The Philosophy of Digital Marketing

Throughout our human experience, we are quick to forget. We forget who we are, what we want, and why we do the things we do. It is important to remind ourselves of the reasons for our actions. We have been so consumed by our fast-moving capitalistic society we forgot to ask ourselves these important questions.

This idea of losing focus is nothing new and it happens all the time in digital marketing. Yes, digital marketing can be great, but why? What is the philosophy of digital marketing?

Let us look back to the life of our early ancestors. This means looking back 50,000 years ago. I guess they are very distant relatives of ours. Imagine them however you would like.

This is anywhere from 150,000 to 250,000 years after the first modern humans evolved from our early hominid predecessors. So, 50,000 years ago, or about half of the time it takes for my roommate to stop hogging the bathroom, language was created. Humans gained the ability to express ideas rapidly and concisely to other humans. This is beyond amazing when you stop to think about it.

What Happened Next?

Dominance followed. Humans, while not the most physically impressive in the animal kingdom, were able to evolve their social skills to be able to get to the top of the food chain. We worked together, and it is because we did, that we now have access to the internet. A place where we can complain about our roommates taking too long in the bathroom

Business can seem non-idealistic. It can seem scary and competitive. But at the heart of all business is the offering of service and the betterment of another’s life. That is cooperation. The philosophy of digital marketing is an extension of this mindset. Digital marketing is just the medium of cooperation through the web.

So What?

Understanding what digital marketing is, can give insight into why you choose to do it and can help you improve at it. There is a belief in many entrepreneurs that their product is great. Not sufficient, not marginally better than the standard, not even good. They think what they made is great.

For many, this is not true, and they feel lost when they cannot escape commodity hell. Most products or services will not be great. But that does not mean failure. Digital marketing allows breaking out of commodity hell and put a spotlight on the product or service.

But often, digital or any other kind of marketing does not meet expectations.

Why Does It Not Meet Expectations?

With opportunity comes greed and with greed comes a tantalization of reality. There is a disconnect of what is digital marketing. It is not a separate world that is controlled by Google. It is not controlled by influencers. And it is not controlled by computers. It is controlled by people

The spread of ideas and cooperation controls marketing. We can get so consumed by keywords and content that we forget who we are sharing with. If you cannot garner the attention of a customer, then your marketing campaign will fail, no matter how good your white label SEO company puts an effort on your website.

How to Use the Philosophy of Digital Marketing to Your Advantage?

This is not meant to be a bad thing at all. As a matter of fact, it is amazing. People and language can be manipulated much easier than a google algorithm can be. This should not have a negative connotation.

We manipulate and adjust our surroundings while our surroundings do the same to us daily. The philosophy of digital marketing is basically that digital marketing provides a microphone. And just like any great comic, you can control the room. How people react, how they feel, and what they want to hear.

Here is an example. You see two advertisements on Facebook. Both are for similar products, but one promises to donate 10% of profits to a nonprofit that has a mission you care about. Imagining that all other factors that could influence your purchase are the same, and assuming you only want one of these products, which brand are you more likely to shop from?

This is catering to a person’s emotion. Using ethos to control the rhetoric to get the results you hope for.

Does This Make Digital Marketing Evil?

Quite the opposite. The only good came from that translation. A service was provided, life was made slightly better and more convenient with the purchase of the product, and money was donated to a good cause. Because of this advertisement, the world became a slightly better place.

This is the philosophy of digital marketing. Manipulating the online world to present your idea how you see fit. Instead of focusing on overly specific details, you should focus on what kind of content would lead you to make a purchase. Step outside of the norms of what you think advertising should be and make things you would want to see. It may make the world a better place

End with A Story

Ideas are often better presented as stories, so, that is what we will do. This is a story about an old Greek philosopher named Diogenes.

The first thing to know about Diogenes is that, if he lived today, he would probably be immediately sent to a psychiatric ward or jail. This is a man who lived in clay houses he made on the street, urinated on people who ridiculed him and was often seen “pleasuring himself” publicly.

Yet, Diogenes is known as a brilliant man. He is the father of cynicism, and he lived his life in a way that questioned all the norms of his society. Diogenes wanted to live like an animal and was often compared to a dog (which he saw as a compliment). He believed that man had complicated our existence. He was envious of animals and believed that they were experiencing reality the correct way, without stressors that were artificially made by man.

Stressors like social status, putting too much importance on the things you own, finding a romantic partner, etc.… Diogenes saw these abstract social constructs that mean so much to us and chose to spend his life ignoring them.

Diogenes Meeting Alexander the Great

To get a better understanding of how intense Diogenes’ beliefs were, here is a story about when Diogenes met Alexander the Great. It is no surprise that Alexander the Great was incredibly powerful and influential. He heard of the stories and the writings of Diogenes and was intrigued. One day, Alexander decided to visit Diogenes in Athens.

When Alexander saw Diogenes on the street, he told him that he admired Diogenes and he would be willing to offer Diogenes anything he desired. He did this out of admiration and somewhat to brag about his status. Without hesitation, Diogenes cashed in his favor and asked Alexander to move out of his sunlight.

When Alexander left Athens, he said if he were not Alexander the great, he would wish to be Diogenes.

How Does Diogenes Relate to The Philosophy of Digital Marketing?

The question that should be asked is why are we talking about a man who shuffled through trash and lived on the street thousands of years after he passed? Diogenes did what every great marketing campaign hopes to do, he made people remember.

He was not the only homeless person in Athens, but with his quick wit, his ability to stay true to his beliefs, and his willingness to go against the norms, he garnered the attention of millions of people throughout history.

Let us learn from Diogenes and not fear going against standard marketing practices. We have to remember that the most important thing is user behavior and if people enjoy what you have to say. Stay true to the philosophy of digital marketing and make your content for people, not just for keywords.