Marketer, Market Thyself

Seth Godin points out that marketers need to spend some of their energy on marketing their profession.

“It all comes down to spreading ideas. If you can get your art or your political cause or your restaurant’s ideas to spread, you win.

Somewhere along the way, people were sold that marketing [equals] advertising. Somewhere along the way, people were trained that marketers are liars (oops). And now we wonder why people are so clueless about what marketing really is. Maybe it’s because marketing has a marketing problem.

Marketing is not about trickery or even insincerity. It’s about spreading ideas that you believe in, sharing ideas you’re passionate about… and doing it with authenticity. Marketing is about treating prospects and customers with respect, and realizing that it’s easier to grow the amount of business you do with happy people than it is to find new strangers to accost.”