Inbound vs. aggressive marketing
- Written by Stephanie Salomon on
Acquiring new customers is the backbone of every business. As competition increases, attracting and securing these individuals becomes more challenging.
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Acquiring new customers is the backbone of every business. As competition increases, attracting and securing these individuals becomes more challenging.
With so many choices, consumers now have the luxury of flipping between websites. Grabbing their attention has never been more important.
Many marketers have turned to a practice known as aggressive marketing (not to be confused with outbound marketing, which involves actively seeking out your prospects through paid channels), in hopes of capturing and compelling prospects to take action. These marketing techniques can take many forms, all of which aim to create an immediate impact.
Aggressive marketing is in opposition to more passive forms that aim to build relationships over time by strengthening brand awareness and offering prospects content and information they are seeking. These inbound methods develop trust gradually and are less forceful than aggressive techniques. The aim of inbound marketing is to satisfy an existing need so that when prospects find you, they are already seeking your solution... something achieved by improving visibility, driving traffic and gaining leads.
With that said, let’s look at the different methods involved with each approach.
Examples of inbound marketing
Inbound marketing techniques are geared to your prospects finding you easily, because they want what you offer.
Examples of aggressive marketing
Aggressive marketing involves any immediate and forceful technique that prospects find hard to ignore. The aim is to persuade prospects to immediately click to find out more.
Pros and cons
So, which of these techniques is more effective? Let’s look at the pros and cons of both forms first.
Inbound marketing pros:
Inbound marketing cons:
Aggressive marketing pros:
Aggressive marketing cons:
The takeaway
Both techniques have pros and cons, and many businesses employ both approaches to some extent. However, problems arise when aggressive marketing tactics overtake inbound ones.
A study conducted by The Tuck School of Business in conjunction with New York University and the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania demonstrated how more aggressive ads performed poorly compared to passive methods.
Affiliate marketing is aimed at providing prospects with something of value and connecting consumers with the right brands. Using your content or blog to promote your links is one of the most recognized forms of affiliate marketing... because it works.
Awin provides the tools for publishers to link and track your sales easily, leaving you free to work more on your inbound marketing methods, in addition to our lead generation service.
It’s clear to see why aggressive marketing doesn’t work as although prospects are generally looking to buy, they want to make their purchases on their own terms, not yours. Forcing them to consider your products without taking the time to build a relationship is a recipe for failure.
However, occasionally employing a strong call-to-action technique with a warm audience can help an indecisive buyer make up their mind.
Just make sure you never use deceptive marketing methods, or you will soon lose any relationship you have with them.
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