Anyone who’s a fan of the original Star Trek series knows Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy’s signature catch phrase: “Dammit, Jim, I’m a Doctor, not a babysitter!” Nearly every episode found the exasperated doctor reminding Captain Kirk what he wasn’t…
I know exactly how McCoy feels. Every time someone asks me a really technical question, I want to exclaim, “Dammit Jim, I’m a marketer, not a techie!” Sure, I know how to do most of that techie video stuff, but that doesn’t make me a technical whiz. I also know how to change a tire, but that doesn’t mean I want to do it!
So when folks ask me a technical question, I’ll usually answer it as a courtesy. Just like I’d probably help someone change a tire if they were stuck on the side of the road. But technology is certainly not my “sweet spot.”
The truth is I’ve been doing online video since YouTube came on the scene in early 2005. That’s about 7 years. I know enough tech stuff to get by. But I’ve been a marketer for my entire 25 year career. After growing up at a television station (my Dad worked at the NBC affiliate in Boston), my first job out of college was Marketing Manager at WBZ Radio. Other marketing gigs in radio and TV followed, until I headed out to Hollywood for a marketing job at E! Entertainment Television. By the time I left Los Angeles for a Chief Marketing Officer dot com job back east, I was Senior Vice President of Marketing & Promotion for Fox Family Worldwide, then a division of Fox.
I’m not reciting my resume to stumble down memory lane, but to prove a point: It ain’t about the technology… It’s all about the marketing. Even with Online Video, all the technical prowess in the world don’t mean squat if you don’t have a marketing strategy.
You may know the difference between .flv and .mp4, but that doesn’t mean your video is going to get you more business. If the famous political slogan is “It’s the economy, stupid,” then the online video battle cry should be “It’s the marketing, schmoopie!”
So, if you need your tire changed, call AAA. If you need technical advice, find a geek. But when you’re ready for what really matters – when you need a video marketing strategy – I’m your guy!
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