The Basics Of Push And Pull Marketing

There are many different strategies for marketing any kind of product or service. Using various channels, approaches, and targets are important but can get a bit overwhelming. While it is worthwhile to keep up with current marketing trends to ensure that you are staying competitive, it is also important to remember the basics. One of the more simple concepts is push marketing and pull marketing. Having a solid understanding of push and pull marketing will help you not only effectively use them together and separately, but will allow you to use more complex methods efficiently.

Push Marketing:

Push marketing is a strategy focused on pushing products towards customers in a non-aggressive manner. The goal of this method is to bring your product or message right to the customer. Usually, push marketing has a specific goal and aims to pique the customer’s interest, driving them to make a purchase or action. Push marketing is also known as direct marketing because it is such a direct tactic.

Any way you can get a message out to customers to try to draw them in is the use of push marketing. Think about when you go to the grocery store. If you see a certain product you’ve been wanting to try on sale, or a promotion on a new product, that is push marketing. Other popular methods are using sponsored ads on social media, email marketing, or creating a business page. When customers see your ads or promotions, they contemplate using your product, even if they had not considered it before. Customers often gravitate towards items that are being promoted, making push marketing a fairly effective way to make sales and promote your business.

Pull Marketing:

As the name suggests, pull marketing is the opposite of push marketing. Instead of sending messages out to customers, pull marketing draws them in to see what you are all about. If you are going to use pull marketing, you will want to create your message based on the customer’s needs, rather than trying to convince them that they need your product.

Rover is a great example of pull marketing. Pet owners can visit Rover’s website and filter through several options to find a sitter that fits their exact needs. Rather than searching for a dog walker, dog sitter, or someone who will check on their pet, Rover makes it easy to find you perfect sitter for any need and makes it easy to do. In a market where customers love to do research for themselves, pull marketing can really thrive if done correctly. The main downside to pull marketing is that you need to be confident in who your audience is, or you will not succeed. To connect with your audience, you need to make sure you know who they are and what they are looking for to cater to their needs.

Using Push And Pull Marketing Together:

There are different ways you can use push and pull marketing together if you decided that is a good decision for your company and customers. If your company is fairly new, or trying to grow, starting with push is better. After customers are familiar with you, move to integrating pull. You can do this by asking them to leave you reviews, run a sale on a product, or spotlight clients or partners you have.

If you want to start with a pull campaign, you can use your customer base to push them towards new products by introducing them to people on your email list, or social media followers. Not only does this make your customers and followers feel special by getting access before the general public, it encourages them to try new products and generates buzz for your company.

There are many, many methods you can mix and match to find the best method of push and pull marketing for your company. Sometimes going back to the basics is the most helpful way to start a new marketing plan, or refresh a new one. What push and pull marketing methods are your go-to? Let us know in the comments!