Our 10 Takeaways From the Marketing Kind & Seth Godin xChange
Image: www.seths.blog
We couldn’t quite believe it when we heard that Marketing Kind had booked Seth Godin. To hear the man himself talk about whether all marketing can be good marketing was not something we could miss.
The event was as brilliant as we expected and it was all we could talk about in our Monday morning meeting! We left slightly star-struck, highly motivated and super inspired.
We’re huge advocates of using social media for good, and Seth’s wisdom made us feel that even more is possible. If all marketers focus on doing good, wouldn’t the world be a better place?
Here are our takeaways:
Marketing is about making things better by making better things. It’s not about hype or hustle; it’s about doing something worth talking about.
Forget the funnel: Take your traditional marketing funnel and turn it sideways to make it into a megaphone. This is a far more appropriate analogy for modern marketing on social. It’s your customers and supporters that amplify your message. Don’t try and reach everyone and hope that a few trickle through the funnel; find a smaller, relevant audience and delight them!.
Attention is precious (and limited). We only have 24 hours in a day. Don’t fill that time with attention-stealing marketing that doesn’t add any value to anyone. Make their time on social well spent. Be specific about what you do and if people don’t get it, you were doing something wrong.
We all have an individual responsibility as marketers. We live in a world that is safe and healthier, it just doesn’t feel that way because the media makes a profit from it. Do work you’re proud of (work you’d do in front of your mum!). What are you putting out on social media? Is it worth it and are you proud of your marketing tactics?
Harness generosity in your organisation. This doesn’t have to mean doing things for free – it means going out of your way and forgoing the short term hustle for the long-term possibility. Commit more energy and effort for the greater good.
Lifeguards don’t get imposter syndrome. Trust yourself and get past your fear of being seen. You have something to contribute. If you don’t share it, someone will be worse off for it. Lifeguards don’t hesitate, they just do it.
Culture is the dominant force and it defeats strategy every time. Businesses need people who are prepared to go over and above to create change.
“It’s not a mission statement, it’s a mission action. That’s how you build a brand.” The actions we take as people and businesses are way more impactful in how we are perceived than any written content could be. Forget mission statements and do something worth doing.
Intuitive marketers know in their bones what their customers want before they ask, Data is helpful but we’re all human and if we know our audience well, our marketing will hit the spot. Don’t get distracted by likes and follows, there’s more to marketing!
“Will you be missed if you were gone”‘ If the answer is yes, we’re doing something right. It’s important to think about our legacy. What are we adding to the world?
If you weren’t there, we highly recommend watching this. You won’t regret it.
Thank you to Paul and Anna at Marketing Kind for organising such a great event and for inspiring many marketers to do good through their work.