Marketing is a vast umbrella term for a complex and constantly changing business necessity. A familiar, but ever-evolving dichotomy is the concept of “push” versus “pull” marketing. Today, push versus pull strategy goes by many names: outbound versus inbound, direct versus indirect, and interruption versus permission. No matter what you call it, “push” and “pull” marketing refers to how businesses engage with their audiences. Each strategy serves a distinctive purpose and works synergistically to build customer relationships and drive sales.
Defining Push and Pull Marketing
Broadly defined, push (or outbound) involves a brand “pushing” its products and services to a target market. In push marketing, companies control the timing, messaging and frequency of marketing initiatives. It focuses on cultivating awareness, generating interest and providing a call to action. Examples of push marketing include cold email campaigns, display or broadcast advertising, trade show participation and direct mail.
Pull (or inbound) marketing is about attracting audiences to your brand and making them want to do business with you. It focuses on delivering value, building trust and nurturing relationships. Examples of pull tactics include content marketing, social networking, media coverage, SEO and word-of-mouth referrals and introductions.
To determine whether a marketing initiative is push versus pull, ask the question, “Who is extending their hand first?” Push marketing means the brand is initiating the conversation, whereas in pull marketing, the prospect or customer generally initiates the engagement.
The Evolution of Push and Pull Marketing
In the pre-digital age, push marketing dominated the marketplace as marketers relied on large-scale outreach to cast a wide net to raise brand awareness. Billboards, print materials, TV and radio represented the bulk of communication channels.
Today, digital connectivity, data collection and analysis capabilities empower savvy buyers (and sellers) and boost the power of pull marketing. With search engines, mobile accessibility, social media, artificial intelligence and the internet of things (IoT), buyers are more in control of what information they obtain, where they get it and how they consume it. Meanwhile, marketers can effectively raise brand awareness by positioning thought leadership in front of targeted audiences.
In an increasingly digital world, it may seem that pull marketing would be the strategy de jour. While a digital-first strategy is essential in today’s landscape, “the best campaigns include the latest technology involved in pull marketing, such as advanced lead generation or specialized geo-targeting, but also utilize the benefits of push marketing tactics,” says Tripp Donnelly, CEO and founder of digital marketing company REQ. “A singularly digital approach is not enough—push is necessary to optimize pull.”
Using Push and Pull Marketing in Today’s B2B Marketplace
B2B buyers have a complex buying process that requires informed decision-making. That’s why businesses need a combination of push and pull to reach prospects in a crowded marketplace and convert them into customers.
Today’s push marketing can range from digital and print advertising, direct mail or cold outreach through a phone call, email or social media. In these cases, valuable content or service offerings are provided directly to a prospect who is not actively seeking information, but who is active on an established communication channel. Push marketing is especially effective when:
- A new company needs to build brand presence, establish connections and discover markets
- An interested, brand-aware prospect is close to making a purchase decision and considering other options
- An established business introduces new products, services or promotions.
Pull marketing includes branded content such as social media, blog posts, white papers and bylined articles that address a specific need, question or challenge. From there, outreach can be amplified through SEO strategies or word of mouth, personally or online through third-party review sites. In the case of pull marketing, the goal is to position valuable content or prospect testimonials where prospects can locate it when they’re seeking to solve a challenge. Pull marketing invites a prospect to discover a brand, rather than imposing it. Pull marketing is ideal when:
- The audience is seeking expertise to address or solve a problem
- The audience has clearly defined needs and is deciding between multiple brand offerings
- A business aims to establish a long-term relationship with audiences by providing valuable thought leadership.
Embrace “And” Not “Or”
At one time, choosing between push “or” pull marketing dominated marketing planning conversations. Today, the vocabulary may have shifted, but the overall question about how to approach an audience will remain one of the most important questions a business can ask. To convert B2B customers it’s vital to embrace both push “and” pull marketing. By thinking about both push and pull as a strategic necessity to connect meaningfully with audiences, B2B companies can maximize their outreach and balance the needs and interests of their target market.
