What differentiates push marketing from pull marketing and can both techniques work together? Read this blog post to find out more.

Let’s consider this situation. You’re in the process of buying a new laptop for yourself. Before deciding which one is right for you, your first step will probably be to go through a number of online reviews online to make an informed decision. Once you narrow down your search, you will visit the store (physical or online) to examine the models and specs before committing to your final decision.  

In other words, you were ‘pulled’ into considering certain brands due to the company’s marketing. Then, you were ‘pushed’ to select the right one for you by furthering your research and examining the laptops for yourself. 

This is just one example of how push-and-pull marketing can work both separately and together as a team. 

What is push marketing?

Push marketing is a tactic intended to “push” products on a certain target market. Push marketing aims to reach clients with what you have to offer through marketing. For instance, you can promote your products through social media marketing content.

Push marketing, also referred to as direct marketing, is a type of all-purpose advertising. For example, when we go grocery shopping, we tend to keep an eye out for signs announcing deals and we gravitate towards them, ending up buying products that we didn’t know we needed. This is what push marketing is.

The push marketing strategy

Let’s consider a push marketing strategy. Your marketing company is ready for its grand reveal. However, other businesses and your potential customers have no idea that you exist. This is where push marketing comes in. 

You will use tactics like email marketing, putting out ads in local shops, and/or creating a social media business page to expand your reach. When your goal is to make your company known to as many people as possible, push marketing is an effective way to go since it will get the word out and what you do and what you’re offering. 

If your business has been around for quite some time, you can also use a push strategy in a different way, for example by creating a time-limited offer. To get the word out, use a channel that your target audience is closely tied to, like a social media platform or by creating a landing page with a CTA at the end.

What is pull marketing?

The optimum time to use pull marketing is when you want to entice customers to buy your goods. By offering marketing materials that highlight what they’re seeking, the objective is to develop devoted customers.

Pull marketing has become essential to marketplaces with high saturation, like new apps or apparel firms, in the age of consumers who educate themselves about goods and services. Pull marketing demonstrates your brand’s distinctiveness.

The pull marketing strategy

Let’s take a look at a successful pull marketing strategy. If your business sells candles, you will want your brands to be the first that customers choose. Pull marketing channels can help you achieve this. 

You can get a successful result by starting a blog on your website, running specialised social media campaigns about your candles, and focusing on what makes your brand stand out from your competitors. 

To spice up your pull marketing strategy, you will also need to focus on SEO for your online marking to be discoverable to your target audience. Reviews, both online and word-of-mouth, will also help strengthen your reputation and campaign. 

Your business’ goal will be focused on credibility and reliability rather than marketing to make sales. This will pull your customers to your business. Although pull marketing strategies typically take longer to get results than push marketing techniques, they guarantee long-term clientele and expansion. 

Now that you’ve probably wondered how to be sure you’re choosing the proper kind of marketing for your company, let’s examine the two approaches in more detail. 

Push or Pull Marketing? 

Push marketing, also known as outbound marketing, is fueled by the information you push to your audience through your marketing and can result in quicker sales. Pull marketing, also known as inbound marketing, is driven by the internal creation and refinement of a marketable brand for both potential and current clients.

Consider how you want to interact with customers when choosing the approach that works best for your company. Push will probably be the best course of action if you’re attempting to spread the word about your company. Pull is generally the greatest strategy if you’re a marketer trying to create brand awareness in your industry, possibly for a particular good or service.

Building brand loyalty with an external strategy is challenging since push marketing prioritises quick sales. Pull marketing has the drawback that you might not reach the proper target market. You must understand who your customers are and what they’re looking for in order to connect with them. 

By combining the best elements of both push and pull marketing techniques in a way that’s complementary to your company, audience, and goals, you can ensure that you’re covering all your bases with your marketing approach. 

Push and pull marketing working together

Push and pull marketing techniques can complement one another. Customers require a push to generate demand and a pull to fulfil that want. A push is required to reach people who haven’t heard of your business. You can draw in customers who are a little further along in the purchasing process.

Push Strategy examples; 

• Display ads 
• Billboards 
• Direct marketing 

Pull Strategy examples; 

• Social media marketing 
• SEO 
• Blogs 

Feel free to ask for my help! 

I am here to help! With my years of experience, I specialise in creating digital strategies with the push & pull marketing technique in mind to deliver results. My goal is to be an extension of your team by bringing in innovative ideas, sharing knowledge that will bring positive results, and building the digital marketing strategy that your business is looking for.

Let’s talk! Feel free to get in touch via LinkedIn or alternatively drop me an email at [email protected]