Marketing your business doesn’t have to be complicated.
Yes, even if you have a small (or no) marketing team.
Most founders and CEOs think they need to be everywhere to generate leads — LinkedIn, podcast, email, Google ads, cold outreach, events, conferences, tradeshows, blog posts, associations, direct mail…the list goes on and on.
Or they swing the other direction and dump their entire marketing budget into Google ads, hoping to pull the right people to their website.
Neither is the right move.
Being everywhere is impossible — you’ll never do any of it well enough to make a dent.
Relying on Google Ads, or any kind of ads, will give you diminishing returns.
So, what’s the play to raise brand awareness, generate leads, and become the ONLY choice?
All you need is a simple, strategic play built around one powerful principle:
Pull & Push
Let’s break it down.
What a Modern B2B Marketing Strategy Needs
The best marketing strategies do two things:
- Pulls: attracts people to your business through content
- Pushes: pushes your message out through ads and outreach
One builds brand awareness, trust, and inbound leads. It creates demand.
The other converts existing demand by meeting prospects at the right time with the right message.
You need both to build a sustainable marketing play that consistently generates leads.
What is Pull Marketing?
Pull marketing attracts.
You might know it as demand gen or inbound marketing.
Pull marketing aims to position your business as the expert in the industry they want to work with.
It’s a long-term play, meaning it can take 6 months to a year to see results.
But, once you do, those results compound over time — generating more trust, more awareness, and positioning you as the ONLY choice to work with.
Content is the best example of pull marketing — educating your ideal customers with your expertise and point-of-view on channels where they consume information.
These channels include:
- Social Media (LinkedIn, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, Facebook, X, Reddit, and the like)
- Podcasts
- Blog Posts
- YouTube
- Email Newsletter or Course
What is Push Marketing?
Push marketing interrupts.
It comes to most people’s minds when they think of marketing — demand capture or outbound marketing.
Push marketing aims to place your solution and message in front of the right people at the right time while they are consuming other content.
It’s a short-term play, capturing demand already in the market. It can generate results in 2-6 months, far faster than pull marketing.
There’s a downside, though. Push marketing had diminishing returns — meaning you have to pay more to get the same results.
Ads are the best and most well-known example of push marketing.
Push Marketing channels include:
- Search Ads (Google, Bing, Yahoo)
- Social Ads (LinkedIn and the like)
- Cold Outreach (Emails, calling, DMs)
Depending on your industry, there are a few more Push channels to consider:
- Tradeshows
- Direct Mail
- Print Ads
Some industries put a lot of trust into tradeshows and trade publications as their source of information.
If that’s your industry, those outbound channels make sense for your business.
Why Most B2B Marketing Efforts Miss the Mark
Investing in only one form of marketing (pull or push) won’t generate the leads you want.
Lopsided marketing, focusing only on long-term (pull) or short-term (push) results.
Your marketing will never work that way.
Why Pull Marketing Alone Doesn’t Work
If your strategy is to “post more content on more platforms,” you’re already losing.
Every content channel has rules, expectations, and requirements for being seen. What works on LinkedIn will fall short on X, which definitely won’t work on TikTok or YouTube.
Not to mention, most social media platforms require more time and energy than just posting content. That’s right; you must engage on the platform — like and comment on other creators so the algorithm knows who to show your content to.
Imagine a single marketer trying to engage on five different social media platforms to get mediocre engagement that doesn’t convert into leads.
You’ll never do that much work well enough to make any real impact.
Your message will be watered down. Your execution will get sloppy. Your team will end up overwhelmed, burned out, and frustrated that all their effort isn’t turning into leads.
And, no, repurposing the same post on LinkedIn, Instagram, X, and Reddit isn’t the answer. That’s digital duct tape.
Why Paid Ads Alone Fail to Deliver
The alternative isn’t any better.
Dumping your entire marketing budget into Google Ads might feel like the right move to generate leads, but it never works that way.
Paid ads only amplify what’s already working.
If your offer is unclear, your messaging is off, your positioning is weak, or your website was thrown together using a pre-made template you created yourself? You’re spending money to confuse and repel your ideal customers even faster.
Not to mention, if you don’t know who those ideal customers are, their problems, or what motivates them to buy, you’ll end up attracting all the wrong people to your website.
And guess what? Performance dips over time. Costs go up, results go down, and you’re stuck trying to outspend your competitors instead of outsmarting them.
The Pull + Push Marketing Strategy
The best marketing strategy combines push and pull marketing channels.
This play allows you to capitalize on the benefits of both types of marketing while diminishing their adverse effects.
But, how do you do it well if you only have one marketer on staff? Or, worse yet, no full-time marketer?
Master Two.
Choose One Pull Channel
Pick one content channel you can do well.
Think through your strengths and weaknesses as a marketer (or CEO trying to do marketing).
- What comes easily to you?
- What energizes you?
- What can you invest in?
- What can you do with your eyes closed?
Here are a few channels to consider:
Social Media
Social media is one of the easiest ways to build trust at scale.
You can reach thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of your ideal customers at once with your expertise.
The trick? Choosing a channel that your ideal customers actually use. And by use, I mean consume content regularly.
These could be:
- LinkedIn (best for B2B companies)
- TikTok
- X
- Threads
Podcasting
Podcasts are a growing trend among B2B companies for good reason.
No other channel allows you to interview experts, show off your expertise, and use content creation as a lead-gen tool like podcasting.
The only downside: launching a podcast isn’t enough.
You still need to promote it on other channels so people know it even exists.
Blogging
Blogging is still the best way to get people to your website.
Ads, calls to action on social media, or placing your link in a bio aren’t as effective.
Blog posts showcase your expertise and get you found for the very things people are searching for.
Want to get featured in AI results? Blog posts are the best way to do that.
AI uses SEO frameworks to understand content and deliver prompt results.
The only catch: you have to create exceptional content, not just keyword-stuffed drivel that no one needs.
YouTube
Think of YouTube as video blogging.
It’s an SEO channel, not a social media channel — meaning it works the same way as blog posts.
You need to do keyword research, write SEO-optimized descriptions and transcripts, and make sure your thumbnails are catchy.
The benefit, though? Video builds trust faster than just copy.
Email Newsletters
Most pull channels are considered ‘rented’ ground.
Social media, YouTube, Podcasts — your content is at the mercy of algorithms and the platform that hosts them.
If the platform changes, it might not effective for you anymore.
Email is the only pull channel that you actually own.
Even if the platform you use changes, you can download your list of subscribers and move.
Try doing that with social media.
Plus, email is still the most effective channel for B2B — your audience doesn’t need to be active on a platform at the right time to see your content.
They might read it days or months later.
Choose One Push Channel
Next, pick one push channel you can do well.
This is harder for a lot of CEOs and marketers. Push marketing can easily turn spammy when done incorrectly — no one wants that!
But push marketing is still the best way to capture existing demand.
Here are some channels to consider:
Search Ads
Think Google, Bing, or Yahoo — but mainly Google.
Search Ads allow you to show up as prospects search for your type of solution.
These are ideal for solutions that are well-known and regularly searched for.
The only downside: you can spend a lot of money and generate no results if you don’t do these ads right.
- Create a focused landing page
- Nail down a singular message
- Test and iterate to see what gets clicks and conversions
- Invest enough money to get seen
Social Ads
Social ads are a great way to capitalize on your pull marketing progress.
Creating content on LinkedIn? Running thought leader or lead-gen ads on LinkedIn are a powerful way to take your pull efforts to the next level.
Plus, you can hyper-target your ideal customers on LinkedIn to ensure the right people see your messages.
Just like search ads, ensure you have a solid ad strategy.
Otherwise, you’ll blow through your budget with nothing to show.
Cold Outreach
Like it or not, cold outreach is still effective.
No, I’m not talking pitch slapping — connecting with someone and asking for 15 minutes of their time to pitch them your service.
An effective cold outreach strategy involves sending relevant, concise messages to the right people with a soft pitch, like “Interested in learning more,” “Does it make sense to chat,” or my favorite, “How does that sound to you?”
You get to choose exactly who sees your message, and, done well, it opens the door to providing more value and building a stronger relationship with them.
The downside? If you’re just spraying and praying, you’ll erode any brand trust you’ve built through your pull marketing.
Bonus Add-On Channels (Optional, Not Required)
There are more pull and push channels depending on your industry.
These can work—if your audience is there.
Add-on channels include:
- Tradeshows and events
- Direct mail
- Print ads
- Speaking gigs
- Industry forums
Use them if they make sense. Ignore them if they don’t.
Master Two Channels
The beauty of this system is found in its simplicity.
1 pull channel + 1 push channel
- Master both
- Generate consistent leads
- Add more channels later
It keeps you and your marketer from getting overwhelmed tackling 10 channels simultaneously.
Let’s be honest — mastering two channels will take time and effort.
Mastering ten?
That’s impossible without a large marketing team.
And trying to master ten channels at once is how you end up with weak content, weak targeting, and zero leads, even after dumping $100k into marketing.
No one wants that.
The 3 Things You Must Do to Win With This Strategy
Want this strategy to work for you?
Just because it’s simple doesn’t mean it’s easy.
Here’s what you need to see results:
1. Invest Time + Resources
Doing this right takes more than publishing a post or ad here or there.
You need:
- Strategy
- Creative
- Data
- Testing
- Tools
Remember, your goal is to master these two channels, not just put out mediocre work.
Give your marketer what they need to do those channels correctly.
2. Hire (or Consult) a Strategist
If you’re winging this based on YouTube tutorials, stop.
You need someone who understands how to:
- Position your offer
- Build your content themes
- Match messaging to the right stages of awareness
- Create ads that capture and convert attention
Otherwise, you’ll waste money fast.
3. Test, Learn, Iterate
Marketing is never one-and-done.
Give your channels time. Test different formats. Track results. Improve what works. Ditch what doesn’t.
Most strategies fail because people quit too early.
A general rule of thumb:
- Pull Marketing: requires 6-12 months to generate consistent results
- Push Marketing: requires 3-6 months to generate consistent results
Don’t quit after one month and think this doesn’t work for you.
Scaling the Strategy (Only If You’re Ready)
The temptation when implementing this strategy?
You’ll want to jump on more channels just to boost your results.
If you have the team and the budget, great! Add more channels.
But it’s best to slow down if you’re still rocking a single marketer or they’re splitting their time between marketing and other tasks.
You’ll know you’re ready to scale when you’ve:
- Mastered your first pull + push combo
- Created systems to consistently execute
- Have reliable data on what’s working
Then, you can consider layering on another pull or push channel.
Launch Your Push + Pull Strategy
Ready to launch your simplified marketing strategy?
Start by identifying two channels you can master.
Ask yourself:
- Where are your ideal customers already looking for help?
- What content format are you (or your team) naturally good at?
- What’s your current capacity and budget?
Choose your two channels.
Master them.
And watch the high-intent leads come pouring in.
Need more help?
Book a call to see how our Onlyness Brand System gives you everything you need to position and market your business…even without a marketing team.