In my opinion, Seth Godin is one of the most important thinkers and teachers in the world of business today and I’m sure I’m not alone in that thinking. A couple of weeks ago I bought his book All Marketers Are Liars: The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low-Trust World and think it’s one of the most important and insightful books on marketing I’ve ever read. I was so thrilled in reading it I then used up one of my book credits with Audible.com so that I could then re-read the book via my iPod as I worked.
Seth Godin’s general philosophy on marketing is based three main premises:
- The end of the TV-Industrial complex means that marketers no longer have the power to command the attention of anyone they choose. The consumer is taking control of how and who they will let market to them. (and even if you never been a part of the “TV-Industrial complex” the effect of that change still applies to you!)
- In a marketplace where consumers have so much power marketers must now show respect to their audience and the means no spam (un-wanted marketing), no deceit, and you must live up to the promises your brand makes.
- And to spread the word about your product in this new marketing environment you need to spread the word of your product expressed as an “idea” and in order to spread that idea that idea has to be remarkable. Godin then goes on to describe the people who talk about your “idea” and spread the word as “sneezers” and the “idea” they are spreading is the “idea virus”
With All Marketers Are Liars Godin then “riffs” ( a typical Seth Godin expression) and expands on the third point telling us that one of the ways our message can spread is to tell it as a story and if we tell the story right people will then believe and then because they believe the story we have then been telling become true. Don’t talk about the features and benefits of your product or service. Instead, tell a story that fits into your audience’s worldview and that people will intuitively want to believe. People will then share that story with other friends with similar worldviews thereby spreading your message. People buy into the way the story makes them feel and that is what they pass on to others.
Other books by Seth Godin
- Small Is the New Big: and 183 Other Riffs, Rants, and Remarkable Business Ideas
- Unleashing the Ideavirus
- Permission Marketing : Turning Strangers Into Friends And Friends Into Customers
- Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable
- Survival Is Not Enough: Why Smart Companies Abandon Worry and Embrace Change
