Push vs. Pull Marketing: What They Are & When to Use Each
Push marketing prioritises direct outreach to potential customers, while pull marketing aims to attract potential customers to your brand by creating buzz.
There are various methods for catching fish: one approach involves understanding the fish’s preferences for bait or lures, learning where they reside, and identifying when they are most active, in order to cast a line that entices them. Alternatively, another method involves casting a large net into the water, capturing whatever fish are within reach.
In the context of marketing, push marketing refers to a more proactive approach—actively reaching out to new customers through direct methods—while pull marketing focuses on attracting leads by creating a desirable brand, much like a shiny lure.
Both push and pull marketing strategies have their own advantages and disadvantages. This article will explore both in detail, highlight the key differences, and provide insights into how you can leverage both strategies to foster long-term business growth.
What is Push Marketing?
As the name suggests, push marketing is a strategy that focuses on directly reaching potential customers through proactive efforts. Also known as outbound marketing, push marketing involves identifying a target audience and delivering relevant content or offers through various channels such as advertising, email marketing, direct mail, or other direct outreach tactics.
Examples of Push Marketing Strategies
- Display Advertising
- Radio or Television Advertisements
- Direct Marketing
Push marketing aims to promote your brand, product, or service directly to consumers. Here are a few examples:
- Display Advertising: Display ads, both digital and traditional, are used to promote your brand or products to a broad audience. Online, these often appear as banners or sidebars on websites, search engine ads, or standalone ads on social media platforms such as Instagram.
- Radio or Television Advertisements: While digital advertising channels dominate many marketing strategies today, radio and television can still provide substantial reach. For instance, in June 2024, radio reached approximately 85% of people aged 35 to 64 in the US. Such platforms continue to be effective for reaching mass audiences.
- Direct Marketing: This approach involves communicating directly with customers through email newsletters, direct mail campaigns, SMS marketing, or even in-person selling.
What is Pull Marketing?
Pull marketing, also known as inbound marketing, aims to create demand for your business or products by establishing a compelling brand. Rather than directly reaching out to customers, pull marketing employs more indirect techniques such as search engine optimisation (SEO) and content marketing to attract customers organically.
Examples of Pull Marketing Strategies
- Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
- Content Marketing
- Word of Mouth
Pull marketing focuses on drawing customers in by positioning your brand as a leader in its category. Here are a few examples of pull marketing strategies:
- Search Engine Optimisation (SEO): SEO involves optimising your website to improve its visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs). Tactics include optimising product pages with relevant keywords, creating quality content to rank for specific terms, building a strong backlink profile, and enhancing website performance. The goal is to ensure your website appears when users search for products or topics related to your business.
- Content Marketing: Content marketing uses valuable, informative content to build trust with your audience and establish long-term relationships, rather than directly pushing products. Formats include blog posts (targeted to SEO keywords), podcasts, how-to videos, white papers, and print magazines.
- Word of Mouth: Positive word of mouth, whether through online reviews, social media, or personal recommendations, serves as a powerful form of marketing. The key to driving word of mouth is to create a product and customer experience that fosters strong brand loyalty. Satisfied customers are more likely to share their experiences, which helps promote your brand organically.
Push vs. Pull Marketing: Which Should You Use?
While both push and pull marketing aim to increase your customer base and drive sales, the choice between the two depends on your business goals, timelines, and resources.
Push marketing is generally more direct, making it suitable for generating quicker results. If you’re aiming to drive immediate sales—such as through a limited-time promotion or a new product launch—push marketing may be the right strategy.
On the other hand, pull marketing is often better for businesses focused on building brand loyalty and cultivating a steady stream of leads over the long term. Pull marketing takes a slower, more gradual approach, making it a better fit for businesses looking for sustained growth and long-term relationships with customers.
Cost is another consideration. Push marketing can be costly—especially with high-budget initiatives like television advertising. Pull marketing, which often utilises organic channels, can be more cost-effective but may take longer to produce measurable results.
A Balanced Approach
In practice, businesses do not need to choose between push and pull marketing. Most successful companies use a combination of both strategies. By integrating both push and pull tactics, businesses can achieve immediate results through proactive outreach while also building a strong, sustainable customer base over time.
