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Experts, Expertise and Execution

I used to be an expert. I knew HTML. I was a Photoshop Master of the Universe. I learned how to configure an ISDN router (and it worked). I had time to think about SEO, about how the web worked, about file optimization and video CODECs. Remember when the best web designers and coders built pages that were less than 25k... less than 10k... I remember.

Stuff has gotten really complicated lately.

And even worse, I feel the Glaze. (the "Glaze" as Mark Bowden refers to it in his incredible book "Worm," is THAT LOOK you get when trying to explain something technical to someone non-technical). The Glaze I get is that non-committal, yea dude, keep talking sort of look when I get really excited about some new technology, idea or concept.

The problem is that we're in the land of "we don't actually know what will work and what will not work" when it comes to Internet marketing "stuff" and non-profit fundraising. Yes, we're still here some 10+ years later. No, we haven't figured it all out yet.

No, direct mail isn't dead, but it isn't the answer.

No, one more tweet from a celebrity isn't going to make a difference.

No, a TV campaign isn't the answer, it never really was. And you can't afford it anyways.

No, no, no.

The problem then, with experts, expertise and execution in the e-realm is that all of this stuff is still a black art. Why exactly does Instagram work better than Flickr? How come your Google ad helped you clear record revenue and mine did nothing? How come your site converts 20x better than mine? What, you mean Google Analytics is free? What is HTML? How do you say GIF? But I digress...

The answer lies in leveraging AND TRUSTING experts, and then letting them execute, fail, learn and finally #win.

I am sure of it.

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Comments

kevinpatrick said…
applause....Well said. Markets consist of human beings, not demographic sectors and most importantly, markets are conversations. (Both from Cluetrain Manifesto btw). The internet is enabling conversations among human beings that were simply not possible in the era of mass media and we are all still trying to figure it out.
12:21 PM
kevinpatrick said…
applause....Well said. Markets consist of human beings, not demographic sectors and most importantly, markets are conversations. (Both from Cluetrain Manifesto btw). The internet is enabling conversations among human beings that were simply not possible in the era of mass media and we are all still trying to figure it out.
12:22 PM
Marc Sirkin said…
Kevin - it's a new thing, not the old thing. Yep.
12:23 PM
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