mp’s rating: 4.5/5
If there is one business book that you ought to read, it will be this book, although I’m no business student nor working as a businesswoman.
Seth Godin’s guide to Marketing 101.
Don’t just tell me the facts,
tell me a story instead.
Be remarkable!
Be consistent!
Be authentic!
Tell your story to people who are inclined to believe it.
Marketing is powerful. Use it wisely.
Live the lie.
As a blogger, I have always been fascinated by Seth Godin. He does the radical things that surprisingly, well, work. His articles are short, mostly about 200-300 words. He disables comments. He is quirky. He has head shots done in fun ways. He is, many people argue, one of the most prominent bloggers in the era.
I have kept an eye on this book since last year but always turned a blind eye as it was always expensive, and I have always chosen another book to buy. A couple of weeks ago I was browsing my local bookstore and finally decided to buy this book. Do you know that books in Indonesia are half the price they are in Singapore or Australia? My hometown really is heaven for book readers.
I finished the book in a matter of days. It’s captivating, it’s fresh, and mainly it works because it reinforces the ideologies that we always know, but never realise.
So what’s so fascinating about this book?
First of all, it acknowledges that marketers are liars. Okay, maybe the bad marketers. They do stuff wrongly, try to make profit only for themselves, and do unethical activities to trick consumers to spend their precious money.
Second, it acknowledges that marketing can be done in the right way: by telling stories the marketers believe.
The one most important thing that I take away from this book is this: Humans are wired to listen to stories, and for marketers, it’s their jobs to choose which authentic stories to tell. Furthermore, as a key rule, they must tell stories they believe.
If I were the marketer of an organic coffee, I must believe that this coffee doesn’t only taste better, it also makes the drinker healthier, hipper, and cooler. If I were the marketer of a gadget, I must believe that the price I pay is worth it – that this gadget will make the bearer’s life easier and better. And I can’t just tell any story – I need to tell a story with values that will genuinely help people.
A totally recommended read for everyone. And I really mean everyone. In life, we live by telling stories, whatever our work is. It’s better to know how to tell the stories the right way.
PS. If you’d like to, read my background story here.
