(notes on) Marketing: A Love Story by Bernadette Jiwa
NB. These notes contribute towards my diyMBA, my attempt to learn lots without a formal MBA programme. Check out my full reading list, and why I’m doing it DIY.
This short, punchy book has gained a following largely due to Seth Godin’s glowing endorsement of “The best marketing book I’ve ever read”.
I wouldn’t agree, but its punchiness is its strength with many key ideas memorably articulated. Being a collection of separate blog posts, the book lacks the structure to leave one clear message. As such, my notes will be brief and are mostly direct quotes from the book.
Part One : Strategy
THE ONE PAGE MARKETING PLAN
WHY
Your purpose
WHO
Your ideal customer.
DIFFERENCE
How and why you are better.
PRICE & POSITIONING
The story you want customers to believe about the value you create.
DISTRIBUTION
How you reach people and get your products into their hands.
PLATFORM
Where you tell your story.
PROMOTION STRATEGY
How you tell your story.
CONVERSION STRATEGY
How you deepen relationships with prospective customers.
GROWTH STRATEGY
The plan for attracting more customers.
REFERRAL STRATEGY
The story you give people to tell.
STRATEGY FOR INCREASING TRANSACTION VALUE
How you delight customers.
RETENTION STRATEGY
How you keep customers coming back.
“How you make your customers feel matters. It’s far more important to reach out to the people who care than to take aim at everyone.”
“The best marketing happens in the moment when we are empathetic, when we see the world through the eyes of the person we’re trying to matter to. That means thinking about our customers rather than ourselves.”
“Put your energy into building trust. One of the best ways to do that is with great content marketing. Don’t see your content as a big old sales funnel. Treat it more like a flame, a campfire that people want to come back to. Intention is everything.”
“If you’re ever in doubt about how to create value, simply work out how to make your customers feel good.”
“Don’t make people click, find ways to make people care”
Three essential marketing questions
- Who exactly do we want talking about our product or service?
- What do we want them to say?
- How will we make sure it happens?
Part Two : Context
“People don’t just want to buy personal computers anymore, they want to know what they can do with them”. Steve Jobs.
Don’t give people reasons to choose your product, give them reasons to crave, covet and to belong.
Marketers focus too much on themselves rather than on their customers. They love the product or service they’re offering so much they forget they need their customers to be successful.
Instead, create products and services taking into account the full consideration the needs of the customers. Understand what your customers value and do your best to provide them with what they value. Customers are no longer interested in what you are offering them; they are now more interested in how your product/service makes them feel.
How to make your customers buy? Follow BJ Fogg’s Behaviour Model — Trigger, Ability, Motivation (the basis of the Hooked model)
“You might not have control over the increasing cost of reaching people or their decreasing attention spans, but you do have control over what happens before, after and in the moment that you meet your customers where they are. The future success of your business is less likely to be shaped by all the attention money can buy and much more likely to be shaped by your intention, which is free to choose.”
Part Three : Story
Marketing is “the story of how you create difference for your customers.” Marketing done right is a love story.
The importance of storytelling in marketing cannot be overemphasized. In the past, companies bombarded customers with various ads showcasing their offerings. Technology has changed this. Today, we must find a way to connect with customers through storytelling.
“Buying is no longer about getting things we need. It’s about reinforcing a set of beliefs we hold and share. Marketing is not about finding new ways to sell more of something. It’s about affinity more than it’s about price, feelings more than facts. Marketing is about giving people frames of reference and context. And above all, marketing is about becoming part of peoples’ stories.”
How to differentiate your product/service using emotion
- Don’t describe features/benefits, tell people what they can do with it instead
- Let current customers do the talking (testimonials)
- Show how customers are already using your product to make their lives better
- Consider how you want potential customers to feel
- Behave/communicate like a very dear friend
