Push VS Pull Marketing

Push versus Pull Marketing aka Outbound versus Inbound Marketing respectively describes a marketer's approach when communicating with the market. Since each approach type is better at helping marketers to meet different aims and objectives, marketers can benefit from evaluating their marketing design plans based on how well the chosen approach meets the desired objective. In short, marketers can use such an assessment as a type of KPI when designing promotions or other forms of communication. This post explains these 2 approaches, gives examples and discusses their ideal application.

If considered in a visual way, the concepts of push and pull occur from the perspective of the marketer at the moment of engagement, where 'engagement' refers to interaction between your brand and customer. Push marketing can be likened to the marketer pushing a message onto the public via a megaphone with the hope of capturing the attention of at least some individuals, ie  lead generation. The messages are usually general, non-personalized in nature like your business' name, the announcement of a new product launch, the announcement of a store wide sale and so on. Since the public encounters your message when people are likely just getting on with their lives, this form of interaction is somewhat forceful, intrusive and even interruptive. Another analogy is that of a fisherman casting a huge net in search of tuna. However, of the thousand organisms he reaches with his net, he only captures 2 tunas. In short, push marketing provides a relatively low return. This approach  to advertising is mostly what large companies used before the age of the internet.

Conversely, pull marketing involves establishing a form of passive and continuous marketing  to attract customers to find your brand and initiate the engagement, ie to initiate the interaction with your brand with the use of tools like content marketing with appropriate search engine optimization (SEO) and automatic email nurturing. Quite fittingly, pull marketing is often illustrated as a magnet that is set up beforehand but which exerts a magnetic pull on customers towards itself. This form of engagement allows marketers to demonstrate the brand's expertise which will engender a sense of trust in potential customers. So thanks to the new age of the internet, it is possible to use techniques like search engine optimization to attract customers who already have an interest in finding the solution that your product provides when their search is based on something like "how to treat acne" or "how to unclog pores naturally?". Consequently and in contrast with the more general approach of push marketing, your pull marketing message is related to resolving very specific problems. In many cases, your potential customers no longer need the overly general nature of the push approach. This is because they are already advancing beyond those preliminary stages within their buying decision process / funnel. As a marketer, you only have to 'pull' them (deeper) through your sales funnel (with further engagement). To apply the earlier fishing analogy again; this time, the fishing gear would have a smaller reach of only 30 hooks that are left suspended while the fisherman waits for fish to bite before he attempts to pull up the fish. However, each hook has bait that comprises a favorite food for tunas. In the end, of the 30 bites, 20 are tunas. In contrast to push marketing, pull marketing is so targeted that it generally renders considerably higher conversion rates. 

In short, 'push' marketing aims to create demand while 'pull' marketing aims to satisfy that demand. 

Example: Your company sells 'natural' cosmetics through several product lines.

Your push advertisements may include paid Facebook ads, posters on the noticeboard of your gym and an ad in the free tourist magazine. Such ads offer limited opportunity for more than a basic and general message. So they mention the name of your company and show before and after images for avatars that represent target customers for each product line. 

On the other hand, my pull advertisements may include content marketing with blogs about skin care. One blog may be titled something highly specific like 'All natural solutions for acne'. This post allows you to showcase your business as an industry expert. For instance, you can discuss the structure of the skin and how sulfur dissolves dead skin on the epidermis. You may also mention findings of peer reviewed scientific studies that showed a significant change at the usage rate of 10% and how sulfur offers a gentler, less drying effect than a competing ingredient like salicylic acid. At some point, you can introduce your product which has 10% sulfur, along with other secondary ingredients that together provide an amplified synergistic effect against acne. Your communication need not be such an overt advertisement either. For instance, you may also simply discuss matters that generally keep the attention of your target like how they can correctly identify their skin type, correct techniques  for hand washing and so on.

Is one approach better than the other?

Neither approach is inherently better than the other. Rather, one may be better suited than the other for meeting current objectives. Here are some examples.

• Objective: brand awareness of a new unknown product or brand; to reach a wide audience.
• Approach: Push marketing of a general, non-personalized message that simply allows the public to know that the product exists that helps with lead generation. The brand is not yet known like Coca Cola for instance and therefore needs your definite manipulation to get recognition. Examples include the use of billboards, advertisements on the back of buses, radio and television advertisements, curbside store promoters handing out fliers, Point of Purchase (PoP) displays like shelf talkers that say 'New', a social media post that says 'New Line' and so on. NB In addition to applying push marketing, a new product and brand may also need to use pull markering within a single store. 

• Objective: customer engagement to encourage a long term relationship via continual engagement.
• Approach: Examples include the use of shelf talkers that promote specific benefits of individual products, announcements of a limited or special editions whose design is based on the usual theme of the already liked brand, a blog with topics that are relevant to the target market.

• Objective: to differentiate your brand in a saturated industry (like clothing).
• Approach: Use pull marketing. Examples include celebrity (including influencers) posts showing them using the product. 

• Objective: A salesman wants his high commission brand to compete favorably with other competing brands in an environment with lots of 'competitive noise'.
• Approach: Use push marketing.  This approach is far more capable of manipulating the outcome (than pull which allows the customer to take action when or if he wants). However, beware, pushing can force people into sales with which they are dis-satisfied and is less likely to help in building long lasting customer relationships. It is therefore better used for small ticket items that do not require research or any form of due diligence. Examples include the salesman tells customers about the brand he tries to sell them. He does not allow customers to amble through the store alone to allow the shelf talkers to work.

Objective: To sell a high end, high consideration big-ticket product.

Approach: Use pull marketing that is not pushy or manipulative (like push marketing). This approach encourages greater trust. You listen more closely, responding directly to personal concerns. Examples include one-on-one discussions, live chat technology, encourage customers to leave reviews.

CONTENT RELATED TO PUSH AND PULL MARKETING

• Tribal marketing relies on pull marketing messages to connect with tribe members.