A Newsletter on Marketing (and Life) #027

The irony of WHO + How to reconcile + Finishing strong

Author

Jordan Ogren
December 22, 2023

"What is one thing I am struggling with that, if addressed, would improve my life drastically?"

For me, that's closing the loop on projects.

I begin with zest, only to avoid the discipline required to maintain and FINISH.

This has happened with my podcast, newsletter, and other "adult tasks."

2024 will be the year of finishing. It will be the year I focus on closing loops first before opening a million new ones.

What's that thing for you?

Enjoy this week's letter:

Marketing Micro Essay 💡 The irony of defining the WHO

(Time to read: 2:02 minutes)

Imagine two rabbits in front of you.

You want to catch both, so you lunge for both. You struggle to commit to either as they run away in different directions, eventually ending up with no rabbits.

The purpose of this story (from Gary Keller's book, The One Thing) is to illuminate the power of focusing on getting one thing done at a time. The one thing that will make the next "thing" easier.

With content strategy, that one thing is knowing who you're creating content for and the progress they aim to make. Without that, it's (nearly) impossible to succeed with content.

Why? People want to feel seen. And the best content mirrors us and helps us make progress.

That progress could be getting through a Friday night alone with a funny Netflix comedy show. Or it could be an educational webinar on email marketing.

The first thing you need to do when creating a content strategy is define the who.

The irony…

One of the ironies with content is that it's not always created for those making the buying decision. Usually, it is. But sometimes, you create content for a group that will influence those making the decisions. Not those with the signature on the contract.

This is common in software, with one example being Drift. A B2B company that created the category of conversational marketing (a.k.a. chatbot software). Rather than make content for CMOs who buy their product, they created content for marketers who had the keys to the website as the software was built for websites. They’ve since started creating more content for CMO’s as they built out a different (new) category.

Another example could be if you sell sales training. Sure, the VP of Sales or another adjacent title is the decision maker, but do they need to be who you create content for? You could create content for the sales reps under the VP who would champion your training to be universal for the org.

By gaining trust with those under the decision maker (I.e., creating content for), you were able to influence them and produce better results. And you also likely have more insights and easily adopted strategies for those earlier in their sales journey.

Sometimes, when you create content for the decision maker, it does not resonate as they might not care about the features or the practical progress your product can help them make. Or, which is common, you will inflate the progress you help achieve to appeal to those decision-makers. Resulting in content and marketing that is at best unhelpful and bullshit at worst.

First principle: the best people to create content for are those who could benefit most and have an influence on the decision-maker.

In the next section, we cover this and more, but we must remember that content is only one player in the marketing and sales arsenal. For some decision-makers, they may need direct sales or in-person engagement. Invest in content to educate the influencers within the org while using other means (sales) to reach the decision-makers.

Next, I’ll cover some tactics to uncover the who and what progress they strive to make.

Three Books / Three Quotes

"Art creates a profound connection
between the artist and the audience.
Through that connection,
both can heal.”

“To get the results we desire, we must do two things: (1) Create the space to reason in our thoughts, feelings, and actions, and (2) deliberately use that space to think clearly.”

“‘{What is a person?} A person is a point of view. Every person you meet is a creative artist who takes the events of life and, over time, creates a very personal way of seeing the world.”

Heard / Saw / Experienced

Heard:

Crisp document, messy meeting.

That was one of my main takeaways from this brilliant interview with Jeff Bezos. While I prefer learning from lesser-known individuals, this podcast did not disappoint.

Lex is an incredible host and pulled so many insights out of Jeff.

I highly recommend listening to this 2-hour conversation.

Saw:

Can one attend too many Christmas parties?

I had my company's Christmas party this week, and it was so much fun. I met my teammates' partners, learned more about them, and drank some fine wine.

And also cried from laughing so hard.

I'm grateful for the last year with this team and look forward to the future.

Experienced:

Thank you, Skye.

One of the greatest joys of being on the Howe Community Resource Center (HCRC) board is knowing we're positively impacting our youth (aka our future).

Last night, we were able to celebrate the HCRC team and the impactful work they do. It was my first Christmas party as a board member, and I look forward to many more with the amazing team Amanda Johnson has built.

I'm grateful for their work and the ability to play a tiny role in helping.

When 2023 began, I had no ambition of joining a board.

And now, I couldn't imagine living without this desire to help the community.

Be open and willing to follow life to a place of contribution.

You have much to give.

Step outside yourself and contribute to the bigger story.

(I am writing this b/c I needed to hear it last year at this time)

Personal micro essay 🙆‍♂️ How to Reconcile.

(Time to read: 1:10 minutes)

At its core, what is conflict? I believe it’s two (or more) stories that have challenges coexisting. Conflict is the inability to allow those two stories to exist. Either person is unable to accept the other’s story.

Now, if there is (outright) abuse, that’s a different story. Find help. And in the end, you may never be able to (or want to) allow their distorted story to be true.

For many, it’s minor conflicts that we struggle to see the other’s side (e.g., he should have taken out the garbage). When we see and embrace the other’s perspective, we are closer to saying, “I’m sorry.” We can open our view to include their story, making rebuilding easier as we aren’t the only “victims.”

Now, I’m no expert in reconciliation. As mentioned earlier, I SUCK AT THIS.

But I believe it’s essential. And I want to explore ways to improve at reconciling, as I think it’s a key to freedom.

Before that, let me expand upon the freedom piece.

When we hold grudges, hate, and other negative emotions toward others, we allow this person to continue to hurt us. It gives them power and control over you. You can’t be happy when you think of what he did. Or you struggle to think about her because of the ways you hurt her.

You’re not free there. You’re in bondage. I believe the key lies in reconciliation. When we reconcile a relationship with an honest heart, we unlock the freedom to live beyond the hurt, pain, and suffering.

Will that erase everything? No. But it will make things easier. You can live on your terms, no longer bound by that person.

Through reconciling relationships, we find the freedom to live.

You made it! Thank you for reading this week’s email.

I pray you have a peaceful and joyful holiday ❣️

– Jo (every second counts)