Abraham and Isaac by Anthony van Dyck. Photo: wiki commons.

You may know that Abraham was the world’s first Jew, but did you know he was also the first marketing guru? Abraham was the director of marketing for Monotheism. His marketing strategy was quite genius, and we can all learn a thing or seven.

1) Location Matters

In the Midrash it’s stated that Abraham set up shop at a crossroads where he knew there would be lots of traffic. Make sure your on- and off-line placement of advertising is thought through. If you have the world’s best product or service, but nobody knows about it, does it really exist?

2) Make Your Landing Page Clear

Abraham’s tent was huge and had doors all around so that anyone could come in and feel welcome. His tent was his landing page. Make sure yours is welcoming, with a clear and concise user interface.

3) People Love FREE Stuff

Abraham would feed his visitors a free meal. Who says no to free meals? There’s a lot of power behind the word FREE. Neuro-scientists and Behavioral Economists such as Dan Ariely have conducted research that suggest your marketing efforts won’t go unnoticed if you have something free to offer your users or visitors.

4) Give Your Users An Incentive 

Free stuff is awesome, but it might not be enough to give incentive to your audience. Abraham, after providing a free meal to his visitors, would say, “I believe in one G-d, and I want you to thank him for this meal.” The rule was, if they didn’t thank G-d, they had to pay. Abraham wanted to provide an incentive for people to get involved with the concept of Monotheism.

5) Be Passionate 

If you don’t care about what you’re selling or providing, why should anyone else? Abraham didn’t care about the money for the meal. He wanted people to start thinking about Monotheism, and ultimately start caring about it. His passion was undoubtedly evident and electric.

6) Allow Room For Engagement

Abraham fashioned the idea of creating an interest and allowing people to engage — in his case with Monotheism. In your case it’s your product or service. When given the opportunity to engage, even indirectly, and by creating an incentive for people to get involved, you’ve made a space in which your venture can grow and develop.

7) Be A Brand Ambassador

Everyone on your team should advocate for your brand. Abraham was Monotheism’s brand ambassador and marketing director. Everything you do should bring you closer to your goals, and everything you touch should be branded. That way, all who see, feel, hear, smell, or taste what you have to offer will know the brand, identity, and significance.