"One of the best things about video is that it puts us on a level footing."
Jennifer Smith Tweet
Jennifer Smith leads the marketing organization at Brightcove, encompassing product marketing, demand generation, and marketing communications, and is responsible for operational execution on a global level. Smith is an international marketing executive who brings more than 20 years of experience in global technology companies to Brightcove. She is recognized for her leadership skills in go-to-market strategy and has a proven track record of improving product, sales, and marketing teams for public and private companies. Most recently, she served as CMO at Alfresco Software ( acquired by Hyland), where she led the transformation of the company’s positioning from a technology vendor to a platform solution provider, managing all aspects of marketing.
Before joining Alfresco, Smith was CMO of Software AG, an enterprise software company with over 10,000 customers in over 70 countries. Before that, she served as the CMO of Globoforce and as Senior Vice President and CMO of Avid Technology and Progress Software. She also held senior marketing roles at Information Builders, PeopleSoft and Microsoft.
Check out more interviews with entrepreneurs here.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO GET FEATURED?
All interviews are 100% FREE OF CHARGE
Table of Contents
Thank you for agreeing to this interview! Our readers would love to learn more about you. Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you got started in your career?
Jennifer Smith: I am passionate about technology and helping customers succeed through innovation. I’ve been in the technology industry for more than twenty years and have worked with incredible brands and teams leading go-to-market strategies.
I didn’t originally set out to work in marketing, though. I am from a small mining town in the North-East of England and studied German with Business at University. After growing up learning French, German, and Latin, I really thought I would be a linguist. After graduating, my first role was as a customer service agent for a technology company supporting eastern and central Europe customers. While I was there, I got to know the Marketing Manager, went to my first tradeshow, and fell in love with marketing. From there, I moved to a small HR Application provider, where I got my first real marketing job. My CMO was incredible, and I believe she taught me the foundations I still use today.
During my early career, I spent a lot of time at the headquarters of US Technology companies being the European representative, pushing them to understand the regions and the different needs. After doing this for a while, it led me over to the US – I thought this was a great opportunity for my career and family. That was twelve years ago now, and I moved up the ranks to VP and CMO of that company.
I didn’t necessarily have that as a plan, but I always loved what I did, worked hard, and learned from amazingly talented people. I still don’t have a plan! My goal is always to be part of a company innovating for good. When you focus on doing good, great things come.
Can you share a quote that is important to you and how it has been relevant in your life?
Jennifer Smith: “Bloom where you are.” I got this from an amazing female leader in our Asia region at Software AG. We were on a panel together for a women’s leadership session – her advice was “Bloom where you are.” She asked us not to always think about the next career step, to recognize where we were today, be proud, and be the best we can be in the current situation. I thought that was such wonderful advice.
Since you began your career, what has been the most interesting thing that has happened to you?
Jennifer Smith: I’ve had so many interesting experiences throughout my career. A couple of pivotal moments stand out where I seized opportunities or made opportunities that helped me pivot or forge ahead.
For example, I remember speaking to an executive earlier in my career and saying I was frustrated because something wasn’t working, and I had this idea. He told me to put my idea down on paper and recommended I present it to our CEO. What’s the worst that could happen? While I was deeply nervous, I submitted my idea, went for a meeting with the CEO, and got the budget approved for my idea!
My big takeaway here is not to be afraid. You don’t need seniority to be impactful – everyone makes a difference.
We all need some help along the way to success. It’s important not only to be grateful for that which you have achieved but also to acknowledge those who made it possible and contributed their own part in this journey of life! Is there someone who helped YOU succeed?
Jennifer Smith: I’ve had several mentors during my career, many I am still in touch with today. My first mentor was set up in a formal capacity when I was promoted to my first CMO role. She was a coach from an external consultancy, and we met weekly. It was a huge help as I transitioned into that new position and stage in my career, and I am extremely grateful for her ongoing guidance.
Following that formal experience, my other mentors have been people I’ve worked with, and I still call and ask for advice. My advice for anyone seeking a mentor is if you see someone you want to be like, reach out, it doesn’t have to be formal or intimidating.
Look at the people you work with that you respect, they may not be more senior, but they may act or be received in a way that you respect and appreciate. These are the people you can learn from by observing behaviors and having regular conversations.
Remote work has been on the rise for years now and it’s becoming more common than ever. With so many teams choosing to operate this way, we thought our readers might want some insight into what advantages there are in physically working alongside your colleagues every day – especially if you’re new or haven’t experienced them yet?
Jennifer Smith: Some things are easier in person, such as that impromptu small talk when you meet someone in the kitchen or catching up over coffee away from the computer screen. I think relationship building is easier in person across teams and levels.
For those who can work physically alongside colleagues, whether in a traditional office space or a shared space, it provides an opportunity to build on these social aspects of the workplace we miss when working from home.
It’s important to consider that many of us changed how and where we work during the pandemic. Many people took on flex hours to accommodate homeschooling or childcare duties or moved away from the city where the office was situated. But we got the job done. The pandemic taught us a lot. We can hire people anywhere, connect with people around the globe and still achieve our goals. I don’t want to ever be in lockdown again, but I think we should learn from the last two years and understand the best of both worlds to offer employees choice.
With that in mind, it’s more important than ever for businesses to find ways to help their employees feel connected. I believe that video will continue to be the best way for companies to engage, inspire and retain their employees. Video provides some advantages that many people didn’t recognize before. With video, everyone’s on equal footing. Whether they’re based in a different country or working remotely, the hierarchy levels are gone. For example, in an all-company meeting – with everyone remote, no one feels disconnected not being in the head office!
What challenges come up when team members aren’t in the same room?
Jennifer Smith: I‘m a big advocate for ensuring video is on for all zoom, teams, and google meets. It’s important to me to see people face to face, so I expect that of my team. They know I don’t care if they are ‘camera ready’ or if the dog is in the background. Body language is everything, and it’s important to see if someone is disconnected or wants to contribute to the conversation.
It can be hard to get and maintain attention in this virtual world, especially for onboarding, training, and even company events. Using video helps to capture attention and measure engagement. For example, Brightcove CorpTV enables organizations to deliver engaging live and on-demand content and interactive digital events so team members can access what they need when it suits them, like a company Netflix channel.
Let’s talk about how to overcome each of the challenges you’ve faced. What are five key things that will help communicate with your team, even if it is not in person?
Jennifer Smith: Thanks to video, we can stay connected while working remotely. One of the best things about video is that it puts us on a level footing. We are all geographically equal in the virtual world.
Video can profoundly impact a business and its employee engagement strategy, including employee onboarding and training, internal communications, and employee knowledge sharing.
As I mentioned above, I use video for all meetings, whether formal presentations or 1:1 catch-ups. I actually like to see where people are. I have found I can be more connected to my team’s personal life by knowing their surroundings. I would never know that if we were always in the office. Understanding their personal situation is key for me.
One of the things I love most about video, and there is a lot I love, is that it is accessible for all. No matter where you are based, what device you are working from, or if you have any hearing or vision challenges, video levels the field. Everyone has access to the same content, and we can cater to individual preferences. You can localize content too. For example, adding captions to a video allows for that one video to be used across different regions and offices.
I am also fascinated by the use of hand gestures and body posture in a video to get the best result. We featured Vanessa Van Edwards at our PLAY event, where she unpacked the keys to mastering charisma to captivate audiences through video. It was a wonderful session that you can catch on-demand on Play TV by Brightcove.
Of course, we should always be looking to learn and improve as we go, whatever we do. Platforms like Brightcove offer rich viewer insights through access to real-time first-party data and content analysis. Businesses can use this to identify their best-performing content and take insights such as what device employees prefer watching and what time they like to watch to help plan future content.
Have you ever had problems communicating with your coworkers because they work from home? And is it easier for them to transition into an internet-only workplace since that’s what most companies do nowadays?
Jennifer Smith: It’s important to remember that not everyone is confident on-screen. It can be very easy for quieter, introverted, or junior team members to miss out while the same few people dominate a group conversation. Ensure you make allowances and create space for these quieter ones to contribute.
Brightcove CorpTV makes it easier to transition to a remote workplace because it offers the same on-demand experience that your team is already accustomed to. Like our favorite streaming services, Brightcove CorpTV presents content in an easy-to-use carousel format and enables the viewer to search and mark favorites and track their viewing history. One of my favorite features is playback continuity across devices so I can pick up where I left off.
What do you think is the most important thing a business can offer its customers in this day and age? As technology evolves, so too does how we communicate with our clients. Have you noticed any changes in the way you communicate with your clients?
Jennifer Smith: Today’s customers have so many options available to them. So you need to constantly ask yourself: Why should they choose to work with us? How can we make a difference? The most important thing we can offer is our leading video communications platform and a high-touch personalized experience. We simplify the online video experience for our clients, enabling them to engage with their audiences in more meaningful ways, which helps to build loyalty and a more positive return
Imagine if you could design a tool to help your business run more smoothly and communicate better with customers or prospects. What would it be like?
Jennifer Smith: Video is an excellent medium for internal and external business communication, and it’s easy to digest. You can cater to individual preferences and convey your message more clearly and quickly than other mediums.
As humans, we naturally crave belonging and the feeling of being part a group. This is especially true when it comes to our relationships with each other as well as those who lead us: parents, teachers etc… What can you do on your own time that will help foster this sense or team cohesion?
Jennifer Smith: Putting in the time and effort to build relationships in the workplace and finding camaraderie and support amongst colleagues is key.
And, it’s probably more difficult in the remote world than in the past when everyone was in the office 5-days a week. There is little time for small talk with back-to-back zoom calls, so schedule that time. Book meetings to connect with people – they don’t always have to have an outcome. We have a collaborative team at Brightcove, where we can learn and grow from each other. We stay connected through video and an occasional on-site meeting when appropriate. Our executive team works hard to build and foster relationships to set an example, which trickles down throughout the company. We all bring different perspectives, experiences, and skills, and sharing cross-functionally makes us all better.
If you could start a movement that would help a lot of people, what would that be?
Jennifer Smith: It’s time for every enterprise to act like a media company. Every marketer needs to think about visitors to our sites like paid subscribers. We need to develop content with the mindset of educating and entertaining to keep people engaged. Then maximize that content by repurposing it through your marketing channels and distributing it through a centralized source like Brightcove CorpTV. Its always-on, multi-device accessibility means you can engage with customers when, where, and how they want.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Jennifer Smith for taking the time to do this interview and share her knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Jennifer Smith or her company, you can do it through her – Linkedin Page
Did you enjoy this article? Check out similar stories:
Jocko Willink: From US Navy Seal To Millionaire Coach And Best Selling Author
Andy Frisella: An Inspiring Story Of Grit
Allison Stokke: How A Single Photo Made Her The Famous Internet Sensation That She Is Now
Disclaimer: The ValiantCEO Community welcomes voices from many spheres on our open platform. We publish pieces as written by outside contributors with a wide range of opinions, which don’t necessarily reflect our own. Community stories are not commissioned by our editorial team and must meet our guidelines prior to being published.