A Newsletter on Marketing (and Life) #022

Makrothymia + 3 features of Macro/Micro content + Building in Public

Author

Jordan Ogren
November 17, 2023

"How's your stock doing?"

That's a question I regularly ask friends to see how they're doing.

It's a fun metaphor baked in reflection as stock performance is (somewhat) measured by comparisons (then vs. now). Are you at a "higher price" than the last time we saw, or are you down?

Nothing wrong with being down. It's just an illuminating question.

Suppose you asked me that today, we're in the red. And that's ok.

How would you answer that question?

Enjoy this week's letter:

Marketing Micro Essay 💡 3 features of Macro/Micro Content

(Time to read: 1:20 minutes)

If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, did it fall?

No. And if no one hears your message (point of view), it won't help anyone. Nor will it help you reach your marketing goals.

That's why the distribution of your content is critical. The good news is that distribution is one of three things built into macro/micro content. It's designed to maximize reach (and resonance).

Distribution

Some suggest you spend 80% on distribution (repurposing) and 20% on creation. They suggest distribution is king, not content. I semi-agree. I believe the teeter-totter should be down toward distribution. But how much? 70/30?

Exceptional content ideas come from time and work. A well-refined piece of content takes many hours. But you can also chop and repurpose your content in many ways, making creating that content infrequent. Create one monthly podcast and get enough content for 3x posts a week.

Accessibility

Another built-in feature of macro/micro content is accessibility. By chopping your content in all three mediums, you make your content available to more people's preferences (e.g., "I don't listen to podcasts"). This helps reach and builds resonance with more people when done right. If you only release your 30-60-minute podcast, your knowledge and insights may go unheard by many.

OR, if you only do social media content, no one who is off social but has email or reads blogs will engage with your content. That's missing a small group, but still, humans you could connect with to help make progress if only you could chop your content in multiple avenues.

Expansion

The final built-in feature is the expansion of your ideas or concepts. Using the social example, with a macro piece of content, you will have a space with enough characters to expand on your thoughts fully. You can share a funny meme or an empathic post, but it can't cover a topic over 1500 words. And sometimes, your marketing needs that to show someone you can help them make progress (i.e., conversion).

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P.S. I share the links so you can comment and share your thoughts (agree or contrarian). Someone commented on an essay of mine recently and that helped improve my thinking. (please help me)

📹 Marketing Clip of the Week

Why building in public is THE WAY 👇

(Building in public = transparently documenting your journey building a business/)

Sure, there's plenty of ROI you gain for yourself:

You learn from your experiences and improve quickly.
You can meet incredible people who are building in public as well.

But there's a better reason to do it:

To help others avoid similar mistakes you've made.

When you "open source" your learnings, others can build upon them. Hopefully, this will create a bigger impact for all.

Three Books – Three Quotes

"Authority arises from the way you write,
Not from the subject you write about.
No subject is so good that it can redeem indifferent writing
But good writing can make almost any subject interesting.”

– Verlyn Klinkenborg (Several Short Sentences About Writing)

"I believe the purpose of work is not merely to make more but to become more.”

“The more we persist in believing time to be linear, the more we fear that the path to the future might now be linear downward.”

– William Strauss & Neil Howe (The Fourth Turning)

Heard – Saw – Experienced

Heard:

I don't talk much about music.

But it's at the nucleus of Jordan (whoever that is). I listen to multiple hours of music daily as I work, exercise, relax, and (try to) sleep.

One artist I came into was Fred Again... I started listening to him when I got my current job this January. I would listen to his albums front to back.

While I felt the ground constantly moving, (his) music was one of the constants I fell back on.

What's a song that's gotten you through a challenging period?

Saw:

My brother's birthday was last weekend, and we went to The Marvels. It was cool to see three female leads.

I also enjoyed the popcorn.

I don't enjoy movies in general enough. Many people will use a movie reference, and I'll miss it entirely. That's one drawback of focusing on other pursuits, like this newsletter.

What's something you haven't done recently that would bring you joy? Do it. (Look at that smile 😀)

Experienced:

I recorded the first episode of a new spinoff podcast, Friends of the Show (that's the name currently - got a better one?). I aimed to catch up with them and go "deep" in ways that were impossible with the structure of my ON marketing show.

It worked.

Marcella was one of my favorite interviews on Season 1 of ON marketing because she's human/humble. At the same time, someone who has done and continues to do work that impacts many. She’s legit.

I was Ankakin, and she was Obi-Wan as I learned much about focusing on performance and well-being, difficult (courageous) conversations, feeling worthy, and much more. I'm grateful to be able to have these conversations that fuel my growth.

I can't wait for you to listen. It's good.

P.S. Get to know Marcella.
Here’s her newsletter, thank me later: https://www.marcella.co/newsletter

Personal micro essay 🙆‍♂️ Makrothymia

(Time to read: 1:40 minutes) – continued from ON patience essay

"Makrothymia" is composed of two parts:

  1. "makrós," which means "long,"

  2. "thymós," which signifies "passion" or "anger."

The term encapsulates the idea of patience without reaction, where one waits enough time before expressing anger, thus avoiding premature use of force arising from improper anger. It's used to describe someone who is long-tempered and refrains from retaliating with rage.

It represents a state of mind that holds back for a long time before expressing itself in action or passion, embodying a restrained response to provocation.

This virtue is often associated with the qualities of lenience, forbearance, fortitude, patient endurance, and longsuffering, extending to the ability to endure persecution and ill-treatment. It paints a picture of an individual who embodies a tolerant and enduring spirit in the face of adversity.

I found this part to be the most interesting: "Makrothymia" is also recognized as a quality of God, exemplifying divine patience and long-suffering, further accentuating its virtuous and noble essence. If it's a quality of God, it's a quality I should strive for.

How to be patient in a world that rewards impatience

After a few minutes of discussing patience, my friend asked another insightful question:

"How do you cultivate patience in a world that seemingly rewards impatience?"

I paused. I thought about the other virtues I strive for (discipline, courage, love, hope). Our culture doesn't reward those either. A clear framework (I use) is to desire virtues/mindsets that society seems to disregard. That means they are likely worthwhile to pursue!

Another simple way to desire patience when no one else does is to surround yourself with people who do (me 🙋🏼‍♂️). They will likely be older people who have experienced the negatives of a lack of patience. Or specific individuals with temperaments better suited for patience.

That leads to the third thing you can do: Understand your natural wiring. Some people are more wired to constantly chasing squirrels. Others are born with a Zen-like ability. Understand where you are and make it a goal to move toward a healthier place.

Finally, celebrate your newfound patience with those who also appreciate it. Celebrate the significant and small ways you exercised patience in the past week.

Was there someone who was getting under your skin, but you breathed and had grace with them? Did you focus less on where you want to be and more on how you can make the most of where you are?

Be grateful you have more today than yesterday. We're (slow) works-in-progress.

Thank you for making it this far. I’m grateful to have you on this journey where we can practice patience together.

Have a great weekend (and Thanksgiving ☺️ )

– Jo (every second counts)