Businesses often think of information as marketing material that surrounds the real product.
I think that understates its value.
In many modern transactions, information is part of the product.
The consumer is not only deciding whether to buy a service, sell an asset, enroll in a course or hire a professional. The consumer is trying to understand a changing environment well enough to decide what makes sense.
Complex markets create an information burden
Real estate is a good example. A property owner may be trying to understand comparable sales, investor offers, builder demand, title issues, financing conditions and development costs at the same time.
A nursing student may be confronting unfamiliar terminology, pharmacology, clinical reasoning and testing expectations simultaneously.
A homeowner deciding whether to pay for a property service is evaluating appearance, maintenance, timing and cost.
In each case, simply saying “buy this” does not answer the consumer’s actual problem.
Explain the environment before recommending the action
I prefer a different sequence.
What has changed?
Why does it matter?
How does the change affect the consumer’s available choices?
What are the tradeoffs?
Then, and only then, what action appears rational?
That approach takes more work than repeating a slogan. It also produces a more informed customer.
Transparency does not guarantee agreement
Providing more information does not mean the consumer will always choose the business providing it.
That is acceptable.
A property owner may understand exactly why an investor offered a particular amount and still reject the offer. A prospective student may understand a course and decide not to enroll. A homeowner may understand a service recommendation and postpone the work.
The purpose of information is not to manufacture agreement.
It is to improve the quality of the decision.
Good content should reduce uncertainty
This is also how I think about publishing.
A useful article should not exist merely because a company needs something to post on Facebook.
It should answer a real question, clarify a misconception, explain a current condition, or help a reader make a more rational decision.
If the reader ultimately decides to work with one of my ventures, the relationship begins with a better understanding of what we do and why.
If the reader does not, the information should still have been worth reading.
That is the standard I want this publishing platform to follow.