Hi friend,

In a recent Gartner study, nearly 90% of B2B customers surveyed agreed that the information they encountered as part of a purchase was high quality. However, where they struggled in the process before buying was making sense of all the information.  

The marketing leaders I speak with on a weekly basis are struggling with the same feeling. There’s an overwhelming amount of information, options, and ideas – where should they focus? Which marketing channels are the most successful for their business? What’s the opportunity cost? How can they help their own prospective customers make sense of it all?

There are tons of trends, mountains of data, endless messages, loads of feedback, and innovative ideas clawing for our attention. And we’re all victims of shiny object syndrome (who else got addicted to Wordle this month?) so it’s easy for us to get distracted and feel as if we’re focusing on the right areas, when in fact, we’re getting further and further from making progress.

So as you’re creating your marketing strategy and plans for 2022, prioritize simplicity and consistency. You can do this by focusing on the sensemaking approach.

Actively seek out relevant resources and information. Then clarify the information by asking questions and taking a critical look at the information you’re consuming in comparison to your goals. From there, you’ll be able to take a focused approach to deciding where to focus. 

For example, you may want to invest in YouTube and video production this year. And you also want to create your own, monthly email newsletter. So if you’re prioritizing simplicity and consistency, your course of action could look like this: 

You’ll create your email newsletter in Q1, build your list for a few months through consistent publishing until you have a large enough audience who will be interested in the videos you start to create in Q3.

By taking this approach to your information gathering and decision-making, it’s easier for you to organize, analyze, and prioritize. Prioritizing simplicity and consistency will lead you to making the right decision for you, your business, and your customers.

So, what will you focus on this year? How will you apply sensemaking to your marketing strategy and tactics?

Respond to this email and let me know what you come up with! Looking forward to hearing what decisive actions you’re taking for 2022.