The job of a marketer is more complex than before. Changing consumer behavior and the impact of numerous social media channels require marketers to be more dynamic in their approach. Patrick Hanlon a Forbes.com contributor recently touched on this subject with his article Marketers Master Their Three P’s: Push, Pull and Portal. Navigating a method to get your message across may be a challenge in today’s cluttered media space but as Hanlon points out:
“The need for expertly integrated marketing is greater than ever, as marketers challenge themselves with creating a social imprint. When the social citizen is open and available 24/7/365 you’re either there, or you risk falling short of today’s expectations of what it means to be a brand in our all antennae-up bitstreaming world. Push media is still needed to create brand awareness and purchase intent—but media agencies are finding it harder to achieve reach from one program (or even one platform) alone. Pull media like advertising is still critical to tell your brand story the way you want it told. Becoming a portal through owned media is also not a standalone solution.”
Hanlon stresses the importance of all three push, pull, and portal working together across all media channels to facilitate the influential two-way dialogue brands can now have with consumers. This synergy between push, pull, and portal marketing enables brands themselves to become the content and the key to that synergy is a well-constructed narrative.
The chosen narrative allows your brand to become a portal or a go-to place for generated content which favorably presents your brand values. The portal not only provides those who share your ideals a chance to belong to your community but also a chance to encourage purchase decisions.
How has push, pull and portal marketing influenced your sales and marketing communications? Need help constructing a narrative for your next business development project? Contact us.
