Differentiating should include

• outbound marketing—the traditional approach of sending marketing materials to the customer; sometimes referred to as push
• press releases
• printed brochures
• mailers
• email marketing
• inbound marketing—methods of attracting the customer to you; sometimes referred to as pull
• social media optimization (SMO)
• search engine optimization (SEO)
• social media advertising
• social media influencers
• word-of-mouth.

Process/Skill Questions:

• How does the goal of outbound marketing differ from the goal of inbound marketing?
• When might a business choose outbound over inbound marketing methods?
• How do inbound strategies such as SEO, SMO, and word-of-mouth help customers find a business on their own, and why is this valuable in today’s digital environment?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of push marketing compared to pull marketing when trying to reach different market segments?
• How can a business combine both outbound and inbound marketing to create a more complete and effective marketing strategy?