If your day job involves Marketing (or anything else for that matter), there's a lot you can learn by reading what Seth Godin has to say. You can count on him to produce a blog post worth your time every single day. He released two new books (The Icarus Deception and V Is for Vulnerable) last week along with a hefty third that is a compilation of 6 years worth of his blog posts.
The marketing strategies used to promote these books have been extremely impressive. Seth has put in practice what he preaches.
People don't buy what you do, people buy why you do it.
I watched this TED Talk by Simon Sinek a couple of months ago and found it very inspiring. His idea is that people don't buy what you do, but they buy why you do it. Any brand that keeps this in mind while designing a marketing campaign will undoubtedly do a good job of it. And what Seth has been doing to promote his books reminded me of this talk at every step.
I don't think I have come across any message/ad by him (or his publishers) asking people to buy the new books. But, he has been talking about the ideas in the books and building enough anticipation in readers to go pick up those books. And this has not just been through his blog posts about the ideas.
He has organised (and permitted people to organise) sessions where anyone is welcome to go on stage and talk about the art they are making right now (or wish to make in the future, or have already made it). Its a great platform for anyone with an idea to share it with those who might be interested and get a good feedback on it. These sessions are happening in multiple cities across the globe and are called The Icarus Sessions. Since the Icarus Deception is about making art, this is a brilliant way to market the book.
Another strategy Seth has used is to ask people to write down their dream (what art they wish to make) on a bookmark and go to their nearest bookstore and place it in a copy of The Icarus Deception. There's no mention of buying the book. Take a look at this video.
Its too early to say whether these marketing tactics have worked, but I'm confident that this is the way forward in successful marketing communication. If you can get the consumer to relate to your ideology, getting him to buy your product will be that much easier.
The marketing strategies used to promote these books have been extremely impressive. Seth has put in practice what he preaches.
People don't buy what you do, people buy why you do it.
I watched this TED Talk by Simon Sinek a couple of months ago and found it very inspiring. His idea is that people don't buy what you do, but they buy why you do it. Any brand that keeps this in mind while designing a marketing campaign will undoubtedly do a good job of it. And what Seth has been doing to promote his books reminded me of this talk at every step.
I don't think I have come across any message/ad by him (or his publishers) asking people to buy the new books. But, he has been talking about the ideas in the books and building enough anticipation in readers to go pick up those books. And this has not just been through his blog posts about the ideas.
He has organised (and permitted people to organise) sessions where anyone is welcome to go on stage and talk about the art they are making right now (or wish to make in the future, or have already made it). Its a great platform for anyone with an idea to share it with those who might be interested and get a good feedback on it. These sessions are happening in multiple cities across the globe and are called The Icarus Sessions. Since the Icarus Deception is about making art, this is a brilliant way to market the book.
Another strategy Seth has used is to ask people to write down their dream (what art they wish to make) on a bookmark and go to their nearest bookstore and place it in a copy of The Icarus Deception. There's no mention of buying the book. Take a look at this video.
Its too early to say whether these marketing tactics have worked, but I'm confident that this is the way forward in successful marketing communication. If you can get the consumer to relate to your ideology, getting him to buy your product will be that much easier.
CONVERSATION