5 things we can learn from Seth Godin

That I personally like Seth Godin is already a given at this point. That Seth is one of the best modern marketers in the world is something that no longer needs to be explained. That he has the best marketing blog on Earth is equally clear. And that we have so much to lear from him is undeniable.

But last night I was thinking about what we can learn from him as a man, as a blogger or an entrepreneur:

1. He is different

And not in that sort of hipster style that others fall into. He knows his value and knows how to emphasize it as much as possible. He is aware that he might not be the most handsome man in the world, so why shouldn’t he be funny and professional at the same time if that’s the case? The fact that he is different (remeber Purple Cow?) is what brings him at the forefront. And what makes him so different? The fact that he succeeded to make marketing one of the most fun and fascinating fields that I have studied so far (personal note).

2. He is constant (Day by day by day by day)

And that’s one of the things that impress me the most when it comes to him. This man is simply always constant in everything he does. From the books he releases to his blog. I am probably saying this based on the things I see around me. A multitude of rules and laws followed by an incomprehensible chaos. It seems like there is too much chaos and no one wants to be constant in what they do anymore. It’s like no one wants to grow anymore, they all just want to explode. As an exception, Seth Godin is not a man that wants to explode all of a sudden through gossips and newsflashes. He is just making his work day by day by day by day…

3. The Purple Law

Or like the title of his book, “the purple cow”. Was it such a difficult thing for someone to write a book like this? No. But he was the one that did it. He gathered perhaps the simplest things in marketing in a book. This book has such a strong meaning for me, being the first book in English and the second marketing book that I have read.

But Seth Godin does not only write and talk about certain principles, he also lives by them (see the purple law combined with the first part).

4. He is making his own way

You might think I’m crazy or addicted to Seth Godin but when you see that a man in a field that can sometimes be so rigid succeeds to bring on the market an action figure with him, well that’s what marketing means to me. And the action figure is not just a simple doll, it comes along with a marketing booklet that many people in the industry probably need (the little book of marketing secrets). Someone wrote in a headline “He is a mind grenade for your ideavirus” and boy how I agree with this.

5. He follows the K.I.S.S. principle

Since I started reading him I have tried making things as simple as I can. I often struggle with all kinds of ideas that I put into another idea and then remake into a different style to give them a different shape and honestly I don’t even know what I’m writing anymore cause I am already mixing everything, but Seth would just simplify everything. And you take a look at this marketing specialist and you realize how simple is his life and especially how easily he communicates his ideas to the entire world. Even by the looks of his clothes or his office you can realize how simple this man is. And again, in all this chaos of the 2.0 world he manages to remain constant, different and simple.

As for you, dear marketing students. Perhaps you should take a moment to get your heads out of the books that your teachers make you buy (after all, they need to earn their bread so they don’t have to eat the same one two days in a row, right?) and read Seth Godin. It’s my advice, an amateur, for you, these future marketing executives, brand managers and perhaps advertising agencies managers. And in addition to marketing students, I believe we, as bloggers can also learn a lot from him.

Be consistent, strong in action, different but simple in thoughts and in words.