"Pull Marketing" has always been, and will continue to be the most effective internet marketing strategy at your disposal. Allow me to explain. Most marketing efforts can be placed into one of three categories:
1. "Push Marketing" or advertising basically screams at the viewer. "Hey Look at ME, Buy My Stuff NOW!" Because we are exposed to this type of marketing thousands of times a day, we've learned to tune it out, hate it and even protest against it. Look at SPAM for instance. People even get arrested for using email to "Push" their offers in front of us!
With Push Marketing we have no choice in the matter. We get a sales pitch whether we want it or not. And who doesn't want a choice in what they see, read or hear?
2. "Permission Marketing" on the other hand aims to seduce us into allowing others to advertise to us. They offer up promises of great useful content, special offers and discounts if we signup, opt-in or subscribe. It's effective but loosing ground day by day as we see the content more and more diluted by the ads.
Basically, they ask us if they can advertise to us and we have a choice whether the content they're offering is valuable enough to us to put up with the ads.
3. "Pull Marketing" is when people come to you, with a purpose. If I'm seeking the services of a programmer to develop a script for a web site I'm working on, the first place I begin my search is either a search engine or a site where I know programmers can be found like Elance.com. I actually visit these sites with a purpose and seek out the best person for the job.
Maybe I read an article or web based tutorial on designing scripts for my purpose. Maybe I searched through HotScripts.com and couldn't find what I was looking for.
The Point is, I went looking for them. I took the time and energy to find them and I'm ready to buy now. I'm the most targeted prospect the programmer could ever hope for.
Now, the key to effective Pull Marketing on the internet is visibility. If that programmer was not visible when I went searching he would have lost the sale. He used Pull Marketing to his advantage and it was to my advantage as well because I needed his services at the time.
Here are 7 ways to implement "Pull Marketing" into your internet marketing strategy:
1. Make sure your web site is listed in the major search engines. Your site needs to be optimized so that it is listed under the appropriate keywords and phrases, making it visible when your potential customers and clients are ready to buy.
2. Make your expertise memorable by writing informative articles relevant to your industry or niche. Make those articles visible by submitting and syndicating them to sites and ezines for future publication.
3. Contribute meaningfully to online forums where your potential customers gather to exchange their views, opinions and talk about their problems. Leave a subtle keyworded link in each of your postings. Now that other forum visitors know who you are and what you know, they'll be more inclined to check out your link.
4. Brand your email with a signature. Every email you send out should have a short blurb at the end along with your URL. Make sure the main benefit of your business is stressed and make it compelling and irresistable. Make it memorable.
5. Provide a content rich web site that pulls visitors into interacting in some way. They have to come back for the newest articles, they have to come back to see the results of a poll or quiz they took part in. Constantly give your web site visitors a reason to return.
6. Leave your URL and signature on any other related sites that allow link submissions or link exchanges. Sign guestbooks, send webmasters testimonials touting what a great source of info their site has been to you. They may publish it, and your URL right on their main page.
7. List your site in the appropriate category of every online directory you can find. Drill down through the categories as if you were a prospective customer looking for the services you offer and submit your listing there. Targeted visibility will do wonders for your marketing pull.
The bottom line is: Targeted Visibility is the key to effective "Pull Marketing". You need to be there when your customers come looking.
About The Author
Paul Short is a search engine optimization and web site promotion specialist who's been helping his clients implement pull marketing as an effective internet marketing strategy since early 1997. His web site web site and blog for more info at http://www.top100marketing.com/
Real estate has made many people large amounts of money... Read More
There are thousands of web sites, books, CD-ROM's, cassette tapes... Read More
As an online marketer, there are many tools available to... Read More
Marketing on the internet is getting harder and harder daily.It... Read More
As any successful entrepreneur knows, there's more to generating on-line... Read More
Are you Paris Hilton? Is your name instantly recognizable when... Read More
For large corporations, a marketing plan is a huge document... Read More
I, myself, being an internet marketing "newbie" (endearing term used... Read More
Multimedia here and multimedia there. Is it just a flashy... Read More
Catch the cash on the net?in more ways than one.Thousands... Read More
Perhaps the online community today is not so different from... Read More
What is an Internet Marketing Godfather?Someone who I *perceive* to... Read More
You can't row a boat without an oar or build... Read More
Business thrives on competition.You've to be aware of your competition... Read More
Every business needs customers that's axiomatic.When you work on the... Read More
I hate reciprocal linking.It is such a hassle. Even specialized... Read More
The advent of the Internet has made this world an... Read More
If you haven't started your own niche business yet because... Read More
Are you confused by what really works when marketing your... Read More
There are so many simple and achievable ways to make... Read More
Here I will explain precisely how to advertise effectively, including:1.... Read More
If you use PPC advertising and are in a highly... Read More
Internet marketing is a wonderful thing, but it has it's... Read More
Generating buzz through word of mouth will help drive greater... Read More
The Internet is a powerful selling tool. Never before has... Read More
Good morning, you fellow marketers! Well, you do not have... Read More
Internet marketing and public speaking? Not quite ham and eggs,... Read More
Starting a business is a huge, but rewarding, task to... Read More
Everyday people ask me if they will make money with... Read More
"FREE" what a great word.We all like getting something for... Read More
Before I expand on the above heading, I do have... Read More
Building an Internet business based on a specific niche is... Read More
It can be a challenge to market real/tangible products in... Read More
Before trying to define the term of eMarketing (or electronic... Read More
Viral marketing is probably the number one method for generating... Read More
After running an online business (web site design) for a... Read More
The Olympic motto is "Citius, Altius, Fortius" meaning "Swifter, Higher,... Read More
In this Article we look at the third competitive advantage... Read More
Joint ventures are partnerships in which two or more businesses... Read More
One marketing technique used by advertisers old and new is... Read More
With the exception of myself and a small handful of... Read More
I know what your thinking, "what the heck does starting... Read More
Can a 10-year-old teach you anything about Internet marketing? Until... Read More
Every business is engaged in selling something, whether a product,... Read More
How DO you get a great flow of traffic for... Read More
One of the best and fastest ways to build your... Read More
Here I will explain precisely how to advertise effectively, including:1.... Read More
Link exchange is one of the many Internet marketing strategies... Read More
If you are like most internet based home business entrepreneurs... Read More
Any small business owner in a B2B or B2C market... Read More
Most people in a new year make resolutions to make... Read More
To make a living online is the dream of many... Read More
If you're looking for the number one, hot Internet marketing... Read More
Not everyone is comfortable putting their personal information online. It... Read More
Writing and Submitting Articles is More about Psychology than Writing... Read More
I just spent the last week in two very different,... Read More
I recently posted an article titled "Internet Marketing and Public... Read More
There is one piece of software that is always going... Read More
Don't be scare off when you hear about product creation... Read More
There are no hidden secrets on how to rank high... Read More
Have you ever been lost in the woods - wondering... Read More
Do you own a web site that is continually failing... Read More
I'm sure everybody has received an email from a company... Read More
-- Internet Marketing Determines Web Success --Internet marketing is essential... Read More
The right strategies to win a share of the Internet... Read More
1. Find a strategic business partner. Look for ones that... Read More
Internet Marketing |