beat the competition 
posted in Push and Pull Marketing
Traditional push marketing of a product or service involves proactively telling your target market about your product/service. It typically involves direct marketing like emailshots, phone calls and generally interrupting your target market using one media or another, to persuade them to do what you want them to do.This type of marketing is becoming less and less effective due to the internet and the big increase in means of communications over the last 20 years or so. Back in the mid-80s in the UK we had 4 TV channels and no internet. We indulged the advertisers back then as ads were genuinely more valuable because of the (comparitve) scarcity of advertising pushed our way and well, they were still a kind of entertainment in a way.
Now we are plugged into so many communication "channels" (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, email, Skype, Messenger, your landline phone, your mobile, SMS etc) we can devote far less time to advertising. Now it's largely annoying, an interruption to our busy schedule. Not only are we less receptive, we're bombarded with a large number of advertising messages across all the channels so each individual advertising message is diluted down that much more.
On the other hand, it's now never been easier to find out about products and services ourselves. We read Amazon reviews, ask friends on Twitter or eBay forums, get info from a vendor's site etc.
These two factors have changed the way people make buying decisions. Ads are far less compelling than word of mouth, or a person discovering a product from their own efforts.
This is why search engine traffic is so valuable - because nobody is being forced to make searches. They're doing it of their own compulsion. They are looking for your product or service. When they land on your site, they want to find what they're looking for, and want to trust you. They'd rather buy from you right now than spend time looking at yet ANOTHER site. They want it now, and they're on your site now. Closing the sale from that point on is all about your product / service, your price, and trust signals your site gives out.
Focusing on improving search engine rankings and improving the thing that you sell are two good things to devote your time to.
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