THIS IS MARKETING- SETH GODIN

CHAPTER-2, THE MARKETER LEARNS TO SEE

Started off as story of Seth Godin being a brand manager at Spinnaker, a start-up software company had the task of “Getting the word out” about the software his amazing team has created, getting funds and ad reps for it which he didn’t even asked for. He considered it as that he wasted money.

He talks about his journey over the years, where he have launched multiple projects and sold goods, his ideas that have build billion dollar companies and raising nearly that much for important charities.

His journey mostly involves learning what worked and what have not, he treat it as experiment of trial and error(mostly error).

His compass about what marketing is today - about human condition and our culture. The approach is simple, but it involves Patience, Empathy and Respect.

What marketing is not?- Shortcuts using money to buy attention.

What marketing is?- We learn to see how human being dream, decide and act. Helping them to be a better version of themselves is what marketer do.

MARKETING IN FIVE STEPS

• 1st: Invent- a thing worth making, a story worth telling and a contribution worth talking about.
• 2nd: Design and build- in such a way that few people will particularly benefit from and care about.
• 3rd: Telling a story-that matches with in-built narrative and dreams of that tiny group of people, the smallest viable market.
• 4th: Spread the word
• 5th: SHOW UP REGULARLY CONSISTENTLY AND GENEROUSLY, FOR YEARS AND YEARS- to organize and lead and build confidence in the change you seek to make. To earn permission to follow up and to earn enrolment to teach.

As marketers- consistently do the work to help the IDEA SPREAD from person to person, ENGAGING A TRIBE as you make change happen.

IDEAS THAT SPREAD, WIN.

What marketers do?

They make change happen: for smallest viable market, and by delivering anticipated, personal and relevant message that people actually want to get.

They use marketing to solve other people’s problem not the opposite way. They have empathy to understand people they are serving, their needs, their beliefs.

Our culture

In heart of our culture lies our belief in status, in our self perceived understanding of our role in any interaction, in where we are going next. We use these things to decide where we’re going next and how.

ABOUT MAKING RIGHT THING FOR RIGHT PEOPLE

• People like us do things like this.
• ATTENTION- make the working resonate with people and memorable.
• Marketing- about what we do and how we do, not in all the stuff that comes after the thing is designed and shipped.

Want to make a change, begin by making culture.

THINGS MARKETERS KNOW

• Committed, creative people change the world.
• “Who is it for?”
• “What is it for?”
• Humans have stories, those stories are true, and its foolish to persuade them otherwise.
• Can group people in — Stereotyped Groups that often told themselves similar stories, make similar decisions considering their beliefs and other needs.
• What you say isn’t nearly important as what others say about you.