Bracket Busting: Be open to both sides

I was recently introduced to hilarious party game called Brackets.

The group decides on a common item with multiple categories - like shoes, for example. Then you pit the categories against one another, one at a time, while representatives of each team debate which one moves on.

You end up with grown people passionately arguing over whether Chuck Taylors are better than Keds, both hoping they move on to fight Skechers slip-ons.

Everyone loves a bracket

Everyone loves a bracket.

Truly, people love to pick sides.

Pepsi or Coke? Cubs or White Sox? Night owl or early bird?

We love choosing sides so much, we even invent conflicts where none exist - like in the party game.

Because honestly, I can enjoy wearing both Chucks AND Keds, depending on my outfit and mood.

I can enjoy vanilla AND chocolate. Hockey AND ballet. Books AND movies.

As much fun as a bracket is, it’s often an illusion. Happy people spend a lot more time in the land of “and” than the land of “or.”

“And” gives you options. It fills toolkit and lets you choose the right thing to suit this particular circumstance.

Busting brackets in content marketing

This is really important to remember when building a marketing plan. Because marketing is rarely as black-and-white as a LinkedIn sound bite would have you believe.

That’s why most good marketers share the catchphrase, “It depends.”

Organic content or paid ads? It depends. Both have their place.

Long-form or short form? It depends. Both have their place.

Written or video? It depends. Both have their place…

And on and on and on.

I believe passionately that content plans should be simple and streamlined, and that you should focus on as few variables as possible.

But I also believe that every tactic can work given the right situation and the right audience.

So while you, personally, may choose between building a written plan or building a video plan, that doesn’t mean it’s a decision every marketer has to make.

Video might work great for you. It won’t work for everyone. And at some point, you might find it beneficial to expand your plan to include written AND video. And that’s fine, too.

Don’t get hung up on the brackets. There are only a few places where it makes sense to choose sides, and they’re philosophical, not tactical.

Find what works for you. Don’t be afraid to pivot.

Remember, this is all just an ongoing experiment. Be open to the adventure.