Outbound Vs. Inbound - Striking The Right Balance

SaaS Companies are under pressure to employ go-to-market tactics that drive quick results – but after the smoke clears, have they truly engaged their intended consumer for the long-term relationship?

How do fast growing companies strike the balance between the short-term marketing tactics that have a very quick return – but are also less scalable, and inhibit exponential growth — and others that have a far longer return?

Fortunately, I do not think that these concepts are mutually exclusive – that, in fact, there are some marketing levers that are attention grabbing, but inherently scalable, and – with the right balance — will eventually deliver the kind of consumer loyalty and stickiness that you’re looking for.

Here are some examples of walking this tight rope:

• Pay-Per-Click: If you spend money on clicks, let those dollars do more then just an entry into your conversion funnel. Turn every click into an A/B test, and use it to amplify content.
• Social Media: While trying to win a popularity contest on Twitter or Facebook can absolutely help you fill a bunch of hotel rooms over the weekend...content marketing is less effective at such short notice – you can, in parallel, make sure to engage “long tail” social media like Quora, Reddit, Disqus or even some LinkedIn groups – where you’ll cultivate long-term positive social media marketing.
• Home Pages versus Landing Pages: A nice homepage is important. But over time, the balance should include multiple dedicated landing pages that help you convert better and ensure relevancy with a targeted component of your customer base. Ideally, the majority of your incoming traffic lands on pages that are designed to respond to their needs on the first contact. Your homepage has too much service too many audiences to be relevant.
  Balance can be a challenge to achieve, given the pressures at most companies to get it done yesterday. I hope the above chart helps you think about how to do what you can on the right side to build for tomorrow while delivering for today on the left.