How To Reach Your Audience? (Ft. Seth Godin)

HubSpot Marketing

4 Dec 201906:09

Summary

TLDRIn this insightful video, Seth Godin, founder of altMBA and author of 'This is Marketing,' emphasizes that the key to spreading ideas is to create ones worth sharing. He highlights the importance of practical empathy in marketing, understanding the audience's wants and beliefs without necessarily agreeing with them. Godin discusses the distinction between brand advertising and direct response, noting that while direct response can be measured and effective for specific products, brand advertising builds a gradual connection with consumers. He also touches on the importance of consistency in marketing messages and the value of creating a sense of community around products or services.

Takeaways

🚀 The key to making ideas spread is to create something worth talking about, rather than relying solely on social media tactics.
🎥 Viral success like 'Gangnam Style' happens when the right content is made for the right audience in the right way, not just because of marketing skills.
📞 The fax machine's success was due to its inherent network effect; it's more valuable when others have one too, which encourages word-of-mouth.
👟 TOMS shoes and similar products thrive on being talked about, as they are more valuable when people discuss them, increasing their appeal.
🎓 Tufts University and similar institutions use stickers and other items to create a culture where talking about the university is beneficial.
🧢 'Love Your Melon' uses their product as a conversation starter to raise funds for a cause, giving people a reason to talk about their purchase.
🤝 Marketers should start with a product or idea that is worth spreading, not with gimmicks or tactics to force it onto people.
🧐 Practical empathy is essential for effective marketing; understanding and respecting the audience's perspective is crucial for connection.
📈 There are two types of advertising: direct response, which is measurable, and brand advertising, which is more about building long-term brand perception.
🎙️ Sponsoring a podcast should aim to increase brand esteem rather than expecting direct, measurable results from call-to-actions.
🎯 Being specific about your target audience and tailoring your marketing message to them is vital for creating a meaningful connection.

Q & A

Who is Seth Godin and what is his connection to the 'alt MBA' and 'This is Marketing'?
-Seth Godin is the founder of the 'alt MBA', a program designed to help professionals develop their leadership and marketing skills. He is also the author of the book 'This is Marketing', which discusses the principles and strategies for effectively spreading ideas and creating value.
What does Seth Godin suggest is the key to making an idea spread effectively?
-Seth Godin suggests that the key to making an idea spread is to make the idea itself worth spreading. It should resonate with the audience and be something they want to talk about.
Can you explain the example Seth Godin uses about the most viral video of the past 10 years?
-Seth Godin refers to the 'Gangnam Style' dance video by Psy, which became viral not because of a brilliant social media strategy, but because it was the right video for the right people, created in the right way on the right day, making it something people wanted to talk about.
How does Seth Godin relate the fax machine to the concept of spreading ideas?
-Godin uses the fax machine as an example to illustrate that for something to be effective, it often needs to be part of a network. Just like a fax machine is useless unless others have one too, ideas spread better when they are shared within a community.
What is the significance of the 'Love Your Melon' caps according to Seth Godin?
-The 'Love Your Melon' caps are significant because they provide a reason for people to talk about the product. People buy the caps not just to keep warm, but also to engage in a conversation about the cause they support, which is raising money for kids with cancer.
What does Seth Godin mean by 'practical empathy' in the context of marketing?
-Practical empathy, as defined by Seth Godin, is the ability to understand and connect with the wants and beliefs of the audience, even if they differ from your own. It's about putting oneself in the shoes of the consumer to create a meaningful connection.
How does Seth Godin differentiate between brand advertising and direct response advertising?
-Brand advertising is about building awareness and creating an emotional connection with the audience, which is unmeasured. Direct response advertising, on the other hand, is measurable and focuses on immediate actions like sales or sign-ups, often through platforms like Facebook and Google.
Why does Seth Godin suggest that sponsoring a podcast might not be effective if done in a certain way?
-Godin suggests that simply having a podcast host read out a promotional message with a tracking URL might not be effective because listeners often consume podcasts in environments where they cannot immediately act on the call to action.
What is the importance of being specific about the target audience when marketing, according to Seth Godin?
-Being specific about the target audience is crucial because it allows marketers to tailor their message to resonate with that particular group. It helps in creating a marketing promise that aligns with the desires and beliefs of the target audience.
What mistake does Seth Godin say marketers often make that can hinder the spread of their ideas?
-Marketers often make the mistake of inconsistency, where they claim to be targeting a specific audience but then create a product or message that does not align with the preferences of that audience. This misalignment can prevent the idea from spreading effectively.

Outlines

00:00

📢 The Key to Making Ideas Spread

Seth Godin discusses how the success of spreading ideas isn't about having the perfect social media strategy but about creating ideas worth spreading. He highlights examples like the viral Gangnam Style video and the fax machine's popularity, emphasizing that successful ideas encourage people to share them. He points out that products like TOMS shoes and Love Your Melon caps thrive because they give people something to talk about, not because of gimmicks.

05:03

🤝 The Importance of Practical Empathy in Marketing

Godin introduces the concept of practical empathy, which involves understanding and accepting that others have different wants and beliefs. This empathy allows marketers to connect with their audience genuinely. He contrasts old advertising methods with modern ones, explaining the differences between brand advertising and direct response marketing. He stresses that effective marketing starts with understanding the audience's perspective and creating products that resonate with them.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Ideas Spreading

The concept of 'Ideas Spreading' refers to the phenomenon where an idea, product, or message becomes widely known and shared among people. In the video's theme, Seth Godin emphasizes that the key to making ideas spread is not through gimmicks or social media strategies, but by creating an idea that is inherently worth spreading. An example from the script is Gangnam Style, which became viral not because of a marketing strategy, but because it was a video that resonated with people and sparked conversations.

💡Practical Empathy

Practical empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others, but in a way that is actionable and beneficial to both parties. Godin explains it as not just feeling bad for someone, but understanding what they want and believe, which allows for a genuine connection. This concept is crucial for effective marketing because it enables marketers to create products and messages that resonate with their audience, as demonstrated by the idea of creating something people want to talk about.

💡Viral Video

A 'viral video' is a video that becomes extremely popular on the internet, being shared widely across various platforms. In the context of the video, Godin uses the example of Gangnam Style to illustrate how a video can become viral not because of a strategic marketing plan, but because it was made in a way that people found engaging and wanted to share with others.

💡Marketing

Marketing is the process of promoting, selling, and distributing a product or service. It involves creating a message or idea that appeals to potential customers. In the video, Godin discusses the importance of creating a product or idea that is worth spreading as a key aspect of effective marketing, rather than focusing solely on tactics like social media optimization.

💡Direct Response Advertising

Direct response advertising is a type of advertising where the goal is to elicit an immediate response from the audience, such as a purchase or a sign-up. Godin differentiates it from brand advertising, stating that direct response can be measured and is effective when every ad pays for itself. He mentions Facebook and Google as examples of direct response media.

💡Brand Advertising

Brand advertising is a marketing strategy focused on building a brand's image and awareness rather than promoting a specific product or service. It is typically unmeasured, aiming to create a lasting impression on consumers. Godin discusses brand advertising in contrast to direct response, noting that it's about creating a 'drip' effect where consumers gradually develop a preference for the brand.

💡Product

In the context of the video, a 'product' refers to a good or service that is offered for sale. Godin stresses the importance of starting with a product that is worth talking about, rather than focusing on marketing gimmicks. He uses the example of 'Love Your Melon' caps, which are not just hats but a cause that people can get behind and discuss with others.

💡Social Media Maven

A 'social media maven' is an individual who is highly skilled in using social media platforms to promote content or ideas. Godin mentions this term to illustrate that even without being a social media expert, one can create content that spreads virally if it resonates with the audience, as was the case with the Gangnam Style video.

💡TOMS Shoes

TOMS Shoes is a company known for its one-for-one model, where for every pair of shoes purchased, a pair is given to a person in need. In the video, Godin uses TOMS as an example of a product that works better if people talk about it, highlighting the importance of word-of-mouth in marketing and the social impact of the brand.

💡Sponsorships

Sponsorships in marketing refer to the support, usually financial, that one party provides to another party in exchange for some form of recognition. Godin discusses how sponsoring a podcast can be effective not for direct tracking or sales, but for raising esteem for the brand, suggesting that the value lies in the association rather than immediate returns.

Highlights

Seth Godin emphasizes that making an idea spread is not about the right Twitter strategy or posting time, but about creating an idea worth spreading.

The success of ideas like Gangnam Style is attributed to creating content that resonated with the right audience at the right time, rather than social media expertise.

The fax machine and TOMS shoes are examples of products that work better when talked about, highlighting the importance of word-of-mouth in marketing.

Tufts University's sticker example illustrates that college is better when you can talk about it, showing the value of conversation in education branding.

Love Your Melon's caps are bought not just for warmth, but to start conversations about the cause they support, demonstrating the power of storytelling in marketing.

Godin argues that marketing should begin with the product, not the gimmick, to ensure genuine value and conversation.

Practical empathy is crucial for effective marketing; it involves understanding and respecting the consumer's perspective without necessarily agreeing with it.

Practical empathy allows marketers to connect with consumers and potentially make them happier by engaging with their needs and desires.

The shift from traditional advertising to digital platforms like Facebook and Google has made direct response marketing more measurable and significant.

Brand advertising is unmeasured but still necessary for building brand recognition and affinity, especially for products like vodka.

Podcasts are better suited for brand advertising through sponsorships rather than direct response ads, due to their intimate and personal nature.

Godin suggests that direct response advertising is rare and only profitable for specific organizations, making it less common than brand advertising.

Marketers should be specific about their target audience and tailor their message to resonate with that specific group.

Inconsistency in marketing messages can lead to misalignment with the target audience, potentially causing the marketing to fail.

Godin introduces himself and invites viewers interested in marketing to subscribe to the HubSpot Academy Channel for more insights.