A Few Marketing Pearls from Seth Godin
From Stephen K Willi
Mr. Seth Godin never stops teaching me something, and that’s why I like the guy. We can never learn too much from those who are the industry leaders.
Here are a few “pearls” of wisdom that would be worthwhile to think about as we jump in the blogosphere as followers of Christ [Question to Seth in bold, his answer, and then a few pieces of my non-essential commentary]:
Q: If people did just one thing to market their site, what should it be?
Seth: Understand that marketing is not advertising. The way you market your site is by making a remarkable site, something worth talking about, something worth visiting. It’s not about manipulating the system, it’s about over-delivering with skill and generosity.
Me: I think we should make every attempt to make our blogs look spectacular, with content, form, features, and expression. Spend a few bucks getting some outside help, find the people that can make you better, meditate on your design, and focus your content. It’ll make your blog worth talking about, something worth visiting, and it’ll help you stand out from the crowd.
Q: What’s the biggest mistake online marketers tend to make?
Seth: They are selfish and in a hurry. They have hubris. They think other people care about them, when they don’t. They believe that pursuit of their goals (usually profit) gives them some sort of right to interrupt, lie or cheat.
Me: Speed is not the key for the content that we deliver. Quality is. Hubris is something we need to kill every day, and it’s hubris that drives the desire for speed. Seriously, think about it. And if you’re motivations are “whack,” time to doing some thinking.
Q: Which trends in online marketing are you anticipating for 2009?
Seth: Less bravado and more hard work. A lot more analytics. A dip in generosity followed by a rebound later.
Me: Working hard at this “game” of blogging is so important and needs to be understood fully. The “build it and they will come” theory with blogging is so “bunk” I’m not sure what else to say. Work hard, “run the race,” “train yourself (in blogging and godliness),” and it’ll happen.
Q: Why haven’t you got a Twitter account?
Seth: The Dip, one of my books, describes the fact that you only come out ahead when you focus on things where you can be the best. Having a second-rate blog isn’t worth the time, for example, because most people, given the choice, would choose to read a first-rate blog instead. Well, I’d be a second-rate Twitterer.
Me: Couldn’t disagree more with Seth here. Just because you’re not “world class” or the absolute “best” doesn’t mean you can’t do it at all or that it’s not worth one’s time. I think Seth is pretty lame here. I’d expound more (perhaps later) but think about this for a second.
What do you think? If you want more “pearls” you can check the original interview here.
Buzz it!
Leave a Reply
4 Responses to “A Few Marketing Pearls from Seth Godin”
-
Marketing Web Design :: Christopher Ross
[...] that’s been optimized to do something cool. The quote comes from an amazing web site called ChurchCrunch, a cool little site that helps churches make sense of the Internet and technology for [...]
-
5,880 feedburner + twitter followers
-
-
-
-
A Preview of Wordpress Standard Theme Version 2
My main comment is only tangentially related. It is about the "if I can't be the best I won't do it" attitude. First, there are pretty few people that can be the best or even among the best at anything, no matter how small you slice the achievement. And that attitude actually will prevent you from ever being the best because you won't try and fail on your way to being the best. I know Godin doesn't really believe this because he has talked about space to fail before, but he still says it in thing like twitter that he doesn't want to do.
Second part of the same issue. I think we need to create a space for ordinary, especially as Christians. To be extraordinary at anything takes an enormous commitment and a lot of time. Too often we are striving after things that don't really matter, or are actually contrary to what God wants for us. If I am the best (insert your thing here) how does that effect my relationships with my family? Do they loose me to my thing? How does it effect my relationship with God, the local church, my children's friends, etc? In order to live life we need time. I want to make a call to Christians to be more ordinary, less stress, more involved in community and family. That may mean we are less cutting edge, less excellent in our worship, have more mediocre websites and blogs, but it should also mean we are better people.
I am not fully developed on this, but I have been bouncing around with it for a while.
wow, great thoughts, all around.
my 2 cents is that, while we should stick to the policy of less for more, you kind of don't know what you should do or not do until you have tried it. It's a problem especially with web tech, because new stuff is popping up all the time.
As for Adam_S's comment on being ordinary. I find myself challenged on this a lot, especially in my relationship with my Wife; Kathy, she does not like the fact that I spend a lot of time doing video and blogging (why I ask you with tears in my eyes, do I pick the things that need the most time?). It really has to be about balance, remembering all the time that your relationship with God is more important that your work for God. That is a challenge and a half.
balance is one of the crucial things that we must consider. it's also what makes us “different”… to a certain degree. thanks fo rthis.