Think about it like this. You don't run ads to sell floaties to a drowning man. You be there to give it. However, to sell floaties to someone who isn't planning on swimming, you could put a million dollars into ads. They still won't buy your floaties. If someone has a real problem, and you provide them with change that solves their problem. You now have a customer, followers, subscriber, etc. This is why, when starting off, we target the smallest group possible.

Why the smallest viable market?

no. We aren’t running Facebook ads to make quick conversions on Shopify (and proceed with caution before buying that course). We market to make change. Your product or service is solving a problem, it is changing someones life into a better life. In this book, Seth Godin goes into depth about how one should market any and everything. He would know a thing or two, being the founder of two major companies. (One was aquired by yahoo). He also has an extremely successful blog and social media presence. Please friend, if this interests you, tap now to keep on reading.

Why Do We Market?

Marketing is not advertising: not anymore. There was a time when the two went hand in hand. Many think it still does, but that's wrong. Seth explains it as follows. When developing a "thing", you can create it and then search for costumers for that "thing". Or, you can find a problem that affects people, and then create a solution. He uses the analogy of a lock and key. One can create a key and run around looking for the keys lock, or one can find a lock and craft a custom key for that lock. Mindset shift: One doesn't market to get rich; one markets to make productive change.

Marketing Vs. Advertising

Not everyone. Never, ever everyone.When marketing, you must start with the very smallest viable group.If your marketing is for your YouTube channel, and you want to make videos on productivity you are setting yourself up for failure, your too broad, and you will be yelling into an ocean (I'll explain more on next idea). So, shrink down the problem.If you want to solve the problem of unproductivity, shrink it to only high schoolers... who are on the debate team... the captains of the debate team... and compete in a specific type of debate (LD, PF), who don't have good coaches. So why?

Who do you market to?

Once you find your smallest viable market, you begin solving their problems. You begin making change, and you provide value. Better value than anything they have ever received before. after some patience, your product, service, brand, will begin making waves, and you will continue to ride them. this is the power of marketing. If it interests you, I highly recommend you read this book. but be aware, this book provides value mainly for people that are growing a business or for those looking to get into one. If you fit that description: read away. thanks for reading, sincerely,ben

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#1 Wall Street Journal Bestseller Instant New York Times Bestseller A game-changing approach to marketing, sales, and advertising. Seth Godin has taught and inspired millions of entrepreneurs, marketers, leaders, and fans from all walks of life, via his blog, online courses, lectures, and bestselling books. He is the inventor of countless ideas that have made their way into mainstream business language, from Permission Marketing to Purple Cow to Tribes to The Dip. Now, for the first time, Godin offers the core of his marketing wisdom in one compact, accessible, timeless package. This is Marketing shows you how to do work you're proud of, whether you're a tech startup founder, a small business owner, or part of a large corporation. Great marketers don't use consumers to solve their company's problem; they use marketing to solve other people's problems. Their tactics rely on empathy, connection, and emotional labor instead of attention-stealing ads and spammy email funnels. No matter what your product or service, this book will help you reframe how it's presented to the world, in order to meaningfully connect with people who want it. Seth employs his signature blend of insight, observation, and memorable examples to teach you: * How to build trust and permission with your target market. * The art of positioning--deciding not only who it's for, but who it's not for. * Why the best way to achieve your goals is to help others become who they want to be. * Why the old approaches to advertising and branding no longer work. * The surprising role of tension in any decision to buy (or not). * How marketing is at its core about the stories we tell ourselves about our social status. You can do work that matters for people who care. This book shows you the way.

Over the past quarter century, Seth Godin has taught and inspired millions of entrepreneurs, marketers, leaders, and fans from all walks of life, via his blog, online courses, lectures, and bestselling books. He is the inventor of countless ideas and phrases that have made their way into mainstream business language, from Permission Marketingto Purple Cowto Tribesto The Dip. Now, for the first time, Godin offers the core of his marketing wisdom in one accessible, timeless package. At the heart of his approach is a big idea- Great marketers don't use consumers to solve their company's problem; they use marketing to solve other people's problems. They don't just make noise; they make the world better. Truly powerful marketing is grounded in empathy, generosity, and emotional labour. This book teaches you how to identify your smallest viable audience; draw on the right signals and signs to position your offering; build trust and permission with your target market; speak to the narratives your audience tells themselves about status, affiliation, and dominance; spot opportunities to create and release tension; and give people the tools to achieve their goals. It's time for marketers to stop lying, spamming, and feeling guilty about their work. It's time to stop confusing social media metrics with true connections. It's time to stop wasting money on stolen attention that won't pay off in the long run. This is Marketingoffers a better approach that will still apply for decades to come, no matter how the tactics of marketing continue to evolve.

Seth Godin is a bestselling author, entrepreneur and agent of change.Godin is author of ten books that have been bestsellers around the world, and he is also a renowned speaker. He was recently chosen as one of 21 Speakers for the Next Century by Successful Meetings and is consistently rated among the very best speakers by the audiences he addresses.Seth was founder and CEO of Yoyodyne, the industry's leading interactive direct marketing company, which Yahoo! acquired in late 1998.He holds an MBA from Stanford, and was called "the Ultimate Entrepreneur for the Information Age" by Business Week.