Did you know that a remarkable 71% of consumers actively prefer brands and businesses that directly engage with them? (Source: mentionme). It’s a powerful indicator of the impact of personalized interaction on consumer loyalty and trust.
This is the essence of a pull strategy in marketing, which involves creating demand for the brand by attracting customers. On the other hand, a push strategy involves directly marketing your services or products to consumers.
Both push and pull strategies are essential for marketing and help brand owners stand out in the competitive marketplace. In this blog, we aim to cover push and pull marketing strategy, including definitions, examples, benefits, and implementation of best practices. So, let’s dive in!
What is a Push Marketing Strategy?
A push marketing strategy involves a brand proactively offering its services to customers, focusing on promotion and awareness creation. It is often referred to as outbound marketing. Where businesses approach people whom they consider their potential consumers. So you go to an online store or a physical outlet of any brand, and as soon as you enter you see a huge banner of Flat 60% off. This is how brands use the push strategy to make you visit the store website and try out what it has to offer. And the result is you making a purchase and the brand making a sale.
Here are 6 types of push strategies in marketing that include, Telemarketing, Emails, Social Media or Google Ads, TV Commercials, Freebies, Flyers and Coupons.
Telemarketing
This is the type of marketing that covers sales agents promoting products or services via phone or SMS. While it is an effective strategy to generate leads, telemarketing is often characterized by aggressive and pushy sales tactics.
Emails
Remember the spam emails showcasing new launches or limited-time offers in your inbox, that is another way the brands use to push their service to the masses.
Social Media or Google Ads
This type of digital marketing utilizes the power of online advertisement to reach the target audience. Be it Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or search engines like Google. Brands invest significantly to hire advertisers who run ads for them. Google ads marketing works as an effective push strategy to boost sales and increase brand awareness.
TV Commercials
Traditional ads on television during breaks. This is simply the offline version of social media ads. We are being pushed to watch an irrelevant ad while enjoying a TV show.
Freebies in Stores / Free Trials on Websites
It comprise all the free and promotional stuff that we get online or in stores. We all tend to seize every opportunity to grab free services like shipping and free trial products. This is by far one of the most effective push marketing strategies that makes the customers genuinely feel good.
Flyers and Coupons
These include physical promotional materials. People handing over pamphlets, coupons or flyers randomly at any place. This is a clear example of push marketing.
What is a Pull Marketing Strategy?
A pull marketing strategy involves attracting customers through targeted marketing efforts. It focuses on building brand loyalty and strong relationships. It takes the consumers on a journey of providing information, discussing their pain points and ultimately providing the solution. This approach may require more effort upfront but yields higher long-term returns. For example, you own an online store that sells perfumes. Now your goal is to pull potential consumers to your store strategically. For this purpose you run a blog that targets the specific keywords that help the search engines, let’s say Google to understand who your target audience is.
Now when people type the target keyword, google will show your page in (SERPs) Search Engine Result Pages. Thus you gain the trust of the potential consumer. Because Google has suggested it to the consumer that means Google finds your source credible. This is one way of benefiting from the pull strategy. Here are 4 different types of pull strategies in marketing including SEO, Content Marketing, Social Media and Influencer Marketing.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Is the practice of enhancing a website’s visibility on search engines by optimizing various elements to improve rankings for relevant keywords. It plays a critical role in pull marketing strategies, including content and social media marketing, aimed at driving organic traffic and increasing online presence.
Content Marketing
This type of marketing means running informative blogs on your website by properly optimizing them for search engines like Google and Bing. This pull marketing strategy allows businesses to generate organic traffic to their websites. Moreover, it is one of the highest-paying marketing strategies in the online world.
Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing is a strategy that involves creating engaging content that resonates with your audience and posting it on social platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
The content can be a product demo video or an engaging post that customers find valuable. It helps to build communities which further reinforces branding efforts. Moreover, social media marketing offers targeted reach that is more beneficial.
Influencer Marketing
Partnering with influencers reviewing your product/service. Brands collaborate with influential social media personalities which helps foster genuine relationships with the consumers. This approach is constructive in creating a positive impact on consumers.
Push Vs Pull Strategy - A Comparison
Below is a table comparing push and pull strategies to help you better understand. This includes each marketing strategy’s objective, audience, focus, communication and metrics:
| Characteristics | Push Strategy | Pull Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| Objective | Promote the product or service directly | Build strong relationships and consumer loyalty by providing value |
| Audience | Not targeted and broad | Targeted to reach specific demographics |
| Focus of Message | Highlight product benefits and features | Discuss the customer’s pain points and provide the solution |
| Communication | One-way communication, interruptive | Two-way communication, permission-based |
| Metrics | One-way communication, interruptive | Engagement, Customer retention, Lead generation |
| Timeline | Short term focus | Long term focus |
| Budget | Requires higher upfront investment | Lower upfront cost and consistent investment |
Implementing a Hybrid Push-Pull Strategy
A hybrid push-pull strategy consists of a perfect combination of both marketing strategies. Considering the unique benefits and drawbacks of both marketing strategies, the best approach to implement is the integrated marketing approach.
When to Use Push Strategy
Use a push strategy for marketing your business during new launches. Potential consumers need a push to explore your brand. Utilize display ads, billboards, and targeted emails to promote the launch.
When to Use Pull Strategy
Switch to pull strategy to foster relationships with new consumers or strengthen bonds with existing ones. Run targeted social media campaigns to engage and retain your audience.
Measuring Success
Track key performance indicators (KPIs) such as:
- Conversion rates
- Engagement metrics (likes, shares, comments)
- Customer retention rates
- Return on Investment (ROI)
Best Practices for Hybrid Approach
Follow these 3 steps to implement the hybrid approach
- Balance push and pull strategies based on business objectives.
- Monitor and adjust your strategy regularly.
- Integrate multiple marketing channels.
Final Thoughts
As the dynamic marketing world evolves constantly, businesses need to understand what push and pull strategies are. Further, the best practice is to strike a balance between the two. If you wish to achieve successful results by implementing the integrated marketing approach, do not hesitate to contact our experts.
We, at DropThatCode, specialize in creating a perfect blend of push and pull marketing strategies to help you expand your business and achieve maximum benefits. Book a free consultation to help you get started!
FAQs
What are the benefits of the Push Strategy?
The push strategy helps businesses achieve immediate results by increasing brand awareness and visibility. Further, it helps businesses achieve measurable (ROI) Return On Investment.
What are the benefits of the Pull Strategy?
The pull strategy enhances businesses’ trust and credibility and helps them build long-term customer loyalty. It increases customer retention as well.
Which strategy should I use, Push or Pull?
Both strategies have their pros and cons, so a better approach to maximize their effectiveness is to use both by striking a balance.
What are the disadvantages of the Pull Marketing Strategy?
The pull strategy in marketing requires a consistent effort and the ROIs are difficult to measure.
