What I Have Learned from Dr. Seuss and Seth Godin about Marketing

I am a big fan of Dr. Seuss, and I guess I have been for as long as I can remember.  I have enjoyed reading his books to my kids for over 10 years now.  When I was a kid myself, I had most of his works on my shelf, along with the Little Golden Books, more than likely.  When he passed away while I was in college, I still remember how sad it made me feel.  The entire campus honored his memory that year. 

On an utterly different note, Seth Godin is a marketing genius, in my humble opinion.  I have read most of his books, too.  The other day, I picked up a copy of "All Marketers are Liars", which focuses on the fact that good marketing involves good storytelling. 

In other words, your potential customers and clients WANT to hear a story.  At one point, Seth mentions that you can never tell a competitor's story as well as they can.  He gives a solid example from when he visited Wal-Mart and saw a sign reading, "You can't out-Amazon Amazon".  This reminded me of a line from Dr. Seuss's classic "Happy Birthday to You" (which I try to read out loud to my own kids several times each year):

"Shout loud

I am I!

Me!

I am I!"

Give this some thought in your marketing efforts.  You are you, not someone else.  What works for others may not work well for you. 

Tell your own story!  I promise you that your potential clients want to hear about YOU.  Every story is unique, and you are wasting time if you listen to coaches/consultants who say anything different. 

Throw away the scripts and anything premade by anyone else.  Focus on the things that will help you to connect with your audience, so to speak.  Do you like to build ships in bottles?  Do you collect antique washboards?  Where did you go to school or grow up? 

Almost every client I have received and friend that I have made from my blog came from someone who found a common connection with me based on one of my posts.  You can do the same thing, with the same results, although it will take an investment of your time.

QUICK DISCLAIMER: I am not advocating being egocentric and/or writing endlessly about your own achievements or how terrific you are.  Rather, I am suggesting that you share enough about yourself in your marketing to allow those who see it to know you as a person, not just another agent.

Thanks for reading!