It used to be that marketing your company or product consisted of buying a few newspaper ads, putting some radio ads in rotation, and making the occasional 30-second TV ad. Consumers would then see and/or hear these ads and bring their business through your doors.
Times have changed, though, and consumers are no longer restricted to where they get their information – i.e. newspaper, radio, and TV. Amarketing strategy that revolves around pushing your message in front of them will no longer work as well as it used to. In today’s digital world it’s time to try a different approach.
Pull Strategy
Today’s consumers are going online to research companies before they make any big purchase decisions, and they’re doing the majority of that research online. They want to find a company they can trust, and more often than not they trust the information they find online over any ads they’ve heard or seen on more traditional media.
Check out this infographic: Consumer’s Trust in Advertising
Pull strategy marketing uses this shift in consumer behavior to its advantage. A pull strategy involves creating a trustworthy online presence for a company or brand by sharing high-quality content that is helpful to consumers, and by being a respectful member of the online communities where their target customers interact. Consumers are drawn to – or “pulled” to – your website as you share this content and interact with them online.
Consumers know this and will make judgments about companies based on whether or not they have certain web-savvy traits like:
- A well-maintained company blog (with an email sign-up)
- An active social media presence
- A helpful and friendly “voice” when interacting with others online
The Times They Are A’Changin
Just like Grandpa’s story of walking uphill both ways to school, push marketing is becoming a nostalgic tale. As consumer trust in online information continues to grow, and trust in traditional advertising continues to fall, pull strategy marketing will become even more important to businesses of all sizes.
Make sure you’re ahead of the pack when it comes to your marketing.
