Pull and push strategy and building communication

Contemporary marketing has meant that, instead of the offered product, the customer or opinion leader is now at the center of all promotional activities. Since the evolution took place not only in the marketing itself, but also in the consumer's approach to various forms of advertising, he began to more consciously search for information about the offer offered to him. Hence the need to distinguish between "pull" and "push" communication strategies. And the key to success is skillful balancing between them. 

Marketing is constantly developing and influenced by the environment. Both the planning, implementation, coordination and control stages are consciously oriented towards meeting the client's needs and preferences. One of the basic assumptions of modern marketing concepts is targeting a specific customer (target group), creating a persona, instead of targeting everyone.  

Marketing communication now has a much wider dimension. In order to tie customers to a given brand, you need to build a lasting and long-term relationship that requires constant stimulation of curiosity and attractiveness. Dialogue and information exchange have become the preferred form of communication. The aim of modern strategies is to provide customers with long-term value, and thus create lasting relationships with them. 

What is a pull and push strategy? 

Pull means pulling and push means pushing. Therefore, the pull strategy consists in activities that attract the customer to the brand, while push means that you direct the message directly to the recipient or contractor and make sure that it reaches the right place with it. The terms outbound and can also be used interchangeably inbound marketing. 

Examples, advantages and use of the pull strategy 

Often times, the belief that a customer will type your company name into a search engine and make a purchase immediately is utopian. According to the touchpoint theory, na client's decision-making process consists of repeated contact with the brand in different circumstances. It is only when you have built trust for a long time that you can count on the fact that at the moment of the trial, the client will actually recall your company from memory. For that to happen, you must first reach it with: 

• video, 
• podcasts, 
• beautiful photos in social media, 
• interviews, 
• e-books, 
• guides, 
• history, biography. 

Customers today are extremely sensitive to falsehood. The web is full of veiled advertisements and unverified information. Notice that the message of big brands is getting subtler. Sometimes there is no call to buy at all, and sometimes the pros and cons of various solutions are presented completely objectively. It happens that a brand cooperates with an influencer or an expert who does not "sugar", but honestly describes a given solution. This is because the pull strategy today requires a lot of finesse.  

A perfect example strategy pull there are basically all business podcasts. Denise Duffield-Thomas from Australia offers women's courses, books and trips. Besides, it has a podcast and a feed on Youtube about how to earn. It would be virtually impossible to find people willing to travel for several thousand dollars among women who have never heard of her. Hence the strategy pull used in practice. Most people "start" with free content. They buy a book over time. Later, it's time for a course or other more expensive products. The philosophy is very similar Girlboss (Sofia Amaruso) in the USA or Lady Of Your Time in Poland. This is no coincidence - this strategy just works! 

Does the pull strategy have any disadvantages? 

The pull strategy allows you to get invaluable sales support with valuable content. However, it can also have some downsides:

• if the offer is not good, the customer will be satisfied with the content, and he will do the shopping with the competition 
• when client path it is riddled with obstacles, the customer will read the articles or watch the videos but buy nothing 
• if marketing communication is not clear, the client will read the content but won't know what to do next 
• if the content is not interesting, yes communication strategy it will not work at all. 

It can be said that the pull strategy will be more expensive and, at the same time, more risky. If no one finds the content or it is not interesting, it is as if there is no strategy at all ... On the other hand, the advantages of such an approach are so clear that most serious brands today do not ignore the power of sponsored articles, guides, photos with product placement or video.

Examples, advantages and application of the push strategy 

The push strategy is the everyday reality of every traveling salesman. It will be part of the network corporate website, advertisements and banners. Push marketing is about reaching the customer with an offer. Form is of secondary importance here. You may have seen statistics that say that for every 100 cold emails or phone calls, there are 1-2 sales. It doesn't sound very impressive, but the stats of a good salesperson are much better.

Besides, at a large scale, these numbers start to impress, and the costs of such a strategy are usually not high. An example of a push to strategy canvassers telecommunications companies who call customers and ask directly if they need a new phone. Another example is flyers, posters and banners advertising a pizzeria across town. Even if you don't feel like having a pizza, you might end up giving in as it seems like the simplest solution. 

Does the push strategy have any disadvantages?

The intrusive seller is synonymous with the one who uses the strategy push. You need to feel your client, because some people just hate such techniques. It might seem like a minor problem on the web where you can hide behind banners or mailing. Here, however, strategy lovers push also do not have an easy life. Lots of people use ad blockers and spam filters.

The very protection of personal data and rights is on a different level than several dozen years ago - you can not call random people from the phone book or invade them at home. The number of TV viewers is decreasing, and services are popular on the web streaming - many of them have no advertising. All this makes even the best strategy push may not be effective. This therefore you have to invest in mix strategy pull and push. 

Push and pull strategy - examples of tools 

Communication strategy "Push" type includes the use of tools with which we "push" the content towards the recipient. Information is easily available, and the recipient does not have to search for it himself, it is enough to reach for it. Examples of push tools are: newsletter, e-mailing, face-to-face meetings, SMSes, telephones, instant messaging, Google Ads campaignspresence at fairs and exhibitions, 

The pull communication strategy involves the use of tools that recipients must reach for themselves, so they must look for them in order to become aware of their existence. Examples of "pull" tools are: newspapers, blogs, social media, portals, e-books, events, word of mouth marketing. 

Some tools used in communication can be classified as both types - push n pull. For example, the Internet - if we use it in the form of a website, it is a "pull" tool, if in the form of messengers or e-mails, it is a "push" tool. Distinguishing the nature of tools is important due to the fact that "pull" tools require additional activities related not only to their effective use, but also to promoting them so that they become present in the awareness of recipients. 

Differences between push and pull strategy 

The "push" strategy creates a specific need and is addressed to the direct recipient of the command. It is more aggressive and is most often used for less known and less recognizable brands and for start-ups. It is based on the principle of "consent marketing" (the customer first gives his consent to receive information). It is the concept of direct actions influencing potential customers to encourage them to buy or change their perception of the brand. Its purpose is to inform consumers about the company's offer, vision and mission, current promotions and other benefits resulting from the purchase of specific products or services. 

The pull strategy increases customer needs. It is less aggressive and is based on providing the so-called "Added value" and therefore more costly. It is effective for well-known companies and recognizable brands. It is a concept that assumes that the customer requires information and consciously seeks it, identifying with the values of a specific brand. 

While in the case of the "push" strategy, the company's goal is to reach a wide range of representatives of the distribution chain with the message, in the pull strategy, communication activities are directed mainly to end customers, building their need for a specific product or service. 

The recipient of "push" messages has no influence on what content ultimately reaches him, while the recipient of "pull" messages is aware of his needs, therefore he conducts a creative dialogue with the brand. 

Pull and push strategy - how to use them together? 

Consider that web users increasingly only see content from profiles that they previously liked, subscribed to or started visiting. Even if they see an ad, they can block the sender in the future. Meanwhile, from the profiles of influencers, own brands and brands close to the user's heart, the advertising message flows in a wide stream around the clock. You may have noticed how carefully brand profiles on Instagram or YouTube are kept today. Even the most luxurious ones take care to reach the young and surprise the elderly. All this is because today the decision-making power is largely on the side of the consumer, who can at any time "silence" the message that no longer suits him.  

Currently, a mix of pull and push strategies is often what works best. Suppose a customer wants to buy a car. He will probably spend a lot of time comparing models online, reading reviews and watching reviews on social media. After that, however, he will make an active effort and visit the salon. In this example, the pull strategy worked, where the customer was "attracted" to the company using their advertising materials, and the "push" strategy, when he had no choice but to visit the store in person. In our work, we quite often deal with a combination of these two methods. However, it cannot be done without realizing what it is push and pull promotion strategy.

Why is it worth mixing push and pull strategies? 

The effective use of tools that make up a communication strategy depends primarily on the complementarity of individual activities. The first step in creating an effective communication strategy, involving the use of "pull" and "push" tools, is a thorough understanding of customers: their needs, decision-making processes, expectations, methods of problem solving and obtaining information. Satisfying customers' needs is not enough. It also matters enterprise competitiveness. The organization must create a competitive advantage, i.e. give a reason why its offer will be noticed and selected. 

The real source of stable growth and profitability of the company is the loyalty of valuable customers. Customers are now assets of an enterprise: the longer they are kept, the more they contribute to value creation. Communication strategies like "pull"Attract the attention of recipients, while strategies such as"push”They maintain mutual relations. 

Although in theory both strategies - push and pull - are opposed to each other, in practice they complement each other and work on the principle of synergy. When a given brand enters the market, it first implements a push strategy, knowing at the same time that the goal of its activity is the effective implementation of a pull strategy, which can be used to build lasting and valuable relationships.