Inbound Internet Marketing Blog

SEO, Blogging, Social Media, Landing Pages, Lead Generation and Analytics

SUBSCRIBE

The HubSpot Inbound Internet Marketing blog covers all of inbound marketing - SEO, blogging, social media, lead generation, email marketing, lead nurturing & management, and analytics. Join 53,183 others and subscribe now!

Subscribe to RSS feed Add us on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter

Get Free Marketing Info!

Get the world's best marketing resources right to your inbox! Join more than 817,000 inbound marketers!

Subscribe by email

Your email:

Listen to this blog!

HubSpot's Inbound Internet Marketing Blog

Current Articles | RSS Feed RSS Feed

3 Marketing Lessons from Seth Godin’s New Book "Poke the Box"

 

.

poke theboxYou might be a fan of the good ol’ Facebook “Poke,” but you probably never thought much of the act of poking. Well, that is going to change when you get your hands on Seth Godin’s new book, “Poke the Box.”

The fundamental message of "Poke the Box" is to start new things and dare to take initiative. David Meerman Scott, HubSpot's Marketer in Residence, was able to catch up with Seth about his new book and you can watch their interview below:

 

We put our marketing hat on and found 3 key lessons businesses can learn from "Poke the Box:"

1. Take Initiative

It is difficult for people to take initiative, but that is where a lot of value lies. The people who make an impact, Seth notes, are those who don’t take “no” for an answer. There is plenty of risk along the way but if you do the work you are capable of, you will achieve innovation. As an example, Seth points out Apple and the way the company now dominates the tablet computer market.

2. Embrace Failure

Failure should be cherished. Embracing failure helps companies learn fast and adapt to rapidly changing business environments. "The cycles of success for companies are dropping from 80 years to 40 years to 20 years," says Seth. "You cannot sit on a success for longer than five years now." But if you fail enough times and build a culture of failure, it is likely that your winning initiative is going to be brilliant.

3. Create Experiences

Seth offered two versions of his physical book—the standard edition and a custom, premium edition. The reason we buy stuff is not because we need the information anymore, he explains. It is because of the experiences they offer. Books are special, they are magical—we share them, we collect them. This type of experience is why people ultimately purchase your product. As a marketer, think about ways in which you can create similar experiences.

Did you read Seth's book? What marketing lessons did you identify?

New eBook: 11 Examples of Online Marketing Success

New eBook: 11 Examples of Online Marketing Success

Draw ideas from successful marketers and see how you compare to others in your industry.

Download this eBook to read about the top marketing campaigns of 11 distinct organizations.

Posted by Magdalena Georgieva on Thu, Mar 10, 2011 @ 08:00 AM

COMMENTS

All good points. I read Seth's blog every day. 90% is stimulating and he is an expert at mixing it up. I have not read Seth's new book but the old ones are classics. The marketing take away is all about trying something new- maybe like inbound marketing.

posted on Thursday, March 10, 2011 at 8:10 AM by Dan Tyre


Thanks for the lessons.

posted on Thursday, March 10, 2011 at 8:30 AM by Ton van Houten


Seth is back on the book track again..he always writes good info.. 
 
"Black Seo Guy "Signing Off"

posted on Thursday, March 10, 2011 at 8:53 AM by TrafficColeman


Was very fortunate to see Seth Godin last week. His latest book is a great read. I loved his commentary comparing MySpace with Facebook. Myspace didn't have someone to say GO! I agree with his comments on books to treasure.

posted on Thursday, March 10, 2011 at 9:38 AM by Gary Stockton


Thanks for the keys ! Good article ! You have me checking in daily to see what new wisdom you are going to drop on us !

posted on Thursday, March 10, 2011 at 11:53 AM by Marketing Gal


I'm currently reading this book and it resonates loudly! It's so easy to review things, make comment or criticise and focus on the negative. To actually do something about it and start something that will make a difference to you, your customers and your business, takes guts. I know I thrive on working to find a solution to a problem rather than moaning about the problem. One leads to achievement, the other leads to depression!! Highly recommend the book - everyone should read this.

posted on Thursday, March 10, 2011 at 12:12 PM by Ian Robins


Thanks David and Hub Spot team for this. For me - where previously the focus has been on 'shipping' - seeing projects through to completion, 'Poke the Box' urges to stand up and get started. The 'bookends of action' perhaps. Always inspiring - I love the reminder to just do it!.  
 
The aspect of failure is something Tal Ben-Shahar writes about too .. he wishes his readers success but also some failures as that's where the greatest learning is found. 
 
Have a great weekend!

posted on Thursday, March 10, 2011 at 4:11 PM by anne Sorensen


I like step #2 about embracing failure. I'm sure a lot of us out there(me included) beat ourselves up so much when we fail at something. It simply helps us learn along the way.

posted on Thursday, March 10, 2011 at 9:14 PM by Paul Hunde


Interesting points.. I think by developing a culture of failure should rather be, developing a culture of failures to learn from them. Just a thought :)

posted on Friday, March 11, 2011 at 10:34 PM by Abhishek Syal


Comments have been closed for this article.