This same idea of perception applies to branding. People don’t experience your brand the way you intended, they experience it based on what they see, feel, and take from it. That’s why content has to speak to what matters to your audience, not just what matters to you.
#snhusmm
There’s a widely shared belief that perception is reality. While popular, this is not true. Perception is your experience of reality. If that same view is held widely by others, that is consensus, still not truth, but it becomes a shared view of reality as it is experienced. Even when it isn’t truth, perception can create real consequences.
Perspective is the lens behind perception, and you understand it best by trying to see the world from someone else’s position. Perspective explains why different perceptions happen. If you want to change an outcome or create alignment, arguing “the facts” isn’t always enough.
You need to understand:
- what someone thinks is happening
- what they’re afraid will happen
- what they need to see to update their view
Remember: different algorithms, whether figurative in life or literal online, reinforce perceptions that shape someone’s reality, individually and among larger groups with shared beliefs. Perspective is the lever for social alignment.
Content marketing used to be predictable.
Find low-difficulty keywords. → Publish 3 blog posts a week. → Watch traffic rise 6 months later.
Then came the wipeout.
- Traffic sources fractured.
- Google’s share of attention started slipping.
- AI started answering before anyone clicked.
Now, ranking doesn’t matter if no one sees or remembers your brand.
I’ll be talking about this post-SEO world at the Turing × SYSTM Growth Summit in London.
If you’re nearby, come hang out. Lmk if you need a discount off your ticket.
Apple doesn’t have the best cellphones, but it has great marketing.
Starbucks doesn’t serve the best coffee, but it has great marketing.
Mercedes doesn’t have the best cars, but it has great marketing.
Lesson:
Marketing > Product.