Photo by Claes Gellerbrink
I’m just back from a quick trip to London to attend a special session with Seth Godin. It’s not every day that you get a chance to pick the brains of one of the greatest marketers of our time (who also happens to be one of Time Magazine’s top 25 bloggers of 2009) and it was worth every minute of it.
Seth is as great in person as he comes across in his writings – relaxed, down-to-earth, and an inexhaustible store of highly relevant marketing wisdom that we all should be applying to our businesses. He spoke about many of the visionary ideas he covers in his books and on his blog. Here is a little summary of some of the main points he made that I want to share with you:
1. We are already in the middle of the next Industrial Revolution. People may not see it right now, but the way people do business is drastically changing. The way people communicate is changing. The way they socialise is changing. And so the way businesses interact with their clients has to change too.
2. To survive as a company, you have to embrace this change and even take advantage of the latest technologies to market your business in new and more powerful ways.
3. Once upon a time, you could create a product, put a few ads on TV and wait for people to come and buy. Seth calls this old way the TV complex, and it’s not working any more. People don’t want to see your ads, and every day that goes by it is increasingly easier for them to choose not to.
4. Marketing is too important to be left to the marketing department. The solution is to do something remarkable. Be remarkable. And at the same time be authentic. Create a remarkable product that people will want to go out and get. Have a truly remarkable story to tell and spread the word from your story. People will even share your story around for you once you actively engage their interest.
5. Don’t try to create one product that is all things to all people. Specialise to cater for specific niche markets, and take advantage of the long tail, where many little profitable niches make up a huge lot.
6. Focus on your present clients, and take more time to build your community from within. Don’t keep constantly chasing the rainbow in the form of new clients, at the expense of providing the best possible service to those you already have. Your present clients are the key to your future ones through the influence they have on their friends, colleagues, business partners and even on total strangers through the Internet.
If your head is reeling from all this bombardment of visionary business ideas, then you can imagine what it was like to actually be there – even for an avid follower of Seth Godin’s blog and books. If you haven’t read any Seth Godin yet, then do your business a favour and do so now!
Event was organised by Evil Genius Media + Event
Video of Seth giving a Tribes talk at Ted
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
That sounds like a fabulous opportunity. Some day I’d love to hear Seth speak. Thanks for sharing what you learned.
I especially like the bit about focusing more on present clients than chasing new business. I think that’s something we could all improve on as service professionals.
Two years ago we were so busy taking on new business which was consuming all our attention and energy. This downturn has forced us to reconnect with our clients and taught us a lesson for the future.
Hi John,
The aim of this event from our point of view was to create an energising afternoon for all attendees.
The feedback has been remarkable, as was working with Seth to create this event.
I cannot recomend enough to any one. Go review Seth’s blog and read the books.
I have read all of Seth’s books. The man is a marketing god and could quite easily round up an army of followers to do his bidding, should he wish to do so