Great marketing isn’t a hack; it’s a point of view shared by people who see the world just a little differently. Below is a curated field notebook of quotes from Seth Godin and nine other voices who keep pushing the craft forward. Let their words spark fresh experiments the next time you ship a campaign, write copy or build product.
Seth Godin – “People like us do things like this.”
Marketing succeeds when it gives a tribe language to describe itself.
Translate features into identity statements. Instead of “7-inch touchscreen,” try “A dashboard built for weekend overlanders.”
Ann Handley – “Everyone writes. The best write with purpose.”
If you wouldn’t read it, don’t publish it.
Before hitting post, ask: does this teach, inspire or entertain one real reader I know?
Rand Fishkin – “Be the best answer on the internet.”
Ranking factors change; usefulness endures.
Audit top pages quarterly: prune fluff, add fresh examples, embed video. Authority follows utility.
Teresa Torres – “Continuous discovery trumps periodic research.”
Talk to customers every week, not once a quarter.
Set a recurring 30-minute slot for interviews. Rotate marketers into the call so insight isn’t siloed with product.
April Dunford – “Positioning defines context, and context drives value.”
If buyers can’t put you in a category, they invent one—often the wrong one.
Write a two-sentence positioning statement: [Product] is the only [category] for [segment] that [unique value]. Use it to steer messaging.
Marcus Sheridan – “They Ask, You Answer.”
The most profitable content addresses the questions sales gets every day.
Create an FAQ backlog from CRM notes. Turn each question into a blog post, video or calculator.
Mari Smith – “Relationships are the new currency.”
Algorithms reward genuine engagement, not vanity metrics.
Measure comment quality and DM replies, not just followers. Adjust social goals accordingly.
Scott Brinker – “Every company is now a software company.”
Martech stacks don’t create complexity—silence between tools does.
Map data flows on one page. Eliminate duplicates, add missing connectors, then set quarterly stack reviews.
Nancy Harhut – “Hard-wired human behavior beats best practice.”
Leverage behavioral science—loss aversion, scarcity, social proof—to boost conversions ethically.
A/B-test framing: “Save $120 yearly” vs. “Stop losing $120 yearly.”
Avinash Kaushik – “Metrics are stories, not numbers.”
If data doesn’t change what you do tomorrow, it’s trivia.
Pair every KPI with a decision rule: if engagement drops 20 %, then refresh creative within 48 hours.
Pocket Reference Checklist
- Does our core message create a tribe identity? (Godin)
- Would an editor publish this copy on merit alone? (Handley)
- Is our content still the best answer today? (Fishkin)
- Have we interviewed a customer this week? (Torres)
- Can every employee recite our positioning line? (Dunford)
- Are we answering the exact questions sales gets? (Sheridan)
- Do our social goals track real relationship depth? (Smith)
- Is our martech map current and connected? (Brinker)
- Are we testing behavioral triggers ethically? (Harhut)
- Does each metric tie to an immediate action? (Kaushik)
Great marketers borrow perspective, not just tactics. Keep this deck of quotes handy, revisit it monthly and let the questions recalibrate your strategy when campaigns drift into autopilot.
Want a workshop that turns these principles into practice? Our team can facilitate a half-day session to align messaging, metrics and martech around what the best marketers say – and do.
