Emarketing — And “E” Stands For Emotions…

Today I’m sending a special thank you to Rand Fishkin for (virtually) dropping into my digital marketing class. I appreciated you sharing your personal experience — from how you came up with the name #Sparktoro , to acquiring a list of 1000+ people who expressed interest in your intelligence tools, to pivoting and adjusting as a result of COVID. Thank you for also giving insight on the industry in general.

Key Takeaway:

One of the things that moved me most was hearing Rand talk about his philosophy (and I use the word philosophy loosely) when it comes to marketing. Essentially, Rand believes that kindness and goodwill goes a long way. To elaborate, Rand spoke about expanding Sparktoro’s free offerings so that companies could engage with his intelligence tools without breaking the bank, given the current financial restraints most are facing due to COVID.

I probably shouldn’t be writing this, but I think it’s a real testament to the type of person (and marketer) Rand is. He also admitted to giving other free gems to people when possible. In doing so, he’s subsequently creating trust, as well as positive brand image/association, which are invaluable.

EMarketing…

So that’s what I want to shift to the conversation to talk about today. When it comes to marketing, should the focus solely be on reaching objectives such as increasing revenue by X%? Or, should the main focus be placed on putting out positive vibes, and even giving away free resources to build trust?

I would love to know what you all think on the matter (and feel free to drop comments below). But for me, I’m willing to lose out on money in the short run by giving away free services. I know that profit is one of the main goals in marketing, but I also think it’s important to not just take from consumers; you should also want to give, connect, and empower. In the long run, you’ll end up recouping anything you gave away for free anyway because people never forget how you made them feel. So take a page from Rand’s book and put the “e” in emarketing. And don’t forget, “e” stands for emotions.