Content is evolving by leaps and bounds by the second. From blogging being a relatively new commodity 15 years ago to Tik Tok being instrumental to the surge of videos, how content creators and digital marketers keep up with the growing demand of visual storytelling can’t be overstated.
On today’s episode of Startups On Demand, I am joined by Hillel Fuld, Global Speaker, Tech Columnist, and Startup Marketing Advisor. We talk about the marketing philosophies he agrees and disagrees with, the future of media, his personal and professional endgame, as well as the next gadget to take over the space.
Omri: Here’s my first question to you: what marketing philosophy do you disagree with?
Hillel: I have 2 words: self-promotion. Any company that promotes themselves or any person who promotes themselves isn’t doing marketing. Maybe they’re doing sales, or maybe they’re doing something else, but it’s not marketing. In today’s day and age, there’s never a justification to outright shamelessly plug yourself or your company.
Omri: What marketing philosophy do you agree with?
Hillel: I’ve learned time and time again that if you help others win, and if you don’t play the short game and you play the long game, and you focus on helping others win, you end up winning, in the most practical, tangible way. I’m not talking about karma – you do good for others, you demonstrate your abilities, and you facilitate their success, and you end up joining them on the road to success.
Omri: Where is the media heading? And what’s the next thing you think others should focus on?
Hillel: I don’t think it comes as a surprise to anyone, but I think the market’s definitely going to video content, whether it’s a short or long form, whether it’s YouTube or Tik Tok, the number speaks for itself. People can belittle and ridicule Tik Tok all they want; they did the same thing for Twitter and Facebook in the beginning. Those who ridicule those platforms are the ones that are gonna lose. We see this in history – every time a new technology comes out, people freak out, don’t embrace it, and they end up losing, right? Literally, from the tractor when the farmers freaked out; print when the publishers freaked out; the internet; social media, and mobile phones. It’s endless. The new “kid on the block” is Tik Tok, the numbers are insane, and it’s the most downloaded app in history. It’s growing faster than Facebook ever dreamed of growing. I only started with Tik Tok but I spend a ridiculous amount of hours consuming Tik Tok videos and content. So the answer to “where is the media going?” – is video.
Omri: In general, what is your goal with content?
Hillel: I started blogging 15 years ago. It wasn’t a thing at all. It basically led to every single good thing that has happened in my career. For me, content isn’t a business. I don’t monetize my content at all ever. But basically, it opened up an entire universe. These short videos I’m doing, like “how to grow your company,” it’s the same concept. I’m not reinventing the wheel. These are all tips that I’ve written about in the past. Now, I’m just giving it to people on a silver platter for 30 seconds, and I don’t have any particular business goal. There’s no specific business objective. But it’s reaching hundreds of thousands of people every time, so it’s good for exposure and it definitely is valuable. Good content leads to good things.
Omri: You mentioned before that you don’t have an endgame and you live in the moment of your process. Can you talk more about that?
Hillel: A couple of things: first of all, if we talk about the endgame, I definitely would be owning a Ferrari one day. That’s one. Second of all, it’s not that I don’t have an endgame… this is my endgame. Meaning, if I can continue to work, meet brilliant people, support my family, enjoy what I’m doing, not have any conflicts of interest, and not have any need to justify myself to anyone, why would there be any other endgame than this?
Having said that, I have tweaked it a little bit. At my core, I’m a content guy. My content manifested in the form of marketing, which is fine, I love marketing. But at my core, I’m not a marketing guy. So really, I would love to dabble down on content. I’m now working with several Fortune 500 companies on content projects where they’re getting high-quality video content, they’re giving me corporate money, and it’s literally a win-win. So I’d like to do more projects like that with larger companies that understand the value of content.
