What Is Outbound Marketing: Definition, Types & Strategy

“Hello, Sir/Ma’am, I’m calling from XYZ. We have a wide range of ABC products, and I was wondering if I could just steal a minute of your time?” 

Sounds familiar? Of course, it must have, we’ve all heard this. You pick a random call, and someone you’ve never met is suddenly trying to sell you their product, which they claim is  ‘going to change your life’. That, ladies and gentlemen, is cold calling, a prime example of outbound marketing. 

A business can opt for many options when it comes to marketing, and outbound marketing is something that’s grabbing a lot of attention these days. Outbound marketing is bold and direct, no waiting around, no hoping someone would miraculously stumble upon your website. Wondering how it works and what outbound strategies it includes? Let’s get the ball rolling, then!

What is Outbound Marketing?

Now, the real question: What is outbound marketing?

For you to understand it better, let us start by giving you an example first. 

Let us say you have an over-enthusiastic friend who stands in the middle of a crowded street and starts yelling,  “Hey, I fix sinks! Call me if your kitchen turns into a swimming pool.” That right there is outbound marketing. In simple words, outbound marketing is when a business actively (like the enthusiastic friend) searches for its potential customers and reaches out to them first. This includes TV ads, cold calls, cold emails, messages, billboards, etc. In short, their goal is to tell people about their products or services even before the customers show interest.

Inbound vs Outbound marketing

Inbound marketing and outbound marketing are two sides of the same coin. You cannot flip to outbound without checking inbound first. So to make things clearer, here’s a table that breaks it all down for you: 

Types of Outbound Marketing Channels

Heard of ATL and BTL? No, these aren’t any K-pop bands; they are actually marketing terms. ATL means those hard-to-ignore loud ads that you see on TV and radio, and BTL is more like sliding into someone’s DMS (superpersonal), like direct mail and flyers. Want to know how to use these two to actually drive sales? Then you must check out the seven outbound marketing tactics that can help your brand get noticed: 

1. Traditional Advertising 

Now let’s elaborate on that fancy ATL term: ATL means above-the-line advertising, and it is all about loud traditional advertising through megaphones, catchy radio tunes, TV ads, or massive billboards. You can spot traditional advertising in your everyday life. You must have seen those giant ads on Times Square or maybe noticed the big billboards along the highway. That’s traditional advertising! 

And do you remember the TV ad that played every time during the cricket match?  That full-page ad in your Sunday newspaper convincing you to take out a home loan? That is traditional advertising, too. You are walking through a mall, and there is a huge poster of a new movie. Later, you are listening to the radio, and there’s an ad for a new pizza place. That is traditional advertising again! 

2. Digital Advertising 

When digital ads were first introduced, they just existed. But now they know who you are,  where you live, what you like, and what you are likely to Google next. This is what below-the-line advertising is all about. They are not just everywhere; they are designed just for you. BTL advertising is smart, targeted, and basically shows you whatever is on your wishlist.

3. Through The Line Advertising 

We can say TTL is a combination of ATL and BTL. It is one big smart strategy that has a motive of mass reach, with a personal touch. Through the line advertising is where brands use both mass media ads, like TV and newspaper, and targeted ads like emails and social media for their brand awareness.

4. Cold Calling

Cold calling is another way of saying “You didn’t ask for it, but here comes the pitch”. It’s a sales technique in which businesses reach out to potential customers who don’t know them yet. A salesperson tries to sell customers something, and let’s be honest, it works on most days, but on the others? Not much.

5. Email Outbound Marketing

You must have seen those “hey! We miss you” emails from apps that you don’t use, or “Did you forget something in your cart?” emails from apps you were just using. This is email marketing in action. It is a form of outbound email marketing because a brand makes its first move towards communication. The following are the types of outbound emails:

• Welcome and onboarding emails
• Weekly newsletters
• New product launches
• Product feedback
• Cart abandonment emails
• Discount offers
• Customer retention campaigns
• Follow-up campaigns

6. Events and Shows

Events and trade shows are those face-to-face interactions where businesses can meet their prospects and win customers. It gives businesses a chance to make an impression by organising an event or showing up as a sponsor for an outbound marketing campaign.

7. Content Syndication

Content syndication might sound like a big term, but it's basically like letting your content crash at people's houses. It allows you to publish your content on third-party websites through a guest post, leadership post, or a fresh take on your existing articles. Brand collaborations can also lead to valuable content pieces like downloadable guides. It’s an effective strategy that helps businesses extend their content reach and exposure.

How to Build an Outbound Marketing Strategy

You know the channels,  now here’s how to put them to work strategically. Any fresher or a person looking to refine an old campaign can use this simple framework:

• Define Your Audience: Know about who you're targeting, their industry, pain points, and also where to reach them.
• Pick the Right Channels: Cold emails? Paid ads? Events? Choose based on what fits your audience and goals best. Sometimes a mix (like TTL marketing) works best.
• Craft Clear, Value-Focused Messaging: Don’t torture them with your product talk. Tell them what it can do for them. Keep it short, compelling, and tailored to the recipient.
• Set KPIs to Track Performance: Define what success looks like: email open rates, call connect rates, demo bookings, or conversions.
• Test, Tweak, and Repeat: Outbound isn't "set it and forget it." Test different messages, times, and audiences. Let the data lead you.

Pros and Cons of Outbound Marketing 

To know what makes tea sweet, you’ll have to taste it without sugar, too. By this, we mean that to know outbound marketing B2B fully, you will have to know both its pros and cons: 

Wrapping Up

When it comes to outbound marketing strategy for B2B, you want to hit the nail on the head every time. But let us face the harsh reality, sometimes it feels like you’re taking a shot in the dark. But worry no more, as Luru is here to the rescue. Instead of guessing which approach will work, Luru gives you the tools to target your audience with precision, personalised email campaigns, and build strong customer relationships. So, folks, it’s now time to say goodbye to trial and error, and hello to result-driven marketing!