Outbound marketing
What is outbound marketing?
Outbound marketing is any marketing where the business starts the contact: cold email, cold calling, direct mail, trade shows and interruptive ads. It is the opposite of inbound marketing, where prospects find you.
Done well, outbound is targeted and relevant; done badly, it is spam.
Why outbound marketing matters
Outbound works from day one, before a brand has an audience or search rankings. Most companies use it alongside inbound.
Related marketing terms
Inbound marketing attracts customers who come to you through useful content, search, communities and referrals, rather than cold outreach.
Outbound sales is when sellers find and contact prospects first, by email, phone or social messages, instead of waiting for inbound leads.
Cold outreach is contacting people who do not know you yet, by email, phone, social message or in communities, to start a conversation.
Prospecting is searching for and qualifying potential customers, then making first contact to start a sales conversation.