As a marketer, I am constantly worried about creating content and materials that work to spread the word about Root Pursuit. I am experimenting heavily lately and trying new things. I found a system that was guaranteed to work and created a sales page based on their recommendations. It didn’t feel right. It felt a little spammy, but I thought, well I guess that’s how marketing is supposed to be. So, I give this new strategy one week. Absolute crickets. Nobody is responding.
So, I was listening to a marketing podcast -basically trying to find my style and voice for marketing. It was Seth Godin who opened my eyes. Paraphrasing Godin, he said that the biggest problem with marketing today is that people have basically become human spam. They blast their business links on Facebook and other social media, beg their friends to buy and share their products, network with individuals, only to immediately hit this person up to be their customer. Their biggest error – they don’t have permission! As marketers, we have to understand there are no shortcuts, we have to earn permission to pitch our products.
There has to be giving, so much giving of free quality products, then we pitch a product on our own platform, and those who have come will purchase if they feel we have earned their trust. Those people will be so happy that they will personally evangelize your product.
Organic growth is real growth. Spend your time creating quality and the customers will come.
Using manipulation tactics in marketing offer short term results. Humans are smart, so once they figure out your tactic, you will have to come up with a new manipulative tactic and the cycle goes on.
You can spend your time in the vicious cycle of creating new manipulation tactics OR you can spend your time creating quality content that will positively impact the world.
Right after all of this became clear to me, I came across rules of evangelism by Guy Kawasaki. These strategies really struck me and I intend to use this as my guide in marketing in the future.
