04 July 2012

Internet Marketing Basics: What Great Marketers Do

ONLINE MARKETING - By Mike Mintz, Published June 29, 2012

What Does an Internet Marketer Do?

It’s All About Building Influence

One thing you will learn about me, I like simple answers. I think the most complex problems are solved by the easy answer, so here goes. An Internet Marketer uses the Internet to influence people’s decisions to do things.

Notice I didn’t say “buy stuff.” There’s a reason for that. If you are an Internet Marketer for a not-for-profit trying to get awareness of an issue, or an Internet Marketer for a political candidate trying to get votes, or an Internet Marketer for a company trying to build brand awareness (the list could go on) you are not necessarily “selling” a product, rather you are trying to influence opinion.

By influencing opinion you can do anything.

Now Wikipedia and other sites will give you laundry lists of the things that Internet Marketers do. If you are interested in that click the link above. At the end of the day, however, Internet Marketing is really about getting people interested in what you are doing online. If you want to know what great marketers do, read on.

What Great Marketers Do

Seth Godin is a great marketer. He has written a dozen best-selling books on marketing including the bluntly titled “All Marketers Are Liars” (Seth recently re-released this book with the work “Liars” crossed out, and the words “Story Tellers” written in). In a 2005 article Seth wrote his own laundry list of what every good marketer knows. He said things like:
  • Anticipated, personal and relevant advertising always does better than unsolicited junk.
  • Making promises and keeping them is a great way to build a brand.
  • Your best customers are worth far more than your average customers.
  • Share of wallet is easier, more profitable and ultimately more effective a measure than share of market. Marketing begins before the product is created.
  • Advertising is just a symptom, a tactic. Marketing is about far more than that.
  • Low price is a great way to sell a commodity. That’s not marketing, though, that’s efficiency
These points are just a sample from the list, and Godin gives some very sound advice. There are three points from his list that should serve as guideposts for anyone looking to do great marketing, especially in the realm of social media.

Great Marketing Encourages the Right Sort of Conversations

“Conversations among the members of your marketplace happen whether you like it or not. Good marketing encourages the right sort of conversations.”

You cannot stop people from talking, especially today. The marketers job is to listen to these conversations and then encourage a dialogue, not a monologue (that’s old world marketing). If you can get customers talking, you can both learn from and influence them.

You do not want to be the marketer who believes the lie that people will buy what you are selling because of some intrinsic greatness your product possesses. People will buy what they want and you are not in charge of that (another gem from Godin’s list: “your prospects don’t care about you”).

Rather then convincing them and then getting frustrated with a market that just doesn’t “get it” find a way to connect to your customer by offering that little something “extra” that creates an “emotional bonus.” This is the magic part of the marketers job, and your best tools to make it happen are stories.

Good Marketers Tell a Story

“People all over the world, and of every income level, respond to marketing that promises and delivers basic human wants. Good marketers tell a story.”

Basic human wants can be broken down into two major categories: The desire for gain and the desire to avoid loss. All fears are a manifestation of one of these two desires (fear of not getting or fear of losing).
In 1943, behavioral psychologist Abraham Maslow wrote a paper called “A Theory of Human Motivation” where he proposed a hierarchy of needs that places human motivation into five-tiers of importance.

These motivations can be diagrammed as a pyramid, with the simplest and most common motivations comprising the base and higher, more esoteric motivations the top. Here are Maslows hierarchy of needs listed out for you with number 1 comprising the base of the pyramid and number 5 the top:
  1. Physiological – food, water, sleep, breathing, sex, homeostasis
  2. Safety – security of body, employment, resources, family, health, property, morality
  3. Love/belonging – friendship, family, sexual intimacy
  4. Esteem – self esteem, confidence, achievement, respect of others, respect by others
  5. Self actualization – morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem solving, lack of prejudice, acceptance of facts
Maslow’s theory provides a framework for marketers to do their jobs and tell stories that matter to their customers. Marketing stories should be crafted to tap into different levels of the motivational pyramid. The higher up your message appeals the greater emotional connection you can create. Tapping into the human wants and needs through great storytelling moves marketing out of the realm of sleazy convincing and hustling and into the realm of psychological and emotional engagement.

One caveat.

Your stories should always be focused telling the customer how their lives can be better because of what you are marketing, not how great your product, idea or charity is. Think of it like dating: you wouldn’t want to go on a second date with someone who sat at dinner the entire time talking about how great they are. Most of us want to engage with people who want to know about us, ask questions and listen.

Why should marketing be any different?

Great marketers know this and spend their time identifying the right audience for their product, developing a message that will communicate and resonate with that audience and creating the best experience for people who choose to pay attention.

A.M.P. Up Your Marketing to Match Your Customers Worldview

“Effective stories match the worldview of the people you are telling the story to.”

We’ve spoken about the importance of marketing to your audience and the wants rather than just proclaiming the greatness of your products. Crafting a marketing story that matches your customers worldview means going the extra mile to know and connect with your customer.

Think of ways to “A.M.P.” up your marketing. When you “amp” anything up it means putting real power into it – in marketing terms it stands for the following:
  • A – audience. Every marketing effort must start here by identifying, understanding and knowing how to reach the core audience.
  • M – message. Develop marketing messages that will resonate with your audience based your experience with them and what you know to be true for them. Here is where great storytelling makes all the difference.
  • P – product. Notice this comes last in the formula. Unfortunately too many companies put their products first and then try to wedge the audience in through marketing. The product is the answer to the problems presented in the story.
You need a great product experience for the preceding items to have a lasting and repeated effect. Godin says that “living and breathing an authentic story is the best way to survive in a conversation-rich world.” That means you should adopt the no-bullshit policy.


Strip out jargon and corporate speak from your marketing materials. Stop pretending to be the infallible, all knowing, wonderful wizard of Oz (he was just a lost guy behind a curtain after all). Get to know your customer and then build a marketing dialogue that feels like a real relationship (if your company is small enough or savvy enough you should be building actual relationships!). Just remember, the story always goes back to your customer and their experience.

Influencing your customer does not mean lying to them or telling them what they want to hear. Influence means finding the right customer, the one who can most benefit from what you have to offer, and making them care deeply about what you have to offer, so much so they are moved to act.

Bottom line: tell a compelling story and keep it real.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

60 comments:

Unknown said...

If you are an Internet Marketer for a not-for-profit more about website marketing trying to get awareness of an issue, or an Internet Marketer for a political candidate trying to get votes

Owais Khan said...

A good website is one of the most important reasons behind the success of any online venture. Website designing has also a major role in that. click

Anna Schafer said...

Super site! I am Loving it!! Will return once more, Im taking your food additionally, Thanks.
website marketing

Anna Schafer said...

Thank you very much for sharing such a useful article. Will definitely saved and revisit your site
rank checker

Owais Raza said...

The meaning of the term SEO is Search Engine Optimization. This is a must for the people whose business is website based. The purpose of SEO is to make a website visible on the search engine for your potential users. properpbn.com

Eliaz Beth said...

Internet marketing tips can be found in plenty in the internet. Follow the tips which are tried and tested and never go blindly after any tip which you come across. Internet marketing after all is a huge business and you must know the proper procedures to be successful. kenvinreviews.com

Owais Raza said...

HowToStartABlog101.com. It is developing into a rather valuable property. For that, I pay $10 per year; a very good investment. Get Your Blog Started Now!

Owais Khan said...

youtubedownloader.pro Video Downloader downloads videos from YouTube & 10000 more sites youtube downloader

Robert said...

Thanks for this great post, i find it very interesting and very well thought out and put together. I look forward to reading your work in the future. pandey baba

Owais Khan said...

If you take the time to think about it, there are many ways that you can think of for how to make money online marketing. Some of these methods include selling your own products, creating an eBook to sell, and even affiliate marketing. No matter which method you choose for how to make money online marketing, you need to choose a method that works the best for you and fits in with your time, skillset, and interests. Here are some simple ways that you can use in order to make money online marketing. Earn money without paying anything

Owais said...

Thank you very much for this great post. internet marketing

Owais Khan said...

It's important to boost the appearance of your website in search rankings to make it more visible on the internet. Unless the site's appearance in major search engine is improved, it won't be able to realize its true potential. Users on the internet are bound to gravitate naturally to those sites that are seen more or whose rankings are higher for search queries. It means, your website will have any realistic chance of online success only if it ranks higher in search engines. SEO Vancouver BC

mtom said...

I’m curious to find out what blog platform you have been utilizing? I’m experiencing some minor security issues with my latest site and I’d like to find something more secure. Do you have any recommendations? Dynamic Marketing

Anna Schafer said...

Awesome article! I want people to know just how good this information is in your article. It’s interesting, compelling content. Your views are much like my own concerning this subject. buy website backlinks

Jessica Schweizer said...

This is actually the kind of information I have been trying to find. Thank you for writing this information. internet marketing

mtom said...

The following time I read a blog, I hope that it doesnt disappoint me as much as this one. I imply, I know it was my choice to read, however I really thought youd have one thing fascinating to say. All I hear is a bunch of whining about something that you could repair if you werent too busy in search of attention. aventure-marketing.com

Nicole Werner said...

I am very much pleased with the contents you have mentioned. I wanted to thank you for this great article. seo Heerhugowaard

johan32 said...

That is a knowledgeable post especially for the person like me who is trying to find out the appropriate methods for the marketing of the new home based business. I have also read a couple of other posts as well and found out that social media platforms along with Google Adwords Campaign Management are best to gain quick results.

Philip T. Greene said...

Search engine optimization advertising organizations in Glasgow give all the previously mentioned administrations for the better advancement of your image.ExcelR Digital Marketing Course in Sydney

Halls Diving said...

The blog is good enough I again n again read this.
famous design companies

EXCELR said...

Really nice and interesting post. I was looking for this kind of information and enjoyed reading this one. Keep posting. Thanks for sharing.Best data science courses in hyerabad

Andersonfrank said...

Agree some people facing trouble during this strategy I think this is actually the part of strategy let's get the deep analysis before going for any strategy.
ppcexpo Best ppc tool 2020

for more detail

tike mik said...

Internet marketing basically involves using various tools and services to let your business reach a wider base of potential customers. Good Internet marketing will bring in a significant number of clients, keep them interested and then make more than happy to purchase more of your products. visit the website

tike mik said...

In layman's language, it the process of capturing traffic from the search engines such as Google listings. Through this read, I am going to give you facts about the SEO business, current market status of SEO as well as the future projections in this field. Lead generation

Charlie Freda said...

qws

Thomas Joe said...

This has involved running a website audit, UX design consultant conducting keyword research, and implementing technical site changes.

Robert f crocker said...

By creating content, offering value and helping people make sensible choices, the website has built a reputation and become more prevalent over time. Google ranks the site highly in the search engines and thousands of people use it to make purchasing decisions every day and you can make money online by doing it

Unknown said...

dddddddd

tike mik said...

No, I am not talking about some grand, messianic vision or something. I am talking about a vision that will define where all the Internet marketing efforts will go to. Leadgeneration

tike mik said...

Also, try and spam and unsolicited e-mail and advertising, more and more people away from Internet advertising in general, unless they are some specific content. A variety of Internet marketing strategy is free and paid online marketing can make more money. 12-month Internet Millionaire Review - Russell Brunson is a 12-month millionaire fraud?. Leads

tike mik said...

Internet marketing can be a lucrative industry, if some big Internet-related skills and knowledge development to do so successfully. Must also identify and develop the necessary strategies to make money online. Pay per click advertising, online advertising and link exchange programs, is marketing, can be used to make the Internet industry to make money online there are some important programs. website development san jose

DSP SEO said...

Wonderful post! This post has uncovered hidden treasures on blog commenting 먹튀

Kenny said...

I really appreciate the kind of topics you post here. Thanks for sharing us a great information 먹튀폴리스

tike mik said...

This is especially useful when you are new to Internet marketing. Your competitors will most likely have been around for quite a long time already and will have spent a significant amount of time and money to get where they are now. Lead geenration SEO

Unknown said...

This is a wonderful article, Given so much info in it, These type of articles keeps the users interest in the website, and keep on sharing more ... good luck 메이저놀이터

tike mik said...

The way we work, we are very flexible, but this is a full-time position at our headquarters in Bristol, England, Bristol in the UK so you must be near or on, such as bathing, Swindon, Chelten Burnham, Gloucester. Offertes aanvragen

data scientist course said...

This is an excellent post I seen thanks to share it. It is really what I wanted to see hope in future you will continue for sharing such a excellent post.
data scientist training and placement in hyderabad

Remaid Davis said...

"Excellent post. I was checking constantly this blog and
I am impressed! Extremely helpful information specifically the last part :
) I care for such information a lot. I was seeking this certain info for a very long time.

Thank you and good luck." ฟุตบอลออนไลน์

jack chein aaaaa said...

Good day! Do you use Twitter? I’d like to follow you if that would be ok. I’m undoubtedly enjoying your blog and look forward to new posts. pg slot ฝากถอนไม่มีขั้นต่ํา

Kevin Owens said...

No matter what it is you are looking to move, we have the necessary tools to get the job done. Get your quotes now to see how we can help. live22 auto

jack chein aaaaa said...

Keep on working, great job! SEO ติดหน้าแรก

Maneesha said...

I wish more writers of this sort of substance would take the time you did to explore and compose so well. I am exceptionally awed with your vision and knowledge.
data scientist training and placement

Mary Sabatini said...

Their input benefitted us by pointing us in a direction we weren’t intending to take before
interaction design firms

Richard C. Lambert said...

I really loved reading your blog. It was very well authored and easy to undertand. Unlike additional blogs I have read which are really not tht good. I also found your posts very interesting. In fact after reading, I had to go show it to my friend and he ejoyed it as well! marketing1on1.com/professional-seo-services-company

Bhuvana said...

Wow it is really wonderful and awesome thus it is very much useful for me to understand many concepts and helped me a lot. it is really explainable very well and i got more information from your blog…

AWS Training in Hyderabad

tike mik said...

It's not just uninsured that are going to be affected by health care reform, everybody is going to be impacted. edible flowers

Petter John said...

I'm in no doubt coming back again to read these articles and blogs.
top app design consultancies

tike mik said...

But we will get to writing SEO friendly content and backlinks for the bloggers here a little later in the article. Keep reading, these social network and Facebook presentation secrets are rather simple to follow. You have 3 options for Bridge Pages with affiliate marketing on Facebook. welcome bot

tike mik said...

Let's get something clear: any platform that allows for people to create thousands of fake profiles so others can buy likes, followers, retweets, or shares is toxic to advertisers and brands alike. welcome to Facebook message

Abell said...

Your content is nothing short of brilliant in many ways. I think this is engaging and eye-opening material. Thank you so much for caring about your content and your readers. business names ideas

Jack son said...

Hurray is likewise liked by many. Distinctive web search tools need to top the rundown of the positions for offering more types of assistance to individuals. https://www.sandeepmehta.co.in/affordable-seo-services-delhi/

markson said...

We believe in providing you the best services. We offer you the budget friendly packages for YouTube marketing of your business.
https://www.buyyoutubeviewsindia.in/youtube-marketing/

Aubrey Dickey said...

It’s a classic great for me to go to this blog site, it offers helpful suggestions
brand positioning agency

tike mik said...

I have also been a keen guest blogger. I believe that writing articles for other relevant blogs only serves to increase your scope and exposure. Once or twice, I have had my articles featured by online magazines and publications, which was always nice. social media marketing

Petter John said...

Quality stuff may be the key to invite the users to visit begin to see the blog site, that’s what this site provides.
design consulting firm

Rodney Janis said...

Your blogs are easily accessible and quite enlightening so keep doing the amazing work guys.
UX UI agency

tike mik said...

The birth and growth of Internet marketing has also made a mark on the "personal worlds" of many individuals. With Internet Marketing offering individuals infinite ways to promote and market themselves, products, services and opportunities, the world of home-based-business has exploded. affordable SEO for small businesses

360DigiTMG said...

Brilliant Blog! I might want to thank you for the endeavors you have made recorded as a hard copy of this post. I am trusting a similar best work from you later on also. I needed to thank you for these sites! Much obliged for sharing. Incredible sites!
data science training institute in hyderabad

Ramesh Sampangi said...

Really good information and useful content. Thanks for sharing with us. Keep doing update blogs more.
Data Science Courses

Sergio Lewis said...

Your way to enlighten everything on this blog is actually pleasant, everyone manage to efficiently be familiar with it, Thanks a great deal.
brand design agencies