Bill's PurpleCrayon Blog

WANT TO KNOW HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY MARKET YOUR PRODUCTS OR SERVICES?

There's no finer teacher than Chef Seth Godin.

In his new book, Meatball Sundae, Seth serves up another easily-digested morsel that explains how you can succeed in today's over-marketed world.

I use Seth Godin's books as textbooks when I teach university-level courses in advertising, marketing, direct marketing, and permission marketing. The students eat them up, thoroughly enjoying Seth's whip-smart presentation and easy-to-understand advice. His principles often go against the grain of popular thinking in the ad world. But that's okay. What's out there isn't working all that well, anyway.

My advice? The first ingredient in your marketing mix should be any book by Seth Godin, but especially his latest. A steady diet of Seth Godin will surely help your organization stay lean, mean, and remarkably successful.

THE PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE

The downsizing of ad agencies and the rise of marketing/PR concerns has created a glut of former adcats -- especially designers and copywriters -- seeking work. And the "rise" of marketing hasn't been all that great, either; it hasn't amounted to a surplus of jobs, particularly for recent graduates.

And I told my class as much. "There are more people in this class right now than there are marketing jobs available statewide," I announced on the first day. "And I haven't seen an advertising agency seek employees for years." That got their attention.

But I didn't leave my students without hope. I also told them this: The Internet has created a type of worker that requires no job, no office, no agency. "Start your own agencies," I told them. "Do your own thing. Each one of you is as qualified as anyone else to be your own boss."

It's true. I've discovered that copywriters, although not as revered as they once were, are still hard to find. Good ones, that is. Adequate copywriters are just as much a dime a dozen today as they always have been. Stand-out writers are still very much in demand.

For that matter, stand-out marketing strategists are, too.

What I find amazing is that people don't seem to be able to think clearly any more. So someone with a keen strategic mind, coupled with a gift for copywriting, can pretty much write his/her own ticket. Even in today's abysmal economy. Even when "good enough" is good enough to most clients.

"Good enough" has never been good enough for me. Maybe that's why I'm a sought-after copywriter, marketing strategist, university professor, and direct marketing guru.

Talent for writing is partly nature, and partly nurture. I have been blessed with both. I began my career with a love for writing, and a gift for seeing into the heart of the matter. Over the years, I learned from some of the world's best direct marketers, people who built enormous reputations and amassed fortunes because of their talents. I have created departments, lead teams, and achieved goals that many will never reach. I have worked with some of the world's biggest companies. I've had a rewarding career.

But I think what I enjoy most of all is looking into the future to see where my profession is going. Believe me, this is not the era in which to live if one does not embrace change. Because things have changed, and are changing. Rapidly.

Yet, "the more things change, the more they stay the same," as the old saying goes.

And what stays the same is this: There will always be a need for excellence in advertising, marketing, and PR. There will always be a need for bright-eyed, keen-thinking, passionate people to help keep clients in the black -- and the ad industry out of the dumpster.

So, recent grads. Go forth! Conquer the world! Be remarkable!

Above all, have fun. Life is way too short to be taken too seriously.