Good Marketing is Indirect

Unlike the act of building a tangible thing, the act of marketing is indirect.

Indirect feedback loops. You don’t see the result right away.

Indirect skills you need to learn. You can’t reduce to a single skill.

Indirect effects in the person you’re marketing to. You can only influence.

Good marketing exists, and somehow its effects resonate.

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I can tell that I published the announcement, but I can’t tell if it had an effect.

I can tell that people reacted, but I can’t tell if the people that reacted are currently in movement toward progress.

I can tell that I’m looking for a feedback loop, but it won’t be short like when I’m building a thing.

Good marketing exists, and its results can’t directly be measured.

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There never was a middle of the market that you can put into a box, so it’s no use aiming for it.

There never was a single marketing activity that gets you miracle results, so it’s no use trying to find it.

There never was a single skill to master when building a new thing, so it’s no use expecting the same from learning the skills of marketing.

Good marketing exists, and it’s irreducible.

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I can’t force you to like my product, but you can catch my excitement.

I can’t guarantee my story will reach you, but a good story travels far.

I can’t directly measure attribution, but nobody will know if I don’t announce anything.

Good marketing exists, and it tells us some good news.