Push or Pull?

Digital marketing is completed through items such as cell phones, SMS, MMS, instant messaging, websites, emails, banner advertisement and digital billboards.

Digital marketing involves some of the techniques of direct marketing and Internet marketing. In digital marketing, traditional methods of promotions are executed digitally. It involves marketing in two forms, pull and push.

‘Pull’ digital marketing requires the user to pull or extract the content directly. The customer has to approach the promotional matter and see the matter for himself. Examples are websites, forums and web logs. All these require clicking on a URL in order to view the content. The content that is being displayed doesn’t have to follow any guidelines. Effort is required only to display the content on the website or forum. There is no additional cost of sending the information to the customer, but the customer has to make the extra effort of reaching to the content.

The customer doesn’t have to opt-in for such kind of promotion and one message is being viewed by all and it cannot be personalized. The customers who see the content cannot be traced, although the click through rate can be considered which give details about the number of clicks the message received. This is be done by enabling the click though tracking during the campaign, which records the information.

Push digital marketing technologies requires the effort of both the marketer and the customer. The marketer has to push or send the content to the customer and the customer has to make the effort of receiving it. This is a very effective kind of marketing and the investments surely earn a big return as it creates brand recognition. SMS, MMS, emails, RSS podcasting are examples of push digital marketing. Since the content is sent to individuals, it can be personalized according to the intended recipient. Whether the message has been opened, viewed or deleted by the customer, it can be tracked and reported.

Information related to the customer such as name, geographical location can be traced. But when sending this size of a message, certain criteria should be met as the SMS and emails sent are monitored. If the marketer doesn’t follow the rules and regulations properly, there is a possibility of messages getting rejected and blocked. Bigger consequences involve marketers becoming blacklisted temporarily or even permanently. The number would be blocked and they won’t be able to send any messages at all. Messages sent to the RSS feeders require a mechanism with an application to reach, when sent by an email marketing system.

Both forms of digital marketing should be used in tandem to achieve positive results. A smart marketer sends out emails along with SMS and uses multiple channels to market his products. The type of messages being sent should also be different from one another. They should not only be text, but animations, audios and videos. There is a possibility of using pull and push message technologies in conjunction. The email sent to a potential customer can have a URL or a banner ad, which upon clicking downloads information. If there is enormous groups of people to be reached via email, email service providers can be hired who sends loads of emails to the customers on behalf of the marketer and they take measures so that the messages are not considered as spam.

Much of the marketing that is opt-in includes regulations from federal laws, such as CAN SPAM Act, have been passed to protect the customers from unscrupulous marketers who would go to any extent to promote their products or hackers or spammers who have a bad intent i.e. like harming the computer or installing adware, spyware on people’s computers.

Terry Detty finds Internet Marketing Services and Internet Marketing Software his passion. In addition to marketing, he enjoys reading and occasionally goes out for a short walk. His latest interest is a new how to Fix Credit program he's been using.