Push and Pull Personal Branding Strategy

January 9, 2008 at 6:44 pm | In Personal Branding, Success Strategies | 6 Comments


If you’ve taken any marketing class than you’ve heard of a “push” and a “pull” strategy. 

  • A “push” promotional strategy makes use of a company’s sales force and trade promotion activities to create consumer demand for a product.
  • A “pull” selling strategy is one that requires high spending on advertising and consumer promotion to build up consumer demand for a product.

This works in the same fashion when building personal brands, to some extent.  When I first started blogging, I commented on just about every blog and emailed hundreds of people, which of course doesn’t scale to well as you build your brand name.  I didn’t have a sales force, but I did create evangelists throughout the world to help spread the word.  Aside from commenting on blogs (I still do!), I was writing articles for other blogs and magazines and participating in various associations. 

After about 6 months, my strategy transitioned from push to pull because my brand became more visible and people started coming to me, instead of the reverse.  By accumulating value and a network, I could invest more time into being productive with the magazine and now book.  It almost works like a game of tug-of-war, which I’m sure most of you have played in your lifetime, whether at college or camp.  You let people win the first few games and then it’s your turn to pull and claim victory.  Throughout the loses, you learn what you’re doing right and wrong.

To me the real goal of personal branding is to be recruited based on your brand (who you are, what you can provide and what you’re passionate about).  It’s far easier for this to happen when you’re name is out there, but it can’t get out there without pushing first.

6 Comments »

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  1. It’s difficult to establish a new brand. My client has been doing that with the I Love Harlem line of sportswear, but it is hard to get that mystique of something new. Anyway, the whole line is at the T-shirt Queen

    Comment by Howard Gibson — January 11, 2008 #

  2. Excellent stuff.

    Comment by Ali Khan — February 6, 2008 #

  3. [...] good for you and your career, because people start gravitating towards you.  It’s a pull rather than a push to grow your network, and that means you can work on strengthening your network rather than extending [...]

    Pingback by The Secret To Networking Well - Be Yourself | Twenty Set — February 22, 2008 #

  4. [...] blogged about this idea of a push and pull strategy when you build an eBrand. Basically, when your already known, it’s far easier to develop and [...]

    Pingback by Name Brands Have a Clear Advantage When Developing eBrands « Personal Branding Blog - Dan Schawbel — March 6, 2008 #

  5. Dan- Your mom and I went to Chandler and were roomates. You are a brilliant young man and so adorable (I can say that because I know your mom). I am eager to know more about your branding strategies since I am a (was a very successful)mortgage broker. Times have changed and I am ready to re-invent myself. Do you do coaching? If so, I am very interested. Will you contact me, please…

    Comment by Anita Nasuto — April 5, 2008 #

  6. Dan,

    I have been doing quite a bit of what you have mentioned here. Mind having a look at my blog? I agree to what you said. And it has paid me as well.

    Cheers!
    Susmita

    Comment by Susmita Das Gupta — May 19, 2008 #


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