Online Programs, it's About the Push and the Pull

A lot of companies are diving into the online communications fray this year which is quite frankly great news, but I want to share this one observation based on those discussions I’ve been a part of thus far:

The way I see it, every traditional communications program has what I simply call a “push and a pull” -- a press release pushes news out and a story pitch pulls media in, a speaking opp pushes a message out and a tradeshow booth pulls attendees in, a product press tour pushes eval units out while a product review pulls customers in, etc., etc., etc.

Online communications programs operate with this same ebb and flow, although I think that some companies in their eagerness to develop these programs (particularly the blog components) are forgetting that there needs to be this underlying symbiosis with the overall strategy, a balance in the execution, a give and a take, a well, push and a pull.

For example, while a corporate blog has both push and pull qualities -- technically speaking -- it’s really the primary pull component of an online program. The thinking here being that if you frequently publish good content you’ll attract (or pull) readers in and that’s the easiest way to grow your subscribership.

But with that said, companies still need to keep in mind ways that they can bookend their programs with solid push strategies. Proactively building online/offline relationships with key bloggers and industry enthusiasts is arguably a push strategy, so is seeding announcements with your top bloggers in advance of breaking news, as well as actively participating (at least in some formal capacity) in industry forums and related blogging communities.

The reality is that there’s a mix of things you can (and should) be doing on the push side of the spectrum to compliment what you’re doing on the pull side. But I think to do one and not the other throws the program off balance and while it doesn’t mean your program’s destined for failure it doesn’t necessarily set you up for long-term success either.