There are two ways that small businesses go about marketing online. They either “push” or “pull.” Let’s talk about the difference.
Push Marketing is when you push yourself in front of your prospects and offer them a come-on or a sales pitch. Many companies have used this type of marketing for many years. Most marketing in the 20th century falls into the category of Push Marketing. Television advertising is Push Marketing. Radio advertising, billboards, newspaper ads, etc. are all forms of Push Marketing.
Essentially, Push Marketing is marketing you engage in by interrupting people and trying to sell them something. It’s not a good model for online marketing.
Pull Marketing works better online. Pull Marketing is the process of putting content in front of people who are looking for information about a topic. For instance, if someone is interested in finding affordable modest clothing and that’s what you sell, then the way to get their business is to let them find you. But you have to pave a path from them to you somehow.
This is where social media and search marketing come in. You provide information in various outposts on the Web that helps people make decisions about the information they are looking for. If they like the content you produce, they’ll want to know more about you. They’ll go looking for you.
Marketing online is more about luring people to your store or marketing hub. Instead of interrupting them, lead them to you by dropping nuggets of enticement along the trail from where they are to where you are. That’s Pull Marketing at its best.
