Push marketing refers to a marketing strategy in which companies promote their products or services proactively approach potential customers.
The aim is to attract attention, prompt purchasing decisions and position offers in the market in a targeted manner. Unlike with pull marketing, companies do not wait for prospective customers to search for a solution themselves.
Typical push marketing strategies include:
- paid online advertising
- Direct mail and promotional emails
- personal sales pitch
- Telemarketing
- Sales promotions and discounts
- Trade fair appearances
- Influencer campaigns
- Point-of-sale advertising
- Collaborations with sales partners
The typical procedure is as follows:
| Phase | Meaning |
| Select target group | Potential customers are shortlisted based on specific criteria. |
| Develop a message | The benefits, the offer and the incentive to buy are clearly set out. |
| Select channel | This is done, for example, through advertising, sales or email. |
| Trigger a purchase | Prospective customers are asked to take a specific action. |
| Analysing results | Responses, enquiries and sales are tracked. |
Push marketing can help start-ups to:
- to quickly capture people’s attention
- to promote new products
- to target specific customer groups
- to generate enquiries or sales at short notice
- to test new markets or distribution channels
- to compare the impact of different messages
Push marketing is particularly suitable when a product is not yet widely known, there is a specific sales period, or potential customers need to be actively made aware of an offer.
A common mistake is to advertise too broadly or too frequently. Inappropriate messages may be perceived as intrusive by recipients. That is why the target audience, timing, channel and value proposition should be aligned as closely as possible.
The opposite of push marketing is Pull Marketing:
| Push Marketing | Pull Marketing |
| The offer is actively presented to customers. | Customers are attracted by relevant content and a genuine interest. |
| Focus on immediate attention | Focus on long-term trust |
| Examples: advertising, direct sales, promotional campaigns | Examples: SEO, content marketing, social media |
In practice, push and pull marketing are often combined. innoWerft supports start-up founders in defining their target audiences, selecting suitable communication and sales channels, and strategically developing marketing initiatives to attract customers and drive growth.