The building materials industry has, in many ways, remained unchanged over the years, but even it is not immune to the global shift toward digital. In order for your business to be truly successful online, you need to be open to trying different things. Lead generation and building brand awareness are all about combining inbound and outbound marketing techniques to fuel a strategy that will resonate with your audience.
Just because you have been doing things a specific way all of these years doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try a new approach. When it’s time to speak to your audience of contractors, interior designers, architects, or DIY homeowners, you may find that each has very unique product needs.
In truth, when it comes to using both inbound and outbound techniques, neither one should negate the other. They complement one another in many ways, which can help your building materials business grow and evolve both online and offline.
Here are some ways that inbound and outbound marketing can work together for your building materials brand. This includes those who supply building materials in the B2B and B2C markets.
What's The Difference Between Inbound Marketing And Outbound Marketing?
With inbound marketing, you're attracting customers to you rather than seeking them out. By creating great, informative content and making it easy to find on social media and via organic search, you are catching people at the right time: when they’re actively seeking a solution to their problems.
Outbound is when you go out and actively seek customers, either online or offline. Basically, it’s the old way of doing marketing—it involves traditional tactics like advertising and cold calling in the hopes that something sticks, regardless of where a potential customer is in their buyer’s journey.
The key to joining inbound and outbound techniques is understanding that journey and following up when the time is right.
Combining Inbound Marketing And Outbound Marketing For B2B
You might operate a B2B building materials business that desperately needs to find more customers in the new year. It's easier to determine which leads are most apt to buy from you when combining inbound and outbound techniques.
Let’s say you regularly engage in outbound marketing activities like attending trade shows or investing in paid advertisements. These are particularly effective given the fact that many contractors are busy and don’t necessarily spend a lot of time on the Internet to look for suppliers.
But what happens after that first touch? They may get a great first impression of your brand, but if they’re not ready to invest in your products right then and there, you stand a chance to lose them as time passes.
In many cases, the start of the inbound phase of marketing to them will be via email. Whether you collect their information in person or have a way for them to volunteer it on your website, you can turn that initial outbound-driven interaction into an ongoing, inbound-driven relationship by sending them strategic follow-up emails in the days and weeks following your first encounter.
This helps not only keep your brand top-of-mind for when they are ready to buy, but it instills a sense of credibility and trust in your brand over time.
Combining Inbound And Outbound For B2C
For those selling building materials in the B2C space, the outbound process can be a little different. You don’t often see homeowners with DIY projects attending trade shows or reading building materials industry publications, but there are still ways to make an outbound-centric first touch. Traditional paid advertising can still be very effective.
For these consumers, the idea of following up as soon as they’ve made that initial engagement is still important. But remember, their interests and needs can vary greatly from a B2B prospect like a contractor or architect. They’re looking at their purchase as a long-term investment rather than an ongoing supply relationship. Your follow-up messaging will need to reflect that.
B2C prospects are also much more likely to be online, especially on social media. Here, you can marry outbound and inbound by investing in outbound social advertising (e.g. Facebook ads, sponsored Twitter posts, etc.) to grab their attention and then solidify the relationship by engaging with them and providing helpful information via those same social media channels.
Other Combination Methods To Consider
Speaking engagements are a major form of outbound marketing. As a way to bring in the inbound marketing element, you can mention some of your online content during an industry convention or trade show. This gives you solid material to speak about while also providing the opportunity for prospects to engage after the fact.
Also, look at your inbound email marketing list and contact leads you know would visit a trade show or business event. You can meet these customers face-to-face and let them inspect your building products in person, bringing an outbound element to a prospect who came in through an inbound-centric channel.
Don’t be afraid to get creative. There are so many different ways to combine inbound and outbound marketing. It’s important to always remember who your audience is, where they spend time, and what their behaviors are both on and offline in order to create a strategy that will be most effective for your brand.
