The Best Management Advice for Internet Marketers From 'The Art Of War'
"The Art Of War" is one of the most famous books of all time, said to be written by the legendary Chinese general Sun Tzu around the fifth century B.C.
Some of the advice is pretty narrowly focused and dated (for instance, what generals should do when confronted with different types of terrain). But a lot of it is applicable to Internet marketing today despite being thousands of years old.
We've broken out a few of the best pieces of business advice for Internet marketers from the timeless classic.
"A wise general makes a point of foraging on the enemy. One cartload of the enemy's provisions is equivalent to twenty of one's own, and likewise a single picul of his provender is equivalent to twenty from one's own store."
This sentiment is pretty much universally applicable to Internet marketing. Something obtained cheaply or for free is vastly more valuable than drawing from cash or savings to buy it. In practice, that means both looking for traffic sources that are underpriced and having funds available when demand and prices are low.
"To see victory only when it is within the ken of the common herd is not the acme of excellence."
A strategy, product, or concept that is obvious has probably already been done. Those campaigns that are the best are the ones that succeed without people really noticing. Instead of trying to copy successful campaigns from 3 years ago from Warrior Forum, find something different and if it is successful, keep your mouth shut. Such campaigns are not as easily replicated.
"The clever combatant looks to the effect of combined energy, and does not require too much from individuals. Hence his ability to pick out the right men and utilize combined energy."
Another axiom in the book compares using combined energy to rolling logs or stones. People moving together with momentum go dramatically faster. Depending on individuals alone means they'll wear out, accomplish less, and leave other people behind. Find a way to leverage your time and expertise by using support resources and dramatically multiply your effectiveness."
Adapted from Max Nisen's BusinessInsider article http://www.businessinsider.com/art-o...-advice-2014-1
Interesting stuff. Are you familiar with Robert Greene's material? If you're a realist you'll appreciate his work. "The 33 Strategies of War" is my favorite but I find that all of his books offer valuable insights into human psychology; in an easy to digest format I might add. They should teach us this stuff in school but it's not for everybody I guess...... Check out his audio books (you can find them all on torrent); they're good to listen to when you're working and want to learn something useful.