Push or Pull? How to Get the Most out of Your B2B Marketing

Push and pull marketing is a powerful draw in the modern B2B marketing mix. After all, it combines the best of both worlds: While push measures actively push the buttons of your target group, pull organically attracts their attention.

How can we take this horsepower on the road with our marketing? Clever companies ask themselves this with a view to the advantages of inbound and outbound marketing, and not without reason. However, in the B2B market, it is often not easy to combine the two forms of advertising in a conversion-strong way

Questions like

• Is pull marketing appropriate for our industry?

• Do we have the resources to target relevant channels?

• Are we even capable of creating high-quality content?

are causing uncertainty for many companies, especially when it comes to inbound.

Should you pull or push? Let agile thought leaders inspire you

For sustainable success, smart B2B companies rely on a successful mix of push and pull marketing

So they pick up customers based on need - and so can you

B2B Marketing Modern Thought: Your Symbiosis for Sustainable Success

B2B marketing is the placement of expensive ads. The diligent presence at trade fairs. And sending out countless mailings. That's true - but only in part. B2B marketing is also the provision of valuable content via your own website, for example as an online trade magazine. The regular publication of videos on YouTube. Or captivating the target group via a carefully maintained Facebook fan page. If these measures are combined, something big is created: genuine customer loyalty. It ensures well-founded trust, which forms the basis for every deal

Pull is Based on High-Quality Content

Pull measures are usually much better suited to retain your customers in the long term. Why is that? They are based on high-quality content, i.e. content with real added value. In it, for example, you share valuable tips that help solve a specific problem in your industry. Also, your B2B content can entertain and position you as a top-notch contact. However, your offer should only take a supporting role in pull marketing, regardless of your goal - your target audience is the star of this movie

This approach is very different from the marketing that many B2B vendors continue to pursue

B2B companies like to focus on themselves and less on the needs of their target audience

So it's no wonder that cold calling makes many companies shudder, and not just on the World Wide Web. If, on the other hand, they were to cleverly combine pull and push marketing, they could turn ice-cold contacts into leads with a well-tempered handshake quality

How Push and Pull Marketing Differ

Inbound outbound marketing or push and pull marketing differ from each other in many ways. This is why they complement each other so well in the modern marketing mix of B2B providers

A Familiar Example:

You provide a whitepaper in exchange for signing up for your newsletter. This is classic pull or inbound marketing. After all, the prospect comes to you if he wants to benefit from your content.

If you also promote your landing page with the whitepaper via a Google Ads campaign, you add a push measure. This form of outbound marketing is independent of your platform, although it is usually used temporarily. This is not least due to the comparatively higher costs that arise not only in B2B push marketing

Prize Question: Which of the Strategies is Better?

Do qualified leads automatically find their way into your mailing list? Do you retain customers with the help of your content without additional effort? Can you effectively reduce your advertising costs?

If you consider the advantages of inbound marketing, the assumption is obvious: this is the marketing of the future! However, this can by no means be said across the board

Despite the obvious plus points, one thing is clear: Today's powerful marketing mix thrives on the unity of inbound and outbound marketing

Note, however, that successfully implemented pull marketing usually takes more time than a successful outbound measure. The time to results factor should therefore not be underestimated. It is not uncommon for it to take several months for a new company website to achieve a good ranking in the search engines. This can also be the case despite optimal SEO and less competitive keywords

If you do without push advertising during this period, you are giving away a lot of sales. It is therefore important to implement a strategy of inbound outbound marketing that is suitable for you and your target group

B2B Marketing and Pull? Well Hello There!

Push and pull marketing is a unit with clout. However, if you take a look at the World Wide Web, you'll quickly notice: a majority of B2B companies have not yet recognized their potential. This could be fatal due to the advancing digitalization. Its importance for providers is by no means a secret. On the contrary! More and more potential customers in the business customer sector are researching online before deciding on an offer

Since the resulting cooperation often lasts for an above-average period of time, visibly well-positioned B2B companies can book a clear competitive advantage for themselves. Online invisible providers, on the other hand, have to vie for the favor of the remaining target group. This is not only a scenario to be avoided in competitive sectors

The good thing is: If you act now, you can beat your competitors. Precisely tailored pull marketing supports you just as much as outbound marketing

When it comes to inbound as well as push, it's important to proceed strategically. So think about which content is really relevant for your target group. Each piece of content from your hand should pursue a specific goal. This can be

• signing up for a newsletter,

• strengthening your brand image or

• an increase in the length of stay on your website

The following applies: Inbound marketing in B2B does not have to be complicated, unlike the products that often require explanation. In fact, the opposite is often the case. For your advertising success, it's best to use your knowledge of your customers

• What questions do they regularly ask? Answer them in your company blog.

• What benefits does your offer provide them? Show helpful case studies

• What sets you apart from your competitors? Focus on this and show your target group how they can benefit from it

You notice: Pull measures are uncompromisingly customer-oriented. Therefore, they can be used in any industry that offers solutions

Conclusion: Get Your Horsepower out on the Road Thanks to Inbound Outbound Marketing

No successful business goes without marketing to its target audience. Regardless of whether it's the top dog in your industry or the family-run contract manufacturer next door. With the combination of push and pull marketing, it's often one of the factors why they seem to gamely master their new customer acquisition. They also seem to find it particularly easy to maintain existing customers

The question is: Can you do it too? Yes! A well thought-out marketing strategy, meaningful data and flexible action will support you. This combination can be a real game changer for you as a B2B provider - now and in the future

So provide helpful content via your website, Facebook fan page or podcast. Then promote it to draw the focus of your target audience to you. That's how you are, become and stay relevant. Not only on the World Wide Web, but also offline in the minds of your customers