Marketing has traditionally been divided into two camps: inbound and outbound. But there’s a powerful strategy emerging that combines the best of both worlds.
Welcome to midbound marketing—the approach that’s revolutionizing how B2B companies generate and convert leads.
The Problem with Pure Inbound
Inbound marketing attracts visitors through content, SEO, and social media. It’s effective, but has limitations:
| Inbound Challenge | Impact |
|---|---|
| Long time to results | 6-12 months before significant traffic |
| Passive by nature | You wait for leads to come to you |
| Low conversion rates | Only 2-3% of visitors fill out forms |
| No control over timing | Leads arrive when they’re ready, not you |
The harsh reality: 97% of your inbound traffic leaves without ever identifying themselves. Learn how to track these anonymous visitors.
The Problem with Pure Outbound
Outbound marketing proactively reaches potential customers through cold email, calls, and ads. It’s faster, but has its own issues:
| Outbound Challenge | Impact |
|---|---|
| Low response rates | 1-3% reply rates on cold outreach |
| Perceived as spam | Buyers are fatigued by generic messages |
| High cost per lead | Requires significant SDR investment |
| No intent signals | You’re guessing who might be interested |
The harsh reality: Most outbound is a numbers game with terrible odds.
Enter Midbound: The Best of Both Worlds
Midbound marketing is the strategic middle ground:
Midbound = Inbound intent signals + Outbound proactive outreach
Instead of waiting for form fills OR blindly cold-emailing, midbound identifies people showing interest and reaches out while they’re engaged.
How Midbound Works
Visitor arrives on your website (inbound attraction)
↓
Visitor identification reveals who they are
↓
Intent signals show what they're interested in
↓
Personalized outreach based on behavior (outbound action)
↓
Warm conversation instead of cold callThe Midbound Advantage
| Metric | Inbound | Outbound | Midbound |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead identification | 2-3% | N/A | 40%+ |
| Response rate | N/A | 1-3% | 15-25% |
| Time to first contact | When they convert | Immediate | Within minutes |
| Personalization | High | Low | Very High |
| Scalability | Limited | High | High |
Implementing Midbound Marketing
Step 1: Capture Intent with Visitor Identification
The foundation of midbound is knowing who’s on your site. Traditional analytics tell you page views—visitor identification tells you names, emails, and companies.
What you need:
- Visitor identification tool (like Leadpipe)
- Real-time alerts for high-intent pages
- CRM integration for seamless handoff
What you get with Leadpipe:
| Data Point | Available |
|---|---|
| Full name | ✅ |
| Email address | ✅ |
| Phone number | ✅ |
| Company & title | ✅ |
| LinkedIn profile | ✅ |
| Pages visited | ✅ |
| Visit duration | ✅ |
Step 2: Define Intent Signals
Not all page views are equal. Create a scoring system:
High Intent (reach out immediately):
- Pricing page visit
- Demo or trial page
- Product comparison page
- Multiple pages in one session
- Return visits
Medium Intent (nurture first):
- Product feature pages
- Case studies
- Integration documentation
Low Intent (add to awareness campaigns):
- Blog posts only
- Career page visits
- Single page bounces
Step 3: Craft Contextual Outreach
Midbound outreach references specific behavior without being creepy:
Template for pricing page visitors:
Hi [Name],
Saw you were exploring [Your Company] for [specific use case based on pages visited].
Quick question: What’s the biggest challenge you’re trying to solve with [solution category]?
Happy to share how [similar company in their industry] approached it.
Why this works:
- Timely (they just showed interest)
- Relevant (references their research)
- Value-focused (offers insight, not a pitch)
- Conversational (asks a question)
Step 4: Multi-Channel Follow-Up
Don’t rely on email alone. A multi-touch, multi-channel approach works best:
| Day | Channel | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Initial outreach | |
| 2 | Connection request | |
| 4 | Follow-up with value | |
| 7 | Phone | Quick call attempt |
| 10 | Final touch with resource |
Midbound vs. Traditional Approaches
Scenario: 1,000 Website Visitors
Pure Inbound Approach:
- 30 fill out forms (3%)
- 10 are sales-ready
- 3 become opportunities
- Result: 3 opportunities
Pure Outbound Approach:
- 0 from website (you’re cold calling a list)
- 1,000 cold emails to purchased list
- 20 responses (2%)
- 5 become opportunities
- Result: 5 opportunities (but lower quality)
Midbound Approach:
- 400 identified by Leadpipe (40%)
- 200 show high intent signals
- 100 reached with personalized outreach
- 25 respond positively (25%)
- 15 become opportunities
- Result: 15 opportunities (3-5x more)
The Technology Stack for Midbound
| Function | Recommended Tool |
|---|---|
| Visitor Identification | Leadpipe |
| CRM | HubSpot, Salesforce |
| Email Sequences | Apollo, Outreach, Reply.io |
| LinkedIn Automation | Linked Helper, Dripify |
| Analytics | GA4 + Leadpipe |
Why Leadpipe is Essential for Midbound
Midbound requires person-level identification—not just company names. Here’s how tools compare:
| Capability | Leadpipe | Leadfeeder | RB2B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Person-level ID | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Match rate | 40%+ | ~15% | ~5% |
| Email addresses | ✅ | ❌ | Pro only |
| Phone numbers | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Real-time alerts | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
With only company-level data, you can’t do true midbound—you’re still cold outreaching to generic company emails. For more options, see our RB2B alternatives comparison.
Common Midbound Mistakes
1. Moving Too Slow
Problem: Waiting hours or days to reach out Solution: Set up real-time alerts and respond within 5 minutes for high-intent signals
2. Being Too Obvious
Problem: “I saw you were on our pricing page…” Solution: Reference behavior naturally—“exploring solutions for X” instead of “viewing specific URL”
3. Ignoring the Journey
Problem: Same message for all visitors Solution: Tailor outreach based on pages visited and content consumed
4. No Follow-Up System
Problem: One email and done Solution: Build multi-touch, multi-channel sequences
5. Wrong Tool Stack
Problem: Using company-level identification for person-level outreach Solution: Invest in person-level tools like Leadpipe
Measuring Midbound Success
Track these KPIs:
| Metric | Target | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Identification rate | 40%+ | Foundation of midbound |
| Response rate | 15-25% | Indicates relevance |
| Meeting rate | 5-10% | Measures effectiveness |
| Pipeline from midbound | 30-50% | ROI validation |
| Cycle time | -20% | Speed advantage |
The Future is Midbound
The lines between inbound and outbound are blurring. Buyers expect:
- Personalization based on their interests
- Timely outreach when they’re evaluating
- Value-first conversations, not pitches
Midbound delivers all three by combining intent data with proactive outreach.
Start Your Midbound Strategy Today
The first step is visibility—you can’t reach out to visitors you can’t identify.
With Leadpipe, you can:
- Identify 40%+ of your website visitors
- Get person-level contact details
- See exactly what pages they viewed
- Receive real-time alerts for high-intent behavior
Get started with 500 free leads:
Midbound isn’t just a tactic—it’s a philosophy. Meet buyers where they are, when they’re interested, with relevant value. That’s the future of B2B marketing.
