Ed. Note: Seth Godin is a marketing guru and well-known author who writes the most popular marketing blog in the world. I read his blog nearly every day and nearly always find myself saying “What Seth just said.” Still, from time to time, I might have an added thought or comment to add. So, I am doing it here. BTW, Seth does not allow comments on his blog, so feel free to make a comment about his original post or even on my follow up.
What to do when the new thing doesn’t work by Seth Godin, 1/9/09
Every once in a while I hear from frustrated bloggers and other new media denizens. They’re frustrated that their work isn’t spreading fast enough, that the new tools aren’t working the way they want them to.
The kneejerk rejection is always the same: Spam! Promote! Advertise! Enough with this zen nonsense, I want to be in charge. Who can I hire? How can I spend? Who do you know? The new tools didn’t work, I need the old tools.
Winning an online popularity contest, being mentioned on boingboing, doing a direct mail campaign… these things are tempting, but they are the panicked half-measures of someone who is going to lose.
From the start, you have to choose a path and stick with it. Either you are on the path of the TV Industrial complex, and you’re prepared to promote and spam and spend and make average stuff for average people… or you are busy embracing the new media for everything it can offer.
Don’t get stuck in the middle. It’s painful.
When the new stuff doesn’t work, do the new stuff more and better.
What GL Just Said About What Seth Just Said
I can remember years back working for some weeks to convince tech columnist Walter Mossberg to mention our new product. When he finally did write about it in his WSJ column, I thought our dealers’ phones would ring off the hook. THE. WALL. STREET. JOURNAL.
What happened was, nothing. Nada. Zilch. No one called, wrote or telexed either. It had no impact on our business; on egos yes, business, no.
Back then, the ‘marketing/advertising’ rule was that you had to have your message hit someone nine times before you got them to act. There were about ten legit media channels you could use to deliver those messages. Now I am told the number is closer to 100 for both.
The chances of your message being in the right media at the right time for the right prospect is virtually nil.
5 users commented in " What Seth Just Said. "
That’s a great example. Walt’s a terrific guy, but his influence is vastly overstated.
Seth, is this you? Really? No,==really?
GL – That is a great point. So often, I assumed that a mention or a guest post in a very high-profile spot would have some sort of huge impact on my business and my ability to reach a larger community. The fact is, it’s more about making connections, building relationships and plodding along. There is no silver or magic bullet.
I’m counting on the fact that useful content and my strong desire to help people find jobs will instigate a tipping point that helps propel my message to bigger and bigger audiences.
Miriam,
Yep. You are exactly right and the same applies to job seekers, too. Hunting for a job is hard, tough work and there is no simple process. I just read somewhere that the average un employed job seeker spends less than thirty minutes per day actually job hunting.
But obviously your approach…dare I say slow but steady…is already paying off for you as you are one of the career voices that people listen for most often.
GL – Well, you just made my day!
Thanks so much for your kind words. I hope that slow but steady is a good approach. Of course, the comparison to the job seeker’s issues is on target. I always tell my clients that looking for work is hard work! There is no magic wand, and job hunters shouldn’t put all of their hopes/eggs in one basket, expecting a big payoff/job as a result of one interaction.
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