A pull business is one that customers go looking for as soon as a problem shows up. A push business has to put its offer in front of people before they know they want it. If your customers search for you, start with pull channels like Google Ads and landing pages that turn a visit into a call. If they have to get to know you before they buy, start with push channels like video on Meta and TikTok, then capture the demand you create.
Marketers use "pull" and "push" in different ways. In this guide, pull means capturing demand that already exists, and push means creating demand with content and ads.
Most businesses are a mix of both, but one side usually drives the revenue. Knowing which one you are decides where your first marketing dollar should go.
From Norcross, GA, we make this call with business owners all over Metro Atlanta. Below we explain both strategies in plain terms, shows how the industries we work with usually fall, and covers the channels that fit each one.
What is pull marketing?
Pull marketing means being there when the customer is already looking. The need exists before your ad does. Someone has a leak in the roof, a legal problem after an accident, or a health issue that needs a provider, and they go to Google to find a solution.
Your job in a pull strategy is not to create interest. It is to show up at the right moment and make it easy to choose you. That usually means:
- Search ads that match what people type when they need your service
- Landing pages that state the offer clearly and put the phone number and booking button up front
- Fast follow-up, because the person searching is also calling your competitors
The strength of pull is intent. The person already wants what you sell. The limit is volume: you can only capture the demand that exists.
What is push marketing?
Push marketing means taking your offer to people who were not looking for it yet. You reach them where they spend their time, mostly on social platforms, and give them a reason to stop, pay attention and act.
Your job in a push strategy is to win attention and become familiar before anyone picks up the phone. That usually means:
- Short videos and posts that are worth watching on their own, not just ads in disguise
- Ads on Meta, TikTok, Instagram and YouTube that put that content in front of the right audience
- An offer clear enough that people ask for more information, and a system to follow up the moment they do
The strength of push is reach. You can create demand that did not exist and become the familiar name before the customer ever searches. The limit is that it asks for more creative work and more patience to turn attention into buyers.
How can you tell whether your business is pull or push?
Ask yourself three questions:
- When someone needs what you sell, do they search for it? If people type your service into Google when the need appears, you have pull demand.
- Is the need urgent? Urgent problems, like a damaged roof or a legal situation, lean pull. People act fast and choose from what they find.
- Do people buy because of what they see and who they trust? If the decision depends on a face, a story, a product they saw or work they could see with their own eyes, you lean push.
If you answered yes to the first two, start with pull. If the third one describes your business better, start with push. If all three sound like you, you are a mixed business, and the order depends on where the fastest revenue is.
Which industries are pull and which are push?
This is how we usually see the industries we work with. Every business is different, so treat it as a starting point, not a rule.
| Industry | Usually | Why | Channels that serve it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roofing | Pull | The need is urgent and people search right after the damage | Google Ads, SEO, landing pages focused on getting the call, fast follow-up and Maria AI to answer every call |
| Lawyers | Pull | People search when the legal problem appears | Google Ads, SEO, clear intake landing pages, CRM follow-up and Maria AI for intake calls |
| Medical | Pull | Patients look for a provider when they need care | Google Ads, SEO, booking-focused landing pages and automated follow-up |
| Contractors | Mixed | Searched when something breaks, chosen for work people can see | Google Ads for urgent jobs, before and after content on Meta and Instagram |
| Education | Mixed | Some people search for programs, many decide after learning from you | Google Ads for program searches, webinars, lead magnets and YouTube |
| SaaS | Mixed | Buyers search for a known problem but need to understand the solution | Google Ads, educational content, webinars, VSLs and CRM follow-up |
| Real estate | Push | People choose an agent they already know and trust | Short-form video on Instagram and TikTok, Meta Ads, email and text follow-up |
| Restaurants | Push | Decisions come from cravings and what people see | Instagram and TikTok content, Meta Ads and offers that give people a reason to come in |
| Ecommerce | Push | Most products are discovered while scrolling | Meta and TikTok video, Instagram, email follow-up, plus Google Ads for people searching the product |
| Solar | Mixed | Some homeowners search for solar, but most only consider it after seeing an offer | Google Ads for the people already searching, plus Meta and YouTube video, lead magnets, webinars and follow-up funnels |
Notice that even the push industries keep a pull channel for the people who are already searching, and the pull industries still benefit from content. The label tells you where to start, not where to stop.
Can a business use both pull and push?
Yes, and the strongest marketing systems do. Push creates the demand. Pull captures it.
Think about a contractor in Metro Atlanta. Google Ads brings in the homeowner whose basement just flooded. Meanwhile, before and after videos on Instagram and Facebook make the neighbors remember the name, so when their own problem shows up, they search for that company, or they call directly.
Each side also makes the other one stronger. Ads perform better when there is content behind them that people recognize, and good content only reaches the right audience when ads distribute it. That is why we plan both together instead of treating them as separate projects.
A common and expensive error is starting with the wrong side. A roofer spending everything on entertaining videos while nobody answers the phone after a storm is leaving money on the table. A real estate agent running search ads with no content behind them is asking strangers to trust a name they have never seen.
What has to happen after the click?
Pull or push, an ad only starts the conversation. Customers come from how fast and how well your business responds after that.
In a pull strategy, speed matters most. The person searching is comparing options right now. That is why we pair search campaigns with landing pages that make calling or booking effortless and a CRM that follows up automatically. When the phone rings a lot, Maria AI, our AI voice agent, picks up every call, asks the qualifying questions, puts the appointment on the calendar and keeps following up, day or night.
In a push strategy, nurturing matters most. Someone who reached out after watching a video may not be ready to buy today. Email and text funnels, lead magnets and webinars keep the conversation going until they are.
In both cases the offer carries a lot of the weight. A vague offer makes every ad more expensive, so we work on it before we spend on media.
How long until a pull or push strategy works?
For most of our clients, the first signs of traction appear within 30 to 45 days, and the bigger impact on the business usually arrives somewhere between day 60 and day 90.
What changes is how that time is spent. In a pull strategy, the first weeks go into choosing the right searches, building the landing pages and tightening the follow-up. In a push strategy, a big part of that time goes into creating and testing content to learn which messages make people stop and act. In both, the weak campaigns lose budget and the strong ones get more, and when progress is slower than planned we change course right away rather than waiting for the month to end.
The number we care about most is new revenue. Behind it we watch how many leads come in, what each new customer costs, how many leads turn into appointments and sales, how each ad performs and how fast the audience grows. A report full of impressions and likes means little if sales did not move.
Frequently asked questions
Is push marketing the same as cold calling?
Not in the way we use it. Here, push means putting your offer in front of people who were not looking for it, mostly through content and ads on social platforms. The goal is to make people interested enough to reach out on their own.
Which one is cheaper, pull or push?
Neither is cheaper by default. Pull can cost more per click in competitive categories, and push needs more content. We have clients investing as little as $300 a month and others above $10,000, and the right number depends on the value of each new customer for your business.
Can a pull business still use social media?
Yes. Content builds familiarity, so when the need appears, people search for your name or call you directly. Start with pull to capture the demand that exists, then add push to grow it.
My business is a mix of pull and push. Where do I start?
Start with the side that can bring revenue the fastest. If people already search for what you sell, that is usually pull. Once those leads are steady and measurable, add push to grow the demand.
Can push marketing work for an urgent service like roofing?
Yes, but as support, not as the main engine. Content keeps your name familiar in the neighborhood, but when a roof is leaking people search, so at the start most of the budget should go to pull.
Not sure whether your business should start with pull or push? Let's look at your market together, from Atlanta to the rest of the metro area, and decide where your first dollar should go.