What does education have to do with internet marketing?

Everything!

Recently, one of my readers wrote me asking why my newsletters are different from those of other online marketers.  He said that he found my emails educational, but he wondered, from a marketing perspective, why I chose to not focus on taking a more business-like approach and work on sales.

I found his letter provoked some insight that I would like to share with you.

Basically, his letter made me ponder the question:

As a marketer, how can you provide value to the people who visit your blog or website or sign up for your newsletter?

I personally believe that the most important thing that you can give your readers is education based on your own experiences.

Here is my philosophy about education in a nutshell…

Education is a form of empowerment.  It’s not filling a bucket, it’s lighting a fire–because education is about ideas, and ideas create a world.

This education has to be practical:  You have to show how something is done, rather than tell people about it.  As William Butler Yeats once said, “Tell me and I’ll forget. Show me, and I may not remember. Involve me, and I’ll understand.”

Another thing to improve your connection with your reader, a way to build a positive relationship, is to make the education entertaining and fun.  We do not forget what we learn with pleasure.

I believe education, rather than selling something, is the soul of business.  After all, it’s something that can be passed from one person to another.

It should be remembered that education is not the same as instructions.  Instructions end in the school-room.  Education begins with life.  By educating someone about some aspect of marketing, you add to the quality of their life.

So I write my blog posts and emails the way I do because I want to share what I know.  By sharing, I educate, and by educating, I improve lives.   In the words of Epictitus:  “Only the educated are free.”

Tags: education, internet marketing

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