Some months back, in the deliciously niche Making the Museum newsletter, internet friend and fellow daily emailer Jonathan Alger lauded ‘professional ignorance.’
He noted how it positions you to “help those who know too much communicate to those who know too little.”
Which, to my mind, is a perfect description for much of marketing.
It’s also a great argument for hiring freelance over in-house and generalist over industry specialist. (Two things I feel increasingly strongly about as I make my merry way through the marketing world.)
You might want to keep it in mind when embarking on your next project. Especially if you regularly hire creative service providers like copywriters (hi!), designers, branding experts, or strategists (also hi!).
(And if you yourself are a creative service provider, this is a reframe worth embodying.)
Too often, in my opinion, people think they want an expert in a particular industry or market.
Yes, there will be some efficiencies and an understanding of “the way it’s always done here” if you hire, say, a cycling app specialist.
But there’s also the risk that they’ll make all the same assumptions you do.
Their lack of ignorance might mean they don’t question the very thing that’s holding prospects back from connecting.
It takes a lot to see the world through the eyes of your prospects.
One thing that helps is hiring someone who is more like them than you are. And using their professional ignorance as a bridge.
Selectively ignorant,
James
P.S. Ignorance-as-a-Service acronyms to IaaS, which must be pronounced “Yass,” I’ve decided.
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