In marketing, there are two main categories: Push Marketing, and Pull Marketing.

Push Marketing, also known as “interruption marketing,” is basically when you force your marketing message upon potential clients when they’re in the middle of doing something such as driving a car, surfing the web, or just spending time with friends or family. While they’re doing something else, you push your message in front of them.

Tactics of Push Marketing include:

• Flyers
• Banner ads on websites
• Classifieds
• Cold calling
• Radio spots

Of course, all of these tactics are just adding to the cacophony of information that people in our culture deal with on a daily basis. There are constantly ads screaming at us to “BUY! BUY! BUY!” along with cold callers always trying to push their sales onto us. Personally, I get tired just thinking about it.

These days, given that we face so much unpleasant push marketing on a daily basis, most people habitually tune it out. It becomes useless background noise that we don’t even pay attention to. That’s why push marketing is nowhere near as effective as pull marketing.

Pull Marketing consists of marketing tactics in which you get your message out in front of potential clients who are ACTIVELY SEEKING the products or services you offer. They’re already looking for the types of information you can supply them through you’re marketing strategies, and this gives you the opportunity to present yourself as the person to solve their problems and meet their needs. For instance, they’re actively searching for, say, a personal trainer, a massage therapist, an accountant, or whatever it is your business does, and there you are.

Some of the most common pull marketing tactics include:

• Search engine optimization
• Pay-per-click marketing
• Social media sites
• Newsletters
• Tradeshows
• Public speaking
• Blogging
• Strategic networking

In general, there’s a lower return on investment associated with push marketing. Push marketers tend to get fewer clients for every dollar they spend on their efforts. All in all, push marketing costs more and requires more effort.

Pull marketing, on the other hand, is very targeted. It gets your message in front of your ideal clients, and it presents your business as the solution to problems that people are actively seeking help with. That’s why pull marketing has such a high conversion rate. It attracts more clients, and it takes much less effort.