most expensive. Do your research and decide which channel is best for your audience, and push those ads out to the virtual world.

2. Boost successful social media posts

Boosting a post is different than posting an ad. You create an ad and determine more options around who it goes to, etc. Then, it appears with the words “Suggested Post” at the top, making it obvious that it’s an ad.

Boosting a post is simply taking a post that you made, and paying a little to extend the reach of it. It doesn’t appear as an ad, but rather just your normal post. Boosting puts your post in front of more people.

The best time to boost a post is when you see one doing particularly well, with lots of shares or likes. Boost that post, and it’s likely to skyrocket in engagement and seriously increase your social return on investment.

3. PPC advertising

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising involves creating an ad with an image that is linked to a particular landing page or another page on your website. You know when you do a Google search, and a few of the results at the top say “Ad” next to them? Those are PPC ads.

They are fairly easy to set up and run. Once your ads are up and running, you only pay when someone clicks on your ad (hence the name). If your ad isn’t successful, you won’t end up having to pay much for the flop. Learn more about PPC advertising.

4. Cold calling

Cold calling is still a viable and necessary part of an outbound marketing strategy. As annoying as it is to receive those calls, it’s necessary to make them. Although many people will hang up or say they’re not interested, a percentage of those you call will actually be interested and become leads.

Moreover, with the technology available today, you can make many more calls in much less time than was previously possible. Advanced crm telephony used in conjunction with a CRM can turn your team into a lean, mean, calling machine.

5. Email newsletters

Email newsletters are a great way to get the word out about new product and service offerings to new leads. You can leverage a marketing automation solution to create a branded, professional-looking email newsletter in a matter of minutes.

You can find free email newsletter templates all over the internet. It’s easy to find a design template that fits your needs and your brand’s personality. Then, with email marke

ting capabilities, you can send it to your entire list of leads in no time.

6. Print and radio ads

You’re probably thinking: these tactics are dead in the water now that we’ve entered the age of digital marketing. However, print and radio ads can be highly successful, particularly for smaller businesses with a local presence. It shouldn’t cost too much to run these ads, and if you target just those in your community, it is a great way to get the word out about your local business. When you’re developing your outbound marketing strategy, don’t forget to consider these types of ads.

7. Video Ads

Video is one of the most engaging forms of marketing content, and video ads are no exception. YouTube lets you easily upload your video and determine who to target. If you run a bakery, you don’t want your ad appearing before a video about construction materials. YouTube lets you determine which kinds of videos your ad runs before. Plus, just like with PPC advertising, you only pay when someone shows interest in your ad, making it a highly effective and cost-efficient tactic for outbound marketing.

8. Tradeshows and other industry events

This one is an oldie but a goodie. Tradeshows aren’t going anywhere, so why not sponsor one and show up with your highest-quality marketing materials, best sales reps, and product experts. It’s a great way to get in front of new leads. It also helps to illustrate that you are on par with (or superior to) your competition. If they show up and you don’t, how does that look?

Always make sure to bring lead sheets to take down the info of anyone who is interested. Or, check with event organizers to see if they provide badge scanners. Most tradeshows give a name badge to attendees, and a scanner lets you simply scan their badge, and all of their information flows into a lead list that you receive after the event.

9. Email blasts with one-time offers or discounts

Good old email blasts. They still work. Email use is in fact still growing, despite the onslaught of social media. With the right email marketing capabilities, you can create an email quickly and send it just as fast.

When sending email blasts to new leads, include an offer of some kind. Perhaps a one-time discount for new customers. It really doesn’t matter what the offer is; people love free stuff. Receiving an unsolicited marketing email from a company can be frustrating, but when it includes an offer for something free, you’re much more likely to grab the recipient’s attention.

Conclusion

Although inbound marketing has seen a serious surge in the last few years, it can’t bring you leads and convert them all on its own. It needs to be complemented by outbound marketing tactics. When used in unison, they form the perfect marketing storm that is certain to help you generate more leads and close more deals. Use the tactics above, and you’ll be well on your way to marketing success.