Having recently purchased some new wireless, noise cancelling headphones, I trawled the net reading reviews, finding prices and deliberating over which were most suited to my needs. Having narrowed my search down to a couple of models, I visited the local electronic store to examine the items in person before making the commitment.

In marketing terms; I was “pulled” into brands by their marketing of the ultimate noise cancelling and high fashion headphones whilst I was ‘’pushed” into selecting the best fit for me by the in-store promotions and marketing. The reason I tell you this is that it perfectly illustrates exactly how push and pull marketing can work in unison.

What is Push Marketing?

Push marketing is a strategy that relies on the “pushing” of products to a specific market. The aim with push marketing is take your product to its end customer. Social media channels are mostly considered push marketing sources as they are ideal for new product releases or niche items.

How to Deploy a Push Marketing Strategy

You may have come across push marketing before under the name ‘direct marketing’. A great example would be when you go food shopping. Major supermarkets place many of their offers on the ends of aisles, ensuring you see them and sucking you into purchasing items you never realised you needed.

If you’re a new business or launching a new product then push marketing is ideal. It’s a great way of spreading the word and generating interest from a blank canvas or fresh start.

If you’re business has been around a while, you can still benefit from push marketing. Try running limited time offers through social media channels or email marketing – and make sure you set up unique landing pages to monitor results.

What is Pull Marketing?

If you haven’t guessed already, pull marketing is the opposite of push. It’s best employed when trying to draw customers to your product. Try creating a loyal customer base by building market specific adverts.

In this instance knowing your audience is vital. You’re on the lookout for people who know what they’re looking for (e.g. headphones) and trying to promote your product over your competitors’

Push vs Pull Marketing

Push marketing can often lead to quicker sales, due to your emergence with new prospects. Pull marketing usually requires a stable customer base, so can take time to implement but be much more beneficial in the long run.

Push marketing can have a few negatives – mainly in multi-channel cost splitting and keeping customers in the long term. Often companies pair up with suppliers to implement push campaigns and whilst this may reduce costs it will often also reduce profits. Whilst pull marketing is longer journey, push marketing doesn’t always build brand loyalty so the longer-term wins are sometimes worth the wait.

As a new business, budgeting for pull marketing strategies can often be a waste. If you are not fully aware of your market or niche a plan can never be fully efficient.

As we mentioned at the start, an ideal approach leverages both formats. SO take time to consider your message and business plan and this will often help you decide which strategy is right for you.