A sustainability marketing manager is inspired by Seth Godin’s new book This is Marketing
James has a dilemma. The marketing manager at a sustainability consultancy is rushed off his feet.
What’s the best use of his time and budget? Should he invest in more social media advertising? Or should he build his email assets to engage potential customers?
On the train to work, James is reading This is Marketing by world-renowned marketing guru Seth Godin.
Published in late 2018, Seth’s advice on social media is stark:
It’s time to stop wasting money on stolen attention that won’t pay off in the long run
“Facebook and other social platforms seem like a shortcut because they make it apparently easy to reach new people.
“But the trade-off is that you’re a sharecropper. It’s not your land. You don’t have permission to contact people; they do. You don’t own an asset; they do,” writes Seth.
The impact of Facebook algorithm changes
News outlets have seen the consequence of this first hand. Referrals to their websites plummeted in January 2018 when Facebook changed its algorithms to de-emphasise news publishers in favour of posts from individuals. The knock-on impact on advertising revenues has been a financial headache for media outlets.
More than 20 years ago, Seth started a marketing revolution with his book Permission Marketing.
It argued that winning permission to email people is a privilege – a precious asset for businesses.
The value of email marketing
To return this trust, we must offer something of genuine value that solves a problem.
Reflecting on this, James decided to prioritise email marketing to build trust and credibility with potential customers.
Reading This is Marketing also left him feeling inspired by the contribution marketing makes to tackling climate change.
Marketing is not about “shouting, hustling, or coercion,” writes Seth. Instead, marketing is about “changing
Picture credit: photo by Nick Grant on Unsplash
