I’m starting a series of “Internet Marketing 101″ posts as an informational resource to people who are just getting started. If you’re already aware of these concepts, you may benefit from a different perspective. As always your feedback, questions and comments are most welcome!
You’ve probably heard the terms push and pull marketing if you’re in the business world. However, the contextual definitions for these terms vary widely. Go ahead and Google “push and pull marketing” – you’ll see as many different explanations as there are search results. Here’s my take on it as it pertains to internet marketing. It’s an in-depth review, but absolutely worth your time. Understanding this topic will be critical to successfully marketing to the next generation of consumers.
Push Marketing:
Push marketing can also be viewed as the traditional marketing and advertising method. It’s the strategy where you put your one-way marketing message in front of as many people as possible hoping that a healthy percentage of them actually want what you’re offering. It’s messy, labor intensive, time consuming and by its very nature produces unpredictable results. The majority of people you push your message to won’t be interested. Others will be interested, but won’t convert right now because you’ve interrupted them at the wrong time. I’m not likely to remember to check out that revolutionary new vacuum when I finally get home from rush hour traffic. Others may take several encounters with your brand before they convert, forcing you to adopt a carpet bombing mentality… why do you think we’re constantly surrounded with promotional advertising?
Examples of ineffective push marketing are the TV ad for mortgage refinance when you’re a renter, or the guy that knocks on your door selling steak when you’re a vegetarian. My personal favorite though comes from the AARP - even though I’m only 30, they’ve had me in their sights for years. They want me so bad they’ve even gone so far as to send me a temporary membership card! The internet marketing equivalent would be those flashing neon banner ads that say you’re the lucky bazillionth visitor and to click to redeem your exciting prize!!!!
I don’t want to give the wrong idea. Push marketing strategies definitely have their place, but you should engage it with the understanding that it’s a numbers game. You’re throwing a lot of *stuff* against the wall and seeing what sticks, so make sure that you choose your walls carefully. And most importantly, decide beforehand how much *stuff* you want to throw. Set a strict budget for push marketing, carefully choose the venues where you’re most likely to reach qualified leads and fire away. The goal of push marketing should be to expand your brand awareness and maybe hook a few new fish in the process.
Pull Marketing:
Considered the new method to market a product or service, pull marketing has achieved buzzword status in the marketing industry. Essentially it means strategically placing your marketing message in the right place at the right time. Traditionally, there haven’t always been such great methods of segmenting down to a very focused demographic. But now savvy marketers use technology to their advantage to target precisely who their perfect lead might be. It involves being present at the exact moment your lead needs you – thus they’re “pulling” in your service based on their immediate desires. Needless to say, appearing at the moment of a conversion is a much more effective strategy. It does require a bit more planning and positioning though.
Another facet of pull marketing that is emerging is the conversation component. With social media you can now directly address a lead’s desires instead of assuming that you know their motivations as is the case with push marketing. Now potential leads can indicate precisely what’s on their mind, giving you valuable market feedback on how your product or service is being received. And you can engage them about what’s on their mind, which drastically increases the chances of a conversion. A lot of people are out there saying that social media isn’t an effective B2B or even B2C strategy. As pull marketing becomes the norm this sentiment will change very quickly.
A good example of an effective pull marketing strategy is any web search that quickly and effortlessly produced the result you were looking for: from a local accountant to tickets for a sold-out show.
Virtual word of mouth is another great form of pull marketing. When I need to find something and I’m skeptical of the legitimacy of advertising claims, I’ll plug my network for a recommendation. “It’s date night – who knows a romantic restaurant?” That’s not something I would ever type into a search field. You have to be present and active in the social media space to maximize this kind of activity, period.
Behavioral targeting is another example, though it doesn’t fully exist in the realm of pull marketing. The ads that Facebook serves up to you are closely tied to your activities and interests, but are you on Facebook looking for a new tennis racket, or to connect with your friends? It has the right intent, showing you only what you’re interested in, but the timing is still interruption based.
I haven’t even mentioned the best part of pull marketing – it saves you a ton of time and energy. You don’t end up fielding tons of inquiries from tire-kickers who saw your Super Bowl commercial and are “kinda interested”. Let’s face it, an unqualified lead has a very low chance of conversion and therefore is a waste of your time. You could spin your wheels struggling to close a sale with these folks, or you could work smarter. Focus your energy on the people who are genuinely interested in what you have to offer, and the fish will start to jump into the boat for you.
Pull marketing is the future of marketing as we know it. It’s like using a laser instead of a sledgehammer. I personally guarantee that the results from pull marketing activities will be much higher than push marketing if you were to spend an equal amount of time and money. I know this is a long post, but it’s absolutely essential that you understand this distinction in marketing theory because twenty first century consumers are becoming more and more sophisticated every day. I don’t even see billboards or website banner advertisements anymore – it’s all just part of the constant hum of push marketing background noise to me. But when I find a product or service that perfectly fits what I need and when I need it, I’m likely to remember the experience and recommend it to others. Become a master of pull marketing!
Found this in a blog post by http://www.beneaththecover.com and will be sharing it on my blog as well.
Thank YOU!
Jenn
Thanks Jenn! Glad to hear you found it helpful.