Is Push Marketing A Waste of Time?

The Decline of Push Marketing.

The growing influence of Web 2.0 is making an impact on the use and effectiveness of "push" marketing techniques use by online businesses. The new trend is leaning decidedly toward "pull" or "attraction" marketing methods as the best way to make money online. Both techniques have been used successfully, but the tide is shifting direction in terms of which is the strongest option.

The term push marketing refers to methods that focus on sending an advertising message directly to prospects without them requesting the information. The most common form of online push marketing in the past has been unsolicited email.In an attempt to avoid SPAM complaints, most online marketers have focused on building an opt-in list of subscribers and then use an autoresponder to send them a series of marketing messages over a period of time. This online marketing strategy has been a staple for success on the internet for some time, but the overall effectiveness has been steadily declining over the last few years.

The increasing popularity and use of social networking has completely changed the internet and, in doing so, has transformed people's expectations for how business is done online. Many people are beginning to reject traditional push marketing methods and turning toward the more indirect approaches of pull marketing.Both consumers and marketers are moving toward "pull" or "attraction" marketing techniques. More than ever, the user is in control of her web surfing habits. Users are forced by the massive volume of distractions clamoring for their attention on the web to narrow their focus and concentrate only on those things they are interested in.

Internet marketers who have been paying attention have seen this shift and are changing their methods to appeal to specific niches in the market. Many are turning their focus to providing quality content to attract visitors and very subtlely inserting marketing messages in the form of recommendations or reviews. This indirect approach is extremely effective once visitors have come to trust the site through the expertise and free content provided.

Mastering the skills and the art of "pull" or "attraction" marketing is a worthy pursuit in our Web 2.0 world. Although it’s probably not time to abandon "push" marketing methods altogether, it would be wise to focus most of your attention and effort on the more fashionable and profitable "pull" methods. This is the future of internet marketing.

Finding an internet business that recognizes this marketing shift and one that offers training and support in this area is important. A recent newcomer to the online marketing scene is MyInternetBusiness. The marketing resources and tools provided to members is unparalleled.

Regardless of which marketing strategy you use, it's essential to maintain your focus on your customers by offering them true service and value. The internet has the unfortunate temptation as a way to earn a "quick buck," but longterm success online depends on following the same principles that successful brick-and-mortar businesses follow.In exchange for the money you receive, provide real value while serving your customers. If you follow this motto, you’re well on your way to success in your business future.