I missed an event last week. Seth Godin, described by many as one of the most intuitive marketers of the day, led a talk at Westminster Abbey of all places on the art of marketing and spreading ideas in the digital age.

I’ve read many reviews of the session, and watched clips on You Tube and I wish I’d known about it in advance. His message is a crucial one for anyone selling professional services today.

Seth is the best selling author of several seminal books on ‘new marketing’, including The Dip, Purple Cow, Permission Marketing and Small is the New Big (I’ve got the lot, and recommend them highly). He holds an MBA from Stanford University and his blog (http://sethgodin.typepad.com) is one of the most popular business blogs in the world.  He’s been described as ‘the Ultimate Entrepreneur for the Information Age’ by Business Week.

If you’re one of those people who doesn’t get time to read many books, here’s a quick summary of what he has to say:

Seth on New Marketing

• Old marketing is talking at customers with consistent interruption
• New marketing is about connecting with customers
• The art of personal communication and establishing this connection between you and your audience or customers is so important
• Your audience or customers have power – they have the potential to damage you or help you via so many mediums
• Follow your audience/customers; listen to them and make yourself available to them; fulfil their needs
• Educate your customers and give them the resources to believe you
• Traditional advertising is dying
• Marketing by interruption no longer works
• People are wiser: They know how to ignore you
• Don’t proposition strangers
• Learn to ‘date’ your potential audience or customers
• Turn strangers into friends before you market to them
• Entice your audience/customers by offering something they need
• Be genuine and approachable
• Strive to be different and not just another ‘me too’
• Do you or your business have a story?  You need to . . .
• Make sure you live your story and fulfil your promises
• Match the needs of your audience or market
• Create anticipation, personality, relevance
• Content marketing is the only marketing left!
• Don’t forget that we’re in the middle of another revolution – the era of new marketing; build for this new era
• Are you pushing to defend the old, or do you have the wind behind you, heading into the future?
• Make sure you or your company’s DNA shows everywhere, across hundreds of sites
• You can make money by being everywhere or being scarce, but not by being somewhere between
• Don’t be everything to everyone and don’t be scared to turn people away
• Build a tribe of people with a common interest
• Connect with people who want what you want or offer
• Try and attract people with passion (which you will, if you’re passionate yourself)
• Energize your followers
• Remember: people like to be led.  Don’t be afraid to become their leader
• Have balls and go for it 100%.  Don’t try and succeed just by dipping your toe in the water
• If people didn’t take a risk and dare to innovate the world would be a very grey, uniform place
• If your message or product is powerful enough of a proposition, you only need 1000 enthused people to spread your message
• Be extraordinary!

I hope this gives you some food for thought. I think Seth’s right. If you want to know more, check out his website: http://www.sethgodin.com.

(With many thanks to Cardiff-based www.talkcontent.com for the most enlightening review of Seth’s session, posted via Twitter).

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