Marketing 101 (Version 1.0)
I am going into marketing because it energizes me and will help me in my long-term goals. My biggest problem, however, is that I do not know much about marketing. But I don’t need a college degree to learn this trade. And until I can provide value for a company and really start to learn by doing, I will do the next best thing and learn by teaching. Whatever the subject, you do not understand it well until you can explain it to anyone.
Like my Bitcoin Explanation, This Marketing 101 will go through many versions before it is complete. Too often we compare our rough drafts to the finished products of others; at point A, we only see people that are at points X, Y, and Z. This is enough to make any newbie nervous.
So I’m not hiding the rough edges and blemishes of my journey into marketing. I hope that some day, people will be able to look back to this post and think “if Charles could start out green and ripen into a successful marketer/growth hacker/whatever, then I can, too!”
With that I’ll start with the most basic thing anyone should ask about marketing. Why should anyone be a marketer? What is its value?
This is not an abstract inquiry. The value of marketing matters! Nietzsche said that a man who has a why can survive any how. You will have a hard time working late nights and dealing with discomfort and stress if you don’t think the work you are doing ultimately matters. Sure, you might make a lot of money and that might be enough motivation, but understanding why your work is valuable can inspire passion and motivation that will put you ahead of anyone who is just faking it for the paycheck.
The value of marketing is subjective because value itself is subjective. If you’re a Falcons fan, you would have paid more for a Super-Bowl ticket than someone who hates football. I’ll spend more on coffee than most people because I have acquired a taste for fresh-roasted beans. Value isn’t an objective fact like mass or weight or molecular composition. Value is what humans ascribe to goods and services.
Marketers can help show someone why a widget will provide them value. They aren’t hoodwinking them, but expanding their imagination. The best way to understand this is to listen to Rory Sutherland’s talk at TEDxAthens. He will explain this concept with more humor and charm than even I could ever manage.
Now that I’ve gotten the “why” out of the way, I am going to be focusing on the “how” that includes growth hacking, analytics, landing pages, drip campaigns, product funnels, etc.
I’ll see you tomorrow with Marketing 101 (Version 1.1) and Explaining Bitcoin (Version 1.1).
~Charles P.
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