Is Email Marketing Inbound or Outbound? (With Examples)

Most businesses need a mixture of both inbound and outbound marketing to succeed. However, one question I often hear is where email marketing falls in the inbound vs. outbound divide. In reality, email marketing is so versatile that a business can use it for both inbound and outbound marketing. 

I’ll explain how, but first, let’s briefly go over what those two terms mean.

Meaning

Inbound marketing is any kind of marketing that draws in potential customers by offering valuable content, solving their problems, and building trust. Think blog posts, social media engagement, and SEO magic. It's all about making your brand a magnet for the group of people you consider your ideal customers. 

On the flip side, outbound is inbound's eccentric brother. 

Outbound marketing is like a megaphone. It entails pushing your message out to your target audience, whether they're ready for it or not. Traditional ads, cold calling, and cold emails often fall into this category.

It's essentially you shoving your brand in the faces of your ideal customers, but trying to do it in the least annoying and most helpful way possible. 

So with that out of the way, how can businesses use email marketing to play both sides of the field?

Email Marketing For Inbound Marketing

Picture this: Someone visits your e-commerce store. They like your products but aren't quite ready to hit that "Buy Now" button. So, they sign up for your newsletter or a free eBook. With this, you're officially on their radar and they're signaling that they're ready to be courted.

You start sending them valuable content - helpful tips, product recommendations, and engaging stories. They open your emails, looking forward to what you have to say. You're not interrupting their day; you're enhancing it. 

Congratulations - you've just embraced inbound email marketing.

For some examples of inbound email marketing that I'm certain you're familiar with, see the images below:

Welcome Email Sample

Abandoned Cart Sample

Black Friday Sample

Using Email For Outbound Marketing

Now, let's switch gears. Imagine you've got a new product launch or service offer, and you want the world to know. You compile a list of potential customers and send them a concise email introducing your awesome creation and its benefits. 

You're taking the initiative to reach out, even if they haven't asked for it. This "cold emailing" approach is by far the most popular form of outbound marketing - especially in the B2B industry. 

As a business owner, I've received my fair share of head-scratchingly terrible cold emails (it's a rite of passage), however, here's one I recently received that was decent:

So, there you have it. Email marketing is a chameleon that doesn't neatly fit into the boxes of inbound or outbound. It all comes down to your needs.

The beauty of email marketing is that you have the power to choose its role in your strategy. You can be the friendly neighbor who drops by with helpful advice, or you can be the enthusiastic town crier sharing exciting news with the world.

Here at RPM, we're far from the best when it comes to outbound marketing - not that we're trying to be. When it comes to inbound marketing for e-comm brands though, no one does it better!

Touch the big orange button below to see if we can help you.