I recently finished reading This is Marketing by Seth Godin. This book is all about what it means to be a marketer and how you should market things.
I learned a lot from the book, but today I am going to talk about the 5 things I found the most important.
#1 "People like us do things like this"
This phrase is all over Seth's book, and for good reason. It is a fundamental part of marketing. People are more likely to do things that they see other people like them (or who they want to be like) doing them first. Outside of early adopters, people see safety in groups and like to stick with their tribe.
#2 Repetition breeds trust
Often when marketers get bored with their message, story, or format, they switch it up. But people have learned to associate familiarity (repetition) with trust. So when the marketer gets bored, that is when the people are most likely just starting to notice -- or trust you.
It's kind of like what I say to my clients often: Do not worry about repeating yourself. No one is going to notice and it makes it more likely people will actually remember what you have said or what you do.
#3 Try to reach the smallest viable market
You do not have to have a huge audience in order to be successful. You just need an audience of the right people. If you have 10,000 followers and only 1,500 are engaged or viable, you're in the same boat as someone who has 1,500 followers that are all engaged.
#4 Better is up to your users, not you
Often we try to tell people what is better and what is worse. But the reality is that new does not always equate to better. What you have to offer may be better for some people but not all people.
This goes back to the smallest viable market and not trying to market to everyone. You need to reach your ideal clients, who believe your solution is better. That will not and cannot be everyone.
#5 Direct Marketing vs. Brand Marketing
This was the most technical thing I learned from This is Marketing, but it was really interesting. Direct marketing is measurable. If you cannot measure your results, it does not count. Some companies will not be successful with direct marketing.
Brand marketing is not measurable and it markets a culture. This is where societal change can happen. But it will not happen overnight. Brand marketing requires consistency and patience.
So what does this mean?
The overarching message here is that nothing is meant for everyone and you should tailor your message to reach people that want to hear it.
Overall, I loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone like me ;)
You can get it here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DBR1V9S/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i0