For IBG, we discussed for a long time about how we would be making our experience so much better if we'd gain EXPERTISE on our topics before actually doing the project. Since the beginning of the semester, I wanted to do something related to marketing, and we marketed Collette, which actually became very successful thanks to us. The problem was, we hadn't the least idea about what marketing was actually about. We knew no concepts about marketing, no techniques--all we used was our basic knowledge on what we thought the audience would like. To our luck it worked, but evidently this won't work always.
I was given a recommendation to read Permission Marketing, by Seth Godin. This author is said to be a marketing guru and the book talks about the marketing techniques of tomorrow. I decided to read this book because it would teach me about the newest way to market, and I’d learn about the newest topics. |
TURNING STRANGERS INTO FRIENDS,
AND FRIENDS INTO CUSTOMERS
AND FRIENDS INTO CUSTOMERS
This phrase really stuck to me as I read it on the cover. It made me actually see that the best way to make people want to buy your things is by becoming their friends, showing them how interested you are in helping them, in facilitating their lives.
Something I read in the beginning of the book really stuck to me: “Paying attention” to something—anything—is, in fact, a conscious act requiring conscious effort. It is actually harder than it appears to everyone, to make people want to pay attention to your product. I learned that it actually starts with a STRONG, but concise first impression, to make your audience want to continue paying attention.
Having a targeted customer is ESSENTIAL, because this way you make sure that they collaborate with you, and if this is done correctly it's likely that they will remain loyal to you instead of going for any competitors you have. We, today, live in a networked world. This wasn't true in the past years, but now for people to market and advertise, they can take advantage of this reality. I hadn't realized how helpful living in this new, networked world, can be until writing our articles for Breakthrough because of all the contacts we found. This really impressed me, and now, reading it only in the introduction of this book, only made their importance clearer.
Though I didn't go past the introduction, because reading this book will be during IBG time, I really got an idea of what the marketing of tomorrow is all about. I can't wait to actually see all that is behind PERMISSION MARKETING, and finally be able to market a company professionally for my interest based group.