I played the marketing game for the first time in 2020. Ever since, it has not only become my favourite activity but also my career.
Here are some sentences I believe as absolute truths, even if they are not factually correct.
These sentences work as my baseline of operations. This is how I view the world as a marketer:
- People always say yes to resources that feel important. Always. That’s why lead magnets work, even if you hate to comment.
- If you host webinars for business, always have images, decks, videos, etc., on screen. Your audience needs to hear and see something. The moment you take away visual elements, they look around, open new tabs, or reach out to phone.
- Hooks must be broad. Capture as many eyeballs as possible with the hook, then narrow down to the specifics.
- Nobody cares about you. People care about a story, a journey. Even if it’s your transformation, they see themselves in the story. Your game flips when you truly understand your audience is the protagonist and you’re only a storyteller.
- The right packaging makes a good offer look great. But not always make an average offer look good.
- People are smart. The amount of content they consume improves their eye for quality and sensing BS. So if you think you will get away by mincing words, good luck fooling yourself.
- Good marketers know they have poor memory. So they document and create libraries for reference.
- Always overdeliver. My favourite hack is to sell a product for $80 if it’s worth $100. Some people call it undervaluing. I call it consciously overdelivering. Imagine buyers feeling “This is a steal” after consuming your product.
- Good marketers are data people. They read numbers, understand baselines, and drive insights from theories, not theses. I am not saying they take ‘analytical’ decisions per se, but numbers become a crucial dataset for their intuition’s source code.
- Functionality in marketing needs more celebration. We always applaud creative copy and viral ads. But never the silent, incremental blogs or compounding YouTube videos that consistently bring traffic and leads. When you understand how functionality (getting the job done without necessarily looking cool) works, you unlock a new level in your marketing game.
PS:
This is an evolving essay. I expect to add new points or contradict myself. Take it as a sign of growth.
I love people who disagree with me and present strong arguments. If you have opinions to share, I am just an email away at vikra@dopecontent.in.