5 Takeaways from: This is Marketing By Seth Godin
Intro
Today, I want to share with you my thoughts on a book that I read a couple of years ago and that changed the way I market my business. It's called "This Is Marketing: You Can't Be Seen Until You Learn to See" by Seth Godin. If you're into marketing or business, this book is definitely for you!
Godin's book is all about modern marketing strategies and how traditional methods just don't cut it anymore. As someone who has worked in marketing for years, I found this book to be refreshingly honest and practical. Here are some of my key takeaways that you can implement in your business starting today. Note that these are not “quick fixes” or hacks but are long-term principles you must abide by in the long run if you want to see real results.
Focus on your audience, not your product
One of the most important points that Godin makes is that businesses need to focus on their audience's needs and desires rather than their product. This means taking the time to understand your target market and creating products or services that solve their problems and meet their needs.
When you can do that, you build trust and relationships with your customers that will last. In my years of coaching, I have seen countless people shove random products in people’s faces in the hopes that someone would buy. Your audience is smart… and they are “selfish,” meaning they only care about solving their problems. So your goal is to figure out a way to help them solve those problems.
Read this: 5 Key takeaways from The Coaching Habit
The importance of empathy
Empathy is a key part of understanding your audience. You need to be able to put yourself in their shoes and see things from their perspective. This means listening to them, paying attention to their feedback, and understanding their motivations. When you can do this, you can create marketing messages that truly resonate with them.
For example, when I first created my Google Ads agency, I didn’t want to listen to my clients when they said, “ I don’t want to pay upfront, but I want to see results first.” But then, one day, it hit me. “What if I go all-in with a performance-based model for my business and let my skills do the rest? When that happened, I was able to land more clients, and I ended up making over 30k a month within the first year. Listen to people and give them what they want!
Permission marketing
Godin talks about the concept of "permission marketing," which is all about getting your audience's permission to market to them. This means providing them with valuable content and building a relationship with them before you even think about selling anything.
When you have their permission, your marketing messages are much more likely to be well-received. I see the opposite all the time! Every time you give your email to some in exchange for a crappy ebook or training, you start getting bombarded with tons of junk emails trying to sell you anything under the sun. If you are doing this, stop now!
Build goodwill first! Be patient, take your time, and treat your list as if they were already paying clients. Then, once in a while, drop your offer. The split should be 80% value and 20% sales, so a sales email every 5 value-packed messages.
Read this: 5 Key takeaways from Influence
The power of stories
Storytelling is a powerful tool in marketing, and Godin emphasizes the importance of telling stories that resonate with your audience. People remember stories much more than they remember facts and figures, so if you can tell a compelling story that speaks to your audience's emotions, you'll be much more likely to build a lasting relationship with them.
This is not easy to do if you are not used to it, especially if you are the type of person that writes emails like a business student (“Dear ____, thank you for….).
Speak to your audience on a personal level using terms like “You” or “You’ll never guess what happened…”, etc. This way, you’ll build rapport faster.
Be remarkable
Godin argues that in order to stand out in today's crowded marketplace, you need to be remarkable. This means being different, unique, and memorable in some way. You don't have to be outrageous or gimmicky, but you do need to offer something that your competitors don't: your personality!
Overall, "This Is Marketing" is a fantastic read for anyone who wants to learn about modern marketing strategies. Godin's writing style is engaging and easy to follow, and he provides plenty of real-world examples to illustrate his points. If you're serious about marketing, this book is a must-read.
Conclusion
That's all for now, folks! I hope you found this little article helpful. As always, feel free to share your thoughts and feedback with me if you are looking to build a low-cost remote team to take care of your PR, SEO, and podcasting needs. Book a call here, and we’ll talk soon!
And if you've read "This Is Marketing," let me know what you thought of it!