Outbound vs Inbound — Choosing Your Primary Channel

Outbound means you initiate contact with potential customers — cold email, LinkedIn outreach, cold calling, direct mail. It's resource-intensive and has a low response rate (1–5% for cold email at best), but it's the fastest way to get qualified conversations when you're pre-product-market-fit and need to learn fast. For reaching NDIS plan managers or aged care facility managers, outbound is often the right first move because these buyers are not searching Google for 'bathroom assessment software' — they're not digitally acquisitive in that way. They go to conferences (OT Australia, NDIS Provider Network events), they read professional publications, and they respond to peer recommendations. Personalised cold email outreach to OT practice managers or aged care OT leads can work well. The formula: (1) reference something specific about them or their organisation, (2) describe the problem in their language (from your customer interviews), (3) offer specific value upfront (free template, relevant case study, not just a demo request), (4) clear CTA with low commitment. Sequence over 3–4 touchpoints across 2 weeks.

Inbound means customers come to you — through search (SEO), content (blog, podcast, LinkedIn), community participation, partnerships, or App Store discovery. Inbound takes longer to build but compounds over time and is ultimately more scalable and less personally exhausting. For accessibility and healthcare apps, the most effective inbound channels are: SEO targeting OT-specific search terms ('NDIS bathroom assessment checklist,' 'occupational therapy report template Australia'), LinkedIn content positioning you as an expert in accessibility/aged care tech, conference talks at OT Australia or ACAS (Aged Care and Ageing Services), and partnership with OT professional associations. The best outcome is combining both: use outbound to generate your first 50 customers and learn what messaging works, then build inbound infrastructure (SEO, content, partnerships) using those learnings. Outbound is the accelerant; inbound is the engine.