Push vs. pull marketing strategy for health IT brands

You may not realize it, but push and pull marketing is part of your everyday life.

Every time you click on an article in an email newsletter, you have been pushed toward the brand’s content.

Every time you like a brand’s organic post on social media, you’ve been pulled into engaging with them.

While common parlance in the consumer advertising world, B2B marketers should also think about a push vs. pull marketing strategy related to branding, content creation, and marketing channel selection. A push vs. pull marketing strategy is another lens through which to understand inbound and outbound outreach.

From healthcare software marketing to hardware or service offerings, with such long sales cycles, it’s not a matter of choosing push or pull but of knowing which strategy will help you meet your marketing goals and objectives with the resources you have available.

Further, you must also identify and adopt the right cadence to maintain a consistent presence to both nurture and convert prospects throughout their decision-making journey.

Push marketing example

Here’s an example of a push marketing strategy:

Goal: Nurture

One push marketing example is to lead with a public relations strategy that results in media placements combined with LinkedIn Ads to push out those articles to your target audience.

Pro-tip: Struggling to decide between PR and digital advertising on a limited budget? Check out this PR vs. digital advertising decision matrix to guide your investment.

Goal: Conversion

After the nurturing outreach above is in full swing, add LinkedIn retargeting ads and send emails designed to push your audience toward a conversion.

Pull marketing example

Here’s an example of a pull marketing strategy:

Goal: Nurture

Start with a solid foundation that includes brand messaging, an SEO-optimized website based on relevant keyword research, and thought leadership content that together will pull in the interest of your target audience.

Goal: Conversion

Only after you have a solid foundation can you start building on it. In this example of a pull marketing strategy, add Google or Bing search ads and a robust social media presence to pull your target audience toward a conversion.

Start with a marketing plan

The best way to ensure you’re reaching your target audience in all the ways they consume and seek out information is to start with a marketing plan tied to your organization’s goals and objectives.

The right plan uses your budget most efficiently to balance push vs. pull marketing tactics as you nurture and convert prospects throughout the buyer’s journey.

Does your marketing plan fit the bill?