#77: Simple Marketing for Smart People (Notes & Reflection)

A personal deep dive into Simple Marketing for Smart People. I've laid out chapter summaries to capture the book's main ideas and included my reflections on how they resonate with my current work. Hopefully there's something here that connects with your own journey too. 😌🍵

My Reflections:

• Balancing Personalisation and Scalability?

• Considerations for Optimal Levels of Customisation?

Chapter Summaries:

• Foreword

• Chapter One: The Achilles’ Heel of Smart People

• Chapter Two: I Can Relate

• Chapter Three: The Upstream/Downstream Marketing Metaphor

• Chapter Four: The One Question That Makes Marketing Simple

• Chapter Five: How I Use Belief Building

• Chapter Six: Identifying Your Customer’s Existing Beliefs

• Chapter Seven: Identifying Your Customer’s Required Beliefs

• Chapter Eight: Build Belief Part 1

• Chapter Nine: Build Belief Part 2

• Chapter Ten: Let’s Create Some Marketing Content

• Chapter Eleven: Spot the Pattern

• Chapter Thirteen: A Final Word of Advice for Smart Marketers

Balancing Personalisation and Scalability?

• Customising support and marketing for teachers at different readiness levels is valuable, especially in EdTech, where adoption depends on user comfort and confidence with the platform. However, with half a million students and potentially thousands of teachers to reach, extensive customisation can be resource-intensive and may not always yield proportional returns.

• Ultimately, the optimal level of customisation blends broad-level segmentation with universal core messaging and targeted resources.

Considerations for Optimal Levels of Customisation?

• Segmentation by Familiarity: Rather than hyper-customising, segment teachers into broad groups based on SLS familiarity (e.g. new, intermediate, and advanced users). Tailor messaging for each group, emphasising foundational guidance for new users and feature-specific updates for advanced users. This strikes a balance between personalised engagement and scalable communication.

• Highlight Core Benefits Across All Tiers: Even within customised segments, there are core value propositions that apply universally. Reinforce these consistently to maintain SLS' identity as a tool distinct from alternatives. Clear, universal messaging strengthens brand recall and helps all users see the platform's unique benefits.

• Leverage User Insights: Use data from community posts or helpdesk queries to identify common issues or topics of interest for different groups. This operational feedback can shape proactive communications, like FAQs or targeted newsletters, addressing common queries for each group.

• Implement Guided Onboarding & Self-Help Resources: Customisation can be supported by self-directed onboarding resources that guide teachers based on their needs.

• Efficiency in Communication: Avoid overwhelming users with too many tailored messages. A newsletter with sections for different user levels (e.g., “Getting Started,” “Feature Spotlight,” and “Advanced Tips”) could meet diverse needs while maintaining a single communication channel.

Foreword

Takeaway

• Marketing is about educating, not manipulating. It should help people understand and see value.

• Effective marketing creates clarity and builds genuine connections.

• The best marketing style is one rooted in teaching, sharing, and genuinely helping.

Application

• Position SLS as an educational tool that teachers can use confidently - simplify messaging to help teachers clearly see the LMS’s relevance, differentiating it from other platforms.

• Prioritise in every communication—whether marketing material or support response—clear, helpful language that enhances teachers’ understanding of and connection with the platform.

Chapter One: The Achilles’ Heel of Smart People

Takeaway

• Upstream decisions shape all future outcomes; choosing the right direction early is essential.

• Focus on what matters most to the audience rather than overloading them with details.

Application

• Keep the marketing message straightforward and user-friendly, minimising technical jargon - make it easy for teachers to understand the platform's core functionalities so they’re more likely to adopt it for their classrooms.

• Prioritise essential features in marketing and onboarding to avoid overwhelming new users with unnecessary information.

Chapter Two: I Can Relate

Takeaway

• Products won’t sell themselves. Marketing requires understanding customer needs and speaking their language.

Application

• Frame benefits in terms that resonate with users' teaching goal and challenges, e.g. focusing on how SLS enhances student engagement, eases teacher workload, etc. (also paint them the picture of powerful data-driven interventions?)

Chapter Three: The Upstream/Downstream Marketing Metaphor

Takeaway

• A core message should clearly articulate why someone should choose your product or service.

• Define the beliefs your audience needs to hold for your product to be an obvious choice.

• Strong messaging is more effective than a fancy setup; clarity over flashiness.

Application

• Develop a clear, compelling core message that differentiates SLS from other platforms.

• Highlight unique features that solve specific problems teachers face and reinforce this message consistently across all communications and support channels.

Chapter Four: The One Question That Makes Marketing Simple

Takeaway

• Address objections early to help potential customers see the product’s value.

• Use storytelling to show how the product has benefited similar users.

• Shift from a “selling” role to an “educating” and “guiding” role, leading people to recognise the product’s value.

Application

• Anticipate common objections teachers might have, like ease of use or integration with current workflows.

• Use success stories, or short video demonstrations to proactively address these concerns, showing how SLS seamlessly fits into their teaching practice.

Chapter Five: How I Use Belief Building

Takeaway

• Ask questions that clarify where customers are in their journey and guide them toward the next step.

• Engage with potential customers at their current stage of readiness.

• Go beyond your core fan base to reach people who are unfamiliar with the product.

Application:

• Segment teachers by their familiarity with SLS. Create targeted communication based on teachers’ familiarity, helping each group progress comfortably.

• Focus on reaching new users or those hesitant to adopt SLS by addressing initial concerns and benefits directly.

Chapter Six: Identifying Your Customer’s Existing Beliefs

Takeaway

• Recognise different belief stages.

  • Warm prospects respond best to messaging that focuses on e.g. price or the trustworthiness of the company.

  • Cold prospects aren’t ready for direct offers. They need messaging that first addresses the problem, introduces the solutions, and finally presents a solution.

• Adapt your messaging to match where prospects are in their belief journey.

• Understand that existing users or those using similar products may already have the beliefs needed to choose your product.

Application

• For new users, focus on educating them on the platform's core benefits; for existing users, emphasise specific features or updates.

Chapter Seven: Identifying Your Customer’s Required Beliefs

Takeaway

• Anchor beliefs at each stage: awareness, consideration, and decision.

• Just as you wouldn’t start a logical argument with a premise your audience disputes, you shouldn’t begin your marketing efforts from a point of disagreement or misunderstanding.

  • Start with simple agreements, then gradually introduce new beliefs and reinforce them.

• Guide customers from a broad understanding of the problem to seeing your product as the only solution.

Application

• In the awareness stage, help teachers recognise LMSes as solutions to common classroom issues.

• In the consideration stage, position SLS as a superior choice compared to other LMSes.

• In the decision stage, provide testimonials and support resources to reassure teachers and validate their choice.

Chapter Eight: Build Belief Part 1

Takeaway

• Structure marketing content as a persuasive argument that conveys the product’s value rather than just providing information.

• Support arguments with solid evidence, like testimonials, data, and case studies.

• Marketing should balance clear assertions with creativity to engage and convince.

Application

• Build a case for why SLS is better suited for teachers than other LMSes by highlighting specific benefits.

• Back up marketing messages with proof points, such as positive reviews from other teachers or usage statistics.

• Use clear, compelling arguments and engaging visuals or stories to illustrate why SLS is the right choice.

Chapter Nine: Build Belief Part 2

Takeaway

• Proof isn’t just about product functionality. Proof comes into play much earlier in the buying process, i.e. proof that the product is needed in the first place.

• Use various types of proof, such as stories, statistics, and expert endorsements.

• Understand which types of proof resonate best with different audiences.

Application

• Adjust proof types based on the teacher’s needs—new users may need introductory proof, while experienced users may prefer specific performance data.

• Emphasise diverse proof points like time-saving benefits, and enhanced student participation to build trust with skeptical teachers.

Chapter Ten: Let’s Create Some Marketing Content

Takeaway

• Avoid burdening customers with too many details upfront. Focus on foundational knowledge first.

  • Why should your customers care?

  • How are you different?

  • Why should they trust you?

• Nobody likes hard selling - being repeatedly and relentlessly told to buy without having a questions or concerns addressed. It’s disrespectful and offensive.

Application

• When creating guides or responding to helpdesk queries, prioritise foundational information. Teachers new to SLS need reassurance that the platform is easy to navigate before diving into advanced features. Simplify their onboarding experience by progressively introducing more complex functionalities.

Chapter Eleven: Spot the Pattern

Takeaway

• The better your audience understands the product, the less explanation is needed.

Application 

• Create targeted guides based on teachers’ familiarity with SLS.

  • E.g. experienced users need concise, to-the-point updates on new features, while beginners might benefit from more detailed “how-to” resources.

Chapter Thirteen: A Final Word of Advice for Smart Marketers

Takeaway

• Educated prospects are better prospects.

• Entertain as you educate. Education isn’t supposed to be boring. The best way to get your point across is to make it enjoyable for your reader.

• Showcase expertise to build trust and loyalty.

Application

• Offer resources like how-to videos and interactive workshops.

• Use storytelling to make learning e.g. about new features enjoyable, encouraging adoption.

• Share useful insights in marketing content, positioning the team as trusted experts in educational technology.