Someone with whom I've worked for several years asked me the other day, "what exactly is it your team does? Or better yet, what background does your team have?"
Needless to say, I was a bit shocked but at the same time not surprised at all. To tell people, "I'm an Interactive Marketer" is not as intuitive as answering "I'm an accountant, graphic designer, journalist, engineer, attorney" or fill in the blank with 1000's of occupations that are pretty self-explanatory. I still have to explain to my dad exactly what I do, and yet he still calls me with questions about fixing his computer. (My answer is usually one of the following: 1. Google it, 2. Call tech support.)
But back to the original question: What do you do?
Short answer: if it deals with our brands and involves anything in the digital/interactive space, we are (or should be) involved. That list includes but is not limited to web site development and content creation, email marketing, online advertising, search engine marketing, analytics, privacy policy/legal/CAN-SPAM compliance, mobile strategy, CRM and database oversight, and online promotions. Some of this involves working with agencies and outside vendors, some of it doesn't. At times, it feels like a three-ring circus.
Some people at work still think we are programmers. We don't write code, and if we do it is limited to some very basic HTML. Others think we just look at web sites, play with iPhones, synch our Blackberries, tweet and update our Facebook status all day. I do some of that to stay productive, and some of it to keep up with the industry.
For example, if I hear that Tide is running advertising that drives traffic to their Facebook site, then I'm going to check it out. If a blog or tweet mentions some new or interesting case study or research then I'm going to find the time to check it out. I'm always looking for ideas or strategies that we can use here at Scotts.
I constantly look at other brand's Facebook pages, follow them on Twitter, see their YouTube channel, review the latest research, trends and check out any related apps or the latest gadgets.
Now don't get me wrong, many of my colleagues understand what we do and they turn to us for advice and expect us to be subject matter experts. That's fine. I understand that some people are not interested in mobile or social media, or rarely go online.
But it is my job to know and that is part of "what I do." This is one of the reasons I'll be attending ad:tech San Francisco this April, and why I've been to several iMedia Brand Summits in the past. I look forward to seeing live examples, case studies, networking and discovering new approaches to problem solving.
Maybe I'll see you there. And if you are interested in what I do, how I got here and my background, you can check out my bio.
Stay informed. To hear more from Kip Edwardson, he will be appearing at the upcoming ad:tech San Francisco, April 19-21, as an ad:tech Ambassador. http://www.ad-tech.com/sf/adtech_san_francisco.aspx?ref=IMCEDI"> Learn more.
