The Difference Between Push and Pull Marketing
If you follow along with me on social media or my blog, chances are my content is what pulled you here.
Pulled.
One question I’m often asked is how I built such an authentic brand on social media. There are lots of answers, steps, tips and tricks, but one of the most important concepts to wrap your head around when building an authentic brand is push vs. pull.
What is push marketing?
The stereotype? Car salesmen. Cold calls/cold messages. 10 unsolicited emails a day. Vacuum salesmen.
I equate push marketing to being held against your will. Is that harsh? Maybe slightly. But listen, as a consumer, I don’t want to feel pushed into a financial decision or partnership.
The definition of push marketing is:
“Push marketing is defined as a promotional strategy in which a business attempts to get their message in front of their potential customers without them having a desire or interest to buy the product or learn more about it. Push marketing requires a lot of reach and can be considered to be ‘interruptive’.” Source: White Shark Media
Here are a few examples:
Radio and TV commercials
Door-to-door salesmen
Cold calls and cold messages
Interruption during Facebook videos, etc.
It must be said that as someone who’s been an entrepreneur for a decade, I understand that push marketing works, and it’s required to reach your cold market. However, it’s not my preferred method of contact because genuine interest and interaction is my main goal and focus. My business mindset is, I want you to be here because you want to be here, not because I pushed you into it.
Over three years ago, I chose to partner with a direct sales brand for the first time. I was naïve and clueless to the resistance of this business model, so I’ve learned a lot while building my brand. One thing that surprised me was how resistant some people can be to supporting men and women involved with direct sales because of their preconceived notion or past experience with network marketers using push marketing tactics.
“People in direct sales are pushy.”
“I receive cold messages daily from women in direct sales trying to get me to join their team, so I hate MLMs, and I’ll never support one.”
The way I interpret this is “No, you don’t hate MLMs. You hate push marketing, and I get it.”
“For a push marketing campaign to succeed, you need to push your message often and to a big audience in order to draw in your leads. The audience needs to be disturbed sufficiently in order for you to get the needed response.” Source: White Shark Media
What is pull marketing?
My definition of pull marketing is “using your platforms and voice to generate interest by providing value to others and sharing products/businesses that you love in a genuine, transparent way.”
If you want to build a personal brand in a way that feels authentic to you, my best advice is to start practicing pull marketing. You don’t need push marketing to build your brand, if anything, it can be more detrimental to your business in the long run.
Why? Because push marketing rarely takes the interest of the consumer into account. It pushes content into your regular routine that you didn’t ask for, and it can create a wall between the consumer and the brand being pushed.
If you’ve used push marketing/cold messaging in the past, I’d encourage you to start thinking like a consumer. After all, you are a consumer!
Ask yourself:
What makes you want to purchase/try a piece of clothing? A new face wash or makeup foundation?
What makes you want to try a new vacation spot or restaurant with your family? What appeals to you personally as a consumer, and are you using that same approach for the product you sell/business you support?
Are you more likely to try the new double chocolate vanilla unicorn swirl frapp from Starbucks if Starbucks interrupts every tiktok video you watch or if you see a friend share it on social media?
Are you receiving cold messages from other businesses? How does that make you feel?
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Here are my best tips for using pull marketing in your business:
1. As said before, think like a consumer. Take a conscious look at what you’re attracted to, and model that marketing tactic.
2. Ask yourself “Is this providing value or helping to solve a problem?” If the answer is no, rethink your verbiage/caption and approach. It shouldn’t be about you, it should be about what you’re offering your audience.
3.. Just say “no” to cold messaging. I’m sorry, but not really. I know you have the tools to build a successful, sustainable business without being disruptive.
4. Be genuine. In the company I’ve partnered with, they have over 70 products in the line, focusing on both hair and skin care. Do I use all 70+ products. Nope. Are all of them my favorite? Nope. Are they all appropriate for my hair or skin type? Nope. Be genuine. Share what works for you. If someone has a question about a product you don’t use or like? Be honest! Nothing is for everyone, and there’s no need to pretend it is.
5. Allow progress to take time to build trust with your audience. If you want to build an authentic brand, it takes time-- time to build, time to grow, and time to build trust. If you’re putting genuine content out there, the trust will build. But it’ll take months to years, you have to be willing to work consistently and be patient.
6.. Be real. Not just genuine, but real. You want people to want to be pulled into your space, your little corner of the internet. If they can’t figure you out, if you’re always fluffing the truth or only sharing your story, life, house, business with rose colored glasses, your audience may start to doubt your authenticity. You have to be real. This isn’t to say social media is a place to air your dirty laundry or be inappropriate (use your better judgment, always), but realness is a little hard to find these days, so be real, and be you. You are unique. You are awesome. You are strong. You have a story. You have value.
7. Be consistent. Do you want to build a brand? Do you want to be trustworthy and add value to the world? If you think anyone can become an “overnight success,” guess what—you’ve been lied to.
I’m not a marketing genius, I’m a regular wife and mom from Indiana. I have, however, build two successful businesses in 10 years with this mindset:
- What can I offer of value today?
- What problem can I help solve today?
- Who can I encourage today?
Make sense? Okay, cool.
I’ll finish this off by sharing a few articles about marketing and branding that I found helpful!
“Understanding Push and Pull Strategies” - William joseph Communications
“Push vs Pull marketing – What is best for your strategy?” - morningscore.io
“When to Push and When to Pull: Marketing Strategies” - The Blueprint
“Authenticity is crucial for your brand on Social Media (and here’s how to improve It)” - awario
“With social media, the real challenge lies in building an online reputation that’s trustworthy and drives business. You can have an active account on every social media channel out there, but if your content isn’t genuinely resonating with your users, you’re hindering your brand image.
We like to think of an authentic brand as one that stays true to their core values, actions, and principles. Consumers crave authenticity - it impacts them when deciding what brands to support or engage with, and should be the most important thing that drives your social media strategy.” source: awario