The Godin Disruption

According to the “more classic” view of marketing in Marketing: The Core by Roger Kerin, the approach to marketing after finding a perceived need in a market is to lay out a defined purchase decision process and trying to get customers to stick it through.

The path to doing this is to try and reach as many customers as possible. After all, the more customers you reach the more money you make — right?

According to Seth Godin, that method is very wrong. That was the way traditional marketing worked — and in the old days that may have worked. However, now that we are a part of the digital world, marketing is rooted in change. A successful marketer does not go after a ton of customers — that group is too diverse, too wide and wants too many different things. It would be impossible to create real change while trying to cater to so many people. Rather, Godin suggests that a successful marketer will focus on the smallest viable market. They will focus on recruiting the “biggest fans” to their ideas rather than aiming towards everyone. From this core group, the word will spread outwards and expand on its own.

To do this, Godin says that a company should pick a niche, an edge and create a product that fulfills the needs/wants of that subset. A successful marketer will tell a story to the group that resonates with them and will connect with the group. This will create a sense of belonging and positive feelings with the consumer and will foster a sense of loyalty in the small group which will perpetuate on its own.

I think that this method makes much more sense in today’s market. I think that Godin’s point that the overall market is too big is definitely true. If you try to make everyone happy, you will end making no one happy. If you can target your followers and connect to them through your story, you will have a loyal following who will be interested in hearing what you have to say.