Marketing is content, not channel

Every entrepreneur has a Jerry Maguire moment. Not where they get shown the money (very few see that), but where they pivot their business (many more do that).

It’s a moment where they yell out “I suck at X, Y or Z”. For me, it was marketing. I had a fear of failure from my finance days, which actually hurt me as an entrepreneur because I was slower to pivot. Slower to admit failure.

In startups, it’s about failing fast and not repeating the same mistake twice. Think of a finance mistake, ie The London Whale, where by hiding losses because of fear of failure, traders made it a lot worse. Now go to TechCrunch, find headlines like “Five Super Successful Tech Pivots“. It’s a culture thing.

Now think about this quote by Thomas Edison, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” We are a country of entrepreneurs and thus, a country of sometime failures.

We’ll I found a lot of ways that marketing doesn’t work. Like hoping someone else will be as passionate about your brand as you are.

As a result, I walked on my balcony and yelled “I suck at marketing!”

Liberating.

So what did I learn. It’s not about gaming the system, picking the next social platform. Or outsourcing your voice. It’s about talking about what you know, what you’re passionate about. And putting it in an amazing format. That’s why we are focusing on video and Youtube.

Think about how many people read books, and then think about how many watch TV. Sorry English teachers, but TV is a more engaging medium. Marketing is about connecting with your audience. I cry almost every time I watch Rudy, but didn’t while reading Unbroken.

In finance, cash is king. In marketing, content is king.

It’s about what you’re posting, not where or when. So learn from my mistake, stop writing that blogpost (irony I know) and start telling a camera about your business and vision. It’s okay to pivot.