Push and Pull Marketing

16 Mar 2024 | 12 min read
Push and Pull Marketing

Push and pull marketing are two strategies businesses use to reach their target customers and promote their products or services.
Push marketing involves actively pushing a product or service onto potential customers through advertising and other promotional efforts. This can include television and radio commercials, print advertisements, and direct mail campaigns. Push marketing aims to get the product in front of as many potential customers as possible, hoping that some will make a purchase.

On the other hand, pull marketing involves creating demand for a product or service through effective branding and customer education. This can include content marketing, social media marketing, and search engine optimization (SEO). The goal of pull marketing is to attract customers to the product or service by providing them with valuable information and building a positive brand image.

Both push and pull marketing can be effective in different situations, and many businesses use a combination of both strategies to reach their target customers.

pos in pull marketing strategy stands for

What is Push Marketing?

Push marketing involves promoting a product or service to potential customers through advertising and other promotional efforts. The goal of push marketing is to “push” the product onto as many potential customers as possible, hoping that some will make a purchase. Push marketing can take many different forms, including:

  • Television and radio commercials
  • Print advertisements (such as in newspapers and magazines)
  • Direct mail campaigns (including flyers and postcards)
  • Email marketing
  • Telemarketing
  • In-store promotions and product demonstrations
  • Sponsorships and events

Push marketing can reach a large audience quickly, especially if the product or service being promoted is new or unfamiliar to potential customers. However, it can also be expensive and may only sometimes be the most targeted or personalized approach to reaching customers.

Push marketing is a strategy focused on, as the name suggests, ‘pushing’ products to a specific audience. The goal is to tell prospective customers – quite speculatively, in some cases – about your brand, product, or service. Push marketing – which is sometimes known as ‘direct marketing’ or ‘outbound marketing’ – requires a great deal of reach and is labeled as ‘interruptive’ because it’s designed to interrupt your day or thought to get your attention deliberately.

TV and radio advertising are classic examples of traditional Push marketing channels. These Push tactics have twin aims: one, to grab the listener or to watch the public’s interest; two, to make the listener or viewer take action, such as researching your product online (as is becoming the norm) or going to the shops to buy it.

Radio jingles exist because they are memorable, while brands will hire creative agencies to create TV adverts that stand out from the crowd. TV advertising slots, in particular, are very expensive, and brands will try to outbid each other to secure primetime slots.

For instance, a 30-second TV ad during Super Bowl 2020 cost companies $5.6 million – an eye-watering $186,666 per second. You’d better hope that such an investment will drive sales, brand awareness, the share of voice, and equity, but traditional marketing tactics like TV, print, and radio advertising can be very difficult to measure.

Example of Push Marketing

What’s an example of traditional Push marketing strategy?

When you go shopping in a department store, it’s likely that you’ll become aware – consciously or subconsciously – of point of sale material (or branded signage) telling you about a particular product. This is Push marketing.

Brands generally have to pay the department store to display point of sale (POS) because signage or in-store advertising of this kind has traditionally been very effective as a means of alerting browsing shoppers to specific products that they might not otherwise have been aware of or interested in.

A classic example would be fragrance lines.

The fragrance brand will often offer sales the department store sales incentives to ‘push’ its products onto customers.

This approach can work especially well for new brands trying to gain a footing in the market or for established brands trying to push a new fragrance. This is Push marketing because the shoppers visiting the store will likely encounter the brand or new product for the first time.

Example of Push Strategy

Imagine a company that sells energy drinks. They want to increase sales of their new flavor, so they launch a push marketing campaign to promote it. They create a series of television commercials that air during popular sports events, print advertisements in magazines, and online banners on popular sports websites. They also send out direct mail flyers to households in their target market and run in-store promotions at retail locations where their energy drinks are sold.

This push marketing campaign aims to get the new energy drink flavor in front of as many potential customers as possible, hoping that some will be interested in trying it and making a purchase. The company is “pushing” it onto potential customers by actively promoting the product through various channels.

Social media is considered a Push channel because it can help your company launch new products and services or promote existing ones. Social media and other digital marketing activities are highly measurable and, therefore, easy to evaluate and learn lessons from when it comes to tweaking or improving future Push campaigns.

Digital marketing has leveled the playing field. While TV and radio advertising require large (and sometimes huge!) marketing budgets, Push digital marketing activities like social media or pay-per-click (PPC) are very cost-effective. Companies of all sizes can execute them.

One great digital Push marketing strategy is to run a limited-time offer for your product.

You could use social media to create urgency around the offer (“Don’t miss out!”) and link it to a website landing page with a little more detail and a clear Call to Action (CTA) such as ‘Speak to our friendly team now’. Social commerce – whereby customers can buy a product from a brand directly within an app like WeChat – is becoming another powerful Push digital marketing channel.

Push Marketing Strategy

Push marketing is a marketing strategy involving actively promoting a product or service to potential customers through various advertising and other promotional efforts. The goal of push marketing is to “push” the product onto as many potential customers as possible, hoping that some will make a purchase.

Here are some steps to consider when developing a push marketing strategy:

  1. Identify your target audience: Determine whom you want to reach with your push marketing efforts. Consider factors such as demographics, interests, and buying habits to help narrow down your target audience.
  2. Determine your marketing channels: Select the channels through which you will promote your product or service. This might include television and radio commercials, print advertisements, direct mail campaigns, email marketing, telemarketing, in-store promotions, and sponsorships and events.
  3. Create promotional materials: Develop promotional materials such as ads, flyers, and other materials for your push marketing efforts. Make sure to include a clear call to action that encourages potential customers to take action (such as making a purchase).
  4. Implement your campaign: Roll out your push marketing campaign using your selected channels and materials. Monitor the results of your campaign and make adjustments as needed.
  5. Evaluate your results: Once your push marketing campaign is complete, analyze the results to determine its effectiveness. This will help you understand what worked well and what could be improved in future campaigns.
push marketing examples

What Is Pull Marketing?

Pull marketing is a marketing strategy that creates demand for a product or service through effective branding and customer education. The goal of pull marketing is to attract customers to the product or service by providing them with valuable information and building a positive brand image.

Pull marketing can take many different forms, including:

  • Content marketing: creating and sharing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience
  • Social media marketing: using social media platforms to connect with and engage customers
  • Search engine optimization (SEO): optimizing a website to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) with the help of professional SEO services.
  • Influencer marketing: partnering with influential people or organizations to promote a product or service
  • Referral marketing: encouraging customers to refer friends and family to the product or service

Pull marketing can effectively build a loyal customer base and establish a strong brand presence. It can also be more targeted and personalized than push marketing, as it involves creating content and campaigns designed to attract and engage a specific audience. However, it can also be more time-consuming and may require a longer-term commitment to see results. Pull marketing aims to get customers to come to you – hence the term ‘pull.’ You’re looking to draw customers to your brand or product.

Businesses will generally use Pull marketing when the customer knows what they are looking for or what problem they need to solve, but needs pulling towards your solution instead of your competitors.

These customers don’t need pushing to make a purchase. If they see your brand and are looking for solutions like your, they’ll get back to you.

Example of Pull Marketing

Imagine a company that sells eco-friendly cleaning products. They want to attract more customers interested in environmentally-friendly products, so they launched a pull marketing campaign to educate and engage their target audience. They create a blog on their website that features articles about the environmental benefits of using their cleaning products and tips and tricks for using them effectively. They also use social media to share this content and engage with their followers, answering questions and providing additional information about their products.

This pull marketing campaign aims to attract customers to the company’s products by providing them with valuable information about the benefits of using eco-friendly cleaning products. By creating and sharing valuable content, the company is building a positive brand image and positioning itself as a go-to source of information for customers interested in sustainable living.

Another example of a prospective Pull customer would be a Finance Director looking for a SaaS (Software as a Service) accounting solution for his company’s finance department.

Corporate Sponsorship is a classic Pull marketing strategy. Land Rover, for instance, is keen to sponsor rugby union events because they know that rugby union fans generally fit into their target customer demographic – people with middle-to-upper-class-aspirations who can afford to buy a new or used Land Rover Discovery Sport or Range Rover Evoque.

Pull marketing strategies include exhibiting at conferences, conventions, or trade fares.

It’s possible to pull customers away from your competitors at one of these events with a spectacular or particularly notable exhibition stand, which could lead to great conversations with would-be customers that result in sales and long-term commercial relationships.

pullmarketing

Pull Marketing Strategy

Pull marketing is a marketing strategy that creates demand for a product or service through effective branding and customer education. The goal of pull marketing is to attract customers to the product or service by providing them with valuable information and building a positive brand image.

Here are some steps to consider when developing a pull marketing strategy:

  1. Identify your target audience: Determine whom you want to reach with your pull marketing efforts. Consider factors such as demographics, interests, and buying habits to help narrow down your target audience.
  2. Develop a content marketing plan: Create a plan for creating and sharing valuable, relevant, and consistent content that will be of interest to your target audience. This might include blog posts, articles, videos, infographics, and social media posts.
  3. Optimize your website for SEO: Make sure your website is optimized for search engines to rank highly in search results pages (SERPs). This can attract potential customers searching for information about your product or service.
  4. Engage with your audience on social media: Use social media platforms to connect with and engage customers, answering questions and providing additional information about your products or services.
  5. Monitor and adjust your strategy: Regularly monitor the performance of your pull marketing efforts and make adjustments as needed. This might include adjusting your content marketing plan or social media strategy.
  6. Evaluate your results: Once your pull marketing campaign is complete, analyze the results to determine its effectiveness. This will help you understand what worked well and what could be improved in future campaigns.

Difference Between Push And Pull Marketing

Here are some key differences between push and pull marketing:

  1. Purpose: Push marketing is designed to promote a product or service to potential customers through various advertising and other promotional efforts. On the other hand, pull marketing is intended to create demand for a product or service through effective branding and customer education.
  2. Approach: Push marketing involves promoting a product or service to potential customers. Pull marketing involves attracting customers to the product or service through valuable content and a positive brand image.
  3. Channels: Push marketing typically uses more traditional media such as television and radio commercials, print advertisements, and direct mail campaigns. On the other hand, pull marketing often uses digital channels such as content marketing, social media marketing, and search engine optimization (SEO).
  4. Target audience: Push marketing typically targets a broad audience, whereas pull marketing is more targeted and personalized, targeting a specific audience with specific interests or needs.
  5. Timeframe: Push marketing is often a short-term strategy that generates immediate sales or leads. On the other hand, pull marketing is typically a longer-term strategy focused on building a loyal customer base and establishing a solid brand presence.
  6. Cost: Push marketing can be expensive, as it often involves paying for advertising and other promotional efforts. Pull marketing can be more cost-effective, as it involves creating and sharing valuable content, which can be done at a relatively low cost.
  7. Effectiveness: Both push and pull marketing can be effective in different situations, and many businesses use a combination of both strategies to reach their target customers. The most effective approach will depend on the marketing campaign’s specific goals and target audience.
marketing push and pull

Push or Pull Marketing? Which One is Best?

It’s difficult to say definitively which type of marketing is “best,” as it depends on the specific goals and target audience of a marketing campaign. Both push and pull marketing can be effective in different situations, and many businesses use a combination of both strategies to reach their target customers.

Here are some factors to consider when deciding which type of marketing might be most effective for your business:

  • Your target audience: If you have a clearly defined target audience with specific interests or needs, pull marketing might be more effective, as it allows you to create targeted and personalized content that will be more relevant and engaging to that audience. If your target audience is broader or undefined, push marketing might be a better fit, as it allows you to reach a larger audience through more traditional channels.
  • Your marketing goals: Are you looking to generate immediate sales or leads, or are you more focused on building a loyal customer base and establishing a strong brand presence over the long term? Push marketing is typically a shorter-term strategy focused on generating immediate results, while pull marketing is generally a longer-term strategy focused on building customer relationships and trust.
  • Your budget: Push marketing can be more expensive, as it often involves paying for advertising and other promotional efforts. Pull marketing might be more cost-effective if you have a limited budget, as it consists of creating and sharing valuable content, which can be done at a relatively low cost.

Ultimately, the best approach will depend on your specific goals and target audience, as well as your budget and resources. Conduct market research and test different marketing strategies to see what works best for your business.

Push or Pull Marketing in Digital Marketing?

Both push and pull marketing can be used in digital marketing, which refers to marketing efforts that use the internet and digital technologies to reach and engage customers.

Push marketing in digital marketing might involve email marketing, banner ads, and paid social media ads, which involve actively promoting a product or service to potential customers through various digital channels.

Pull marketing in digital marketing might involve content marketing, social media marketing, and search engine optimization (SEO), which include creating and sharing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience.

Many businesses use a combination of both push and pull marketing in their digital marketing efforts, as this can allow them to reach a broad audience through traditional channels while also building relationships and trust with more targeted and engaged customers through content marketing and social media.

Ultimately, the best approach for your business will always depend on your specific goals and target audience, as well as your budget and resources. Conduct market research and test different digital marketing strategies to see what works best for your business.

Get the very best out of Push and Pull digital marketing by partnering with strategic online marketing experts with the best insights into the way the digital marketing landscape operates. Drop Chetaru an email at info@chetaru.com to level up your digital marketing.

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