Clarity Trends
- Adam T. Hurd
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
The Simple Newsletter - Issue # 054
As we step into a new year, clarity around who we are and what we are building feels stronger than ever, but clarity inside the business does not automatically translate to clarity outside of it. Too many skilled, capable business owners are quietly great at what they do, yet nearly invisible to the people who need them most. This issue explores why marketing matters, how authenticity gets lost online, and why consistency, not novelty, is the real driver of awareness and trust.
ADAM'S THOUGHTS:
As I head into this new year with real clarity about what Tom and I are building, something interesting has come into focus for me.
We know exactly who we are and what we do.
But how does anyone else know?
This started clicking as I thought about several clients we work with. They’re incredibly skilled. They offer amazing services. They’re true specialists. And yet… almost no one really knows who they are or what they do.
Marketing matters. A lot.
Back in the day, if you were on Main Street, the same people walked up and down that block every day. They got their groceries, their haircuts, their coffee, their dry cleaning. Visibility was built in.
Now? We’re shouting across the globe on social media. And in that world, being genuine and authentic is surprisingly hard. Even for me. I’ve gone through at least six different versions of how I’ve tried to market myself online.
What’s always worked best for me is in-person connection. But that has a ceiling. There’s only so much time and only so many people you can reach.
So social media feels like the answer.
But then you run into a new problem: how do you express who you really are and what you truly do—without chasing trends or creating novelty just to grab eyeballs you’re not even sure you want?
At some point, you realize you’re playing a game you never actually decided you wanted to win.
Social media is an incredibly useful tool.
But how do small businesses make it useful, genuine, and authentic—all at the same time?
ADAM'S LESSON:
The first step is simple: you have to try something.
Over the last year, I tested different formats and stuck with them long enough to answer two questions:
Did I feel real doing this?
Did the audience actually care?
That’s what testing really is. But what you choose to test matters.
Are you testing trends?
Hooks designed only to grab attention?
Or are you testing ways to clearly share who you are, who you help, and why it matters?
At the end of the day, marketing—especially on social media—is about saying the same thing, over and over again.
Unless your goal is to be an influencer (and if it is, that’s a different game), you’re not doing this for fame. You’re doing it for awareness and decision-making.
Once you accept that, content gets simpler.
Truer.
More sustainable.
Look at Apple. Every year: “The most beautiful iPhone we’ve ever made.” Same message.
Nike hasn’t changed its core message either.
Great companies don’t rely on novelty. They rely on consistency.
So here’s the real work:
Know what you do
Know who you help
Know the results you create
Know why someone should care
Then say that—again and again.
Maybe it’s 12 core messages you repeat in different formats. Written. Spoken. Recorded. Shared.
Just don’t drift away from the core competencies that make you and your business great.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Business is simple.
It’s just not easy.
And even with content, we tend to overcomplicate what should be clear and consistent.
-Adam
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