123 - How to Make Better Tech Decisions (Without Overspending)

 If choosing the right tech feels harder than it should, you’re not alone.
 The real challenge isn’t the tools — it’s knowing what actually matters. 

I’ve known Christopher Johnson for years, so I was delighted when he agreed to be part of the Mini Marketing Marathon. In this session, he breaks down how to make smarter, calmer tech decisions using a simple framework that helps you avoid shiny-object syndrome and focus on what actually supports your goals.

Top Takeaways

🔹 Tech overwhelm usually starts with the wrong question  Most people ask “What does this tool do?” instead of “What do I need this to do?” Starting with purpose changes everything.

🔹 Purpose comes before features  If a tool does one or two things you need well, you’re not under-using it — even if it has 50 other features you never touch.

🔹 Use what you already have  The best tool is often the one already in your hands. Phones and basic software are far more powerful than most people realize.

🔹 Choose tech based on where your people are  You don’t need to be everywhere. You need to be where your audience already spends time.

🔹 Make tech fit your process, not the other way around  You don’t have to use every setting, option, or workflow. Simpler almost always wins.

🔹 Value matters more than price  If a tool gets used and supports your goals, it’s worth the investment. If it doesn’t, return it — unused tech creates mental clutter.

🔹 Test before you commit  Pilot tools whenever possible. Real-world use tells you more than reviews ever will.

🔹 Go deeper with fewer tools  Mastery beats accumulation. Fewer tools, used well, reduce stress and build confidence.

🔷If you're listening to this podcast, video feels way harder than it should.  If you're ready to make video a priority, and not spend hours making a 60-sec video visit BlackDogMarketingStrategies.com

 Join me in The Lab on Substack, my space to test, tweak, and share smart ideas worth chasing, especially around video, content strategy, and showing up online without burning out (or wasting your weekends) Click Here

📌 When you’re ready to make creating engaging social media videos a priority, I offer 1:1 coaching and done-with-you video services. 😉 Click Here

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➡️ Need more? Check out the 300+ videos on my YouTube channel Click here for my YouTube channel 

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For additional insights, connect with Annette Richmond and Black Dog Marketing Strategies on social media.
Substack: https://substack.com/@annetterichmond
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annetterichmond/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com...

Transcript

[00:00:00.07] 

There you go. Thank you very much.

[00:00:03.11] 

I'm Christopher Johnson.

[00:00:05.01] 

I play at the intersection of technology and people.

[00:00:09.18] 

It's interesting that, hey, this technology situation happened because

[00:00:16.07] 

those are two of the areas where people have anxiety, apprehension.

[00:00:21.02] 

I come in and I quell the qualms.

[00:00:24.06] 

Let's start with the question, have you ever signed up or bought a new

[00:00:29.00] 

piece of technology because it was new and shiny,

[00:00:32.19] 

only to realize later that you didn't really use it.

[00:00:36.05] 

Or you might still be paying for something that, well, it's not

[00:00:40.26] 

working the way you need.

[00:00:43.22] 

Okay, it's fine.

[00:00:44.25] 

You're not alone.

[00:00:47.11] 

Let's talk through it.

[00:00:49.24] 

On the next slide, we'll see what we're going to cover today.

[00:00:54.22] 

What we're going to cover is the tech overwhelm

[00:01:01.29] 

and how you can get past that.

[00:01:04.11] 

So one of the keys for addressing tech overwhelm,

[00:01:09.05] 

be curious and always have an escape hatch.

[00:01:15.22] 

So in this case, you've seen a live escape hatch.

[00:01:18.22] 

Hey, I shared my slides with Brenda Meller who is now sharing them for me.

[00:01:23.28] 

So if you plan these things out, that prevents panic.

[00:01:29.17] 

Panic is rarely, rarely called upon.

[00:01:33.02] 

So we're going to go over a few things that can

[00:01:36.10] 

quell the qualms of the tech overwhelm and

[00:01:40.00] 

keep you in line with what your goals are.

[00:01:43.24] 

Now, on this next slide, there are a few items I want to cover.

[00:01:49.08] 

So earlier in the session, Brenda went over the five P's, I believe.

[00:01:56.04] 

I also have five P's, pure coincidence.

[00:01:59.11] 

Mine Purpose, people, process, price, and proof.

[00:02:04.22] 

Now, what do each of these mean?

[00:02:08.11] 

Well, all right.

[00:02:09.20] 

Well, let's go to the next slide and look at purpose.

[00:02:12.07] 

So purpose is understanding what the goals are for this piece

[00:02:18.00] 

of tech that you're getting.

[00:02:20.00] 

If you understand purpose first, and this is how I work with my clients.

[00:02:25.04] 

I ask them what is the outcome that they

[00:02:29.14] 

want, what What is the thing they want to do?

[00:02:32.07] 

Because oftentimes people hear about bells and whistles.

[00:02:34.29] 

I have to use all the bells and whistles.

[00:02:36.29] 

No, you really don't.

[00:02:38.14] 

You can use as much or as little as you want.

[00:02:42.14] 

An example I like to use, when my father got his first computer,

[00:02:48.13] 

he used it for two things.

[00:02:50.01] 

He said, I like to check the movie listings because I want to know when I

[00:02:54.00] 

need to go, and I play a lot of solitaire.

[00:02:56.28] 

He asked, Am I wasting all that it can do?

[00:03:02.04] 

I said, If you're happy getting those two things

[00:03:05.19] 

done with your computer, you have not wasted a dime.

[00:03:08.07] 

It can do more.

[00:03:09.09] 

Whenever you're ready, I can help you with that.

[00:03:11.17] 

But right now, it's doing exactly what you want.

[00:03:14.13] 

So don't feel pressured to use all the bells and whistles.

[00:03:20.06] 

So with purpose first, be aware of the engagement and where your audience

[00:03:26.11] 

is and the conversion in the community.

[00:03:29.24] 

So But these are just things that you should have in the back of your mind

[00:03:34.28] 

when you're looking at purpose first.

[00:03:37.18] 

Now, the next slide is people.

[00:03:42.12] 

So people refers to where is your audience that's where you want to be?

[00:03:47.28] 

What tech do you need to be where your audience is?

[00:03:52.04] 

There's a quote from David Pogue from years ago.

[00:03:56.06] 

He kept getting the question because he was a tech columnist

[00:04:00.29] 

for the New York Times, and people kept asking him,

[00:04:03.19] 

What's the best camera for fill-in-the-blank situation?

[00:04:08.08] 

The answer is always the same, whatever you have with you.

[00:04:12.20] 

These days, most of us have our cell phones with us

[00:04:17.12] 

all the time, and they are so robust.

[00:04:20.20] 

They can do a lot.

[00:04:22.23] 

So don't stress about all the tech that you need.

[00:04:26.28] 

Use the tech that you have and use it efficiently.

[00:04:30.17] 

So where are your people?

[00:04:32.10] 

And up next is the process.

[00:04:37.05] 

So make your tech work for you.

[00:04:40.06] 

What does that mean?

[00:04:41.10] 

Well, going back to the example with my dad, you don't have to use all

[00:04:45.06] 

the bells and whistles, you only have to use what you are

[00:04:48.07] 

comfortable with and what works for you.

[00:04:51.00] 

So one of the things I always have, because we rely on our phones so much,

[00:04:56.02] 

I have an external battery that I can just pop onto the back of my phone.

[00:05:03.04] 

So when my phone battery is getting low, and I'm one of those,

[00:05:08.01] 

I don't like to let my phone battery dip below 40%.

[00:05:12.20] 

I always have a charged phone battery that I can just apply to the back of my phone.

[00:05:18.01] 

Whether you are on a Android or an iPhone

[00:05:21.26] 

device, there is an attachable battery

[00:05:26.02] 

available for your preferred phone.

[00:05:30.00] 

I use headphones because sometimes it's easier to create out in the world.

[00:05:36.26] 

If I'm working on something, sometimes I will choose to work on that

[00:05:40.18] 

in a Starbucks or my favorite coffee shop.

[00:05:44.05] 

Having headphones helps me block out what I need to and concentrate

[00:05:47.23] 

on what I'm doing.

[00:05:49.04] 

Another favorite place to do this, the library.

[00:05:52.00] 

You can have your headphones and you can create a lot of information in a nice,

[00:05:58.24] 

quiet space that is well suited for you.

[00:06:03.04] 

Now, the DJI microphone.

[00:06:06.14] 

You have probably seen this in a lot of

[00:06:11.25] 

videos on TikTok or YouTube.

[00:06:15.02] 

It is that microphone that people can attach

[00:06:20.23] 

to their iPhone, all their iPhone's in another spot.

[00:06:24.04] 

I always keep one of those with me, and I always keep it charged up.

[00:06:28.13] 

They all work with my and they do it nicely.

[00:06:34.29] 

Here at home, I use a Blue Yeti

[00:06:38.04] 

microphone, and I've heard complaints.

[00:06:43.05] 

It's like, Well, okay, here's the thing.

[00:06:46.01] 

The Blue Yeti has a few different settings, and when you understand what

[00:06:51.08] 

those settings are, you can make it sound better.

[00:06:55.08] 

So it doesn't have to sound...

[00:06:57.16] 

The most common problem I have seen with people using Blue Yetis is not

[00:07:02.24] 

understanding where the actual microphone is and how to make it work for them.

[00:07:08.28] 

So they complain and instead spend a lot of money on a more expensive mic when

[00:07:14.20] 

it could have just been a setting.

[00:07:17.11] 

Now, next up is price.

[00:07:20.14] 

When we look at price, we're

[00:07:25.26] 

looking at the value versus the cost.

[00:07:27.28] 

Now, all right,I'm a geek. I'm a nerd.

[00:07:32.12] 

I know that's shocking.

[00:07:34.01] 

I know.

[00:07:35.29] 

But anytime I can use a greater than symbol and have people recall that they

[00:07:40.14] 

actually do remember some of their math, hey, it's a fun thing.

[00:07:44.29] 

Value is greater than the cost.

[00:07:48.14] 

What does that mean?

[00:07:49.22] 

If it's a tool that you're going to use, great.

[00:07:53.26] 

Spend the money on that tool.

[00:07:56.05] 

If you are not going to use it, then okay,

[00:08:00.24] 

Are there ways you can test it out

[00:08:03.07] 

before you actually purchase it?

[00:08:06.16] 

Sometimes there is.

[00:08:08.11] 

You might have a friend or a buddy that has a tool that you like and you

[00:08:12.05] 

can say, Hey, can I borrow that?

[00:08:13.16] 

I want to see if it will work for me.

[00:08:16.11] 

Also, don't be afraid to return anything.

[00:08:20.22] 

Anything? Yes.

[00:08:22.07] 

If the tool is not working, you don't get bonus points for keeping

[00:08:26.14] 

it when it doesn't do the job for you.

[00:08:29.08] 

And return returning it will get rid of that anxiety.

[00:08:32.08] 

It's like, the treadmill in the corner.

[00:08:35.02] 

Okay, you had the best of intentions.

[00:08:39.04] 

Tech is the same way.

[00:08:40.12] 

You had the best of intentions when you bought it.

[00:08:42.22] 

Don't be afraid to return it.

[00:08:46.18] 

I've already shown you the rechargeable batteries or a rechargeable

[00:08:51.23] 

phone battery I use.

[00:08:53.02] 

I also use a lot of electronics, and a lot of them take batteries.

[00:08:57.19] 

I also use rechargeable batteries because that's a lot easier than

[00:09:02.19] 

constantly looking for a AA or AAA batteries for my keyboard,

[00:09:08.14] 

my mouse, those things.

[00:09:12.11] 

Now, after price, it's proof.

[00:09:15.00] 

This is our ability to test first.

[00:09:18.29] 

As I was just saying, pilot before you purchase.

[00:09:23.11] 

If you have someone or a way that you can test it out, go for it.

[00:09:28.13] 

Try it in the store.

[00:09:31.06] 

When my wife is looking for a new laptop, she says, What do I recommend?

[00:09:35.12] 

My recommendation is always the same.

[00:09:38.12] 

Go to the store, see what you like.

[00:09:42.04] 

Tell the person in the store exactly how you're going to be using it.

[00:09:45.11] 

Are you going to be using it to edit videos?

[00:09:48.22] 

Well, that's going to require something different than just reading emails.

[00:09:54.25] 

She's always reluctant to listen to me because she says, Well,

[00:10:00.24] 

but you work in tech. You're supposed to have an answer.

[00:10:03.01] 

I said, well, the answer is individualized for you.

[00:10:05.28] 

I don't know how you're going to use it and how I use my laptop will be

[00:10:09.25] 

different than you use yours.

[00:10:11.07] 

So your best bet is to go to the store and try it out and see which ones you like

[00:10:16.05] 

because that makes sure that you are getting what you need.

[00:10:19.28] 

Again, you can test it with one project and see how that works for you,

[00:10:25.04] 

and don't be afraid to return.

[00:10:28.16] 

Now, real-world choices is what we're going to talk about next.

[00:10:32.11] 

This is really how I compare tools.

[00:10:37.11] 

Video and streaming.

[00:10:38.25] 

I use StreamYard and Restream and Zoom, and I see how well they

[00:10:44.19] 

all play with each other.

[00:10:46.23] 

I am platform agnostic, mostly.

[00:10:51.01] 

I use whatever platform as my clients want me to use.

[00:10:56.02] 

I'm comfortable and conversant on all of them, so play around and I

[00:11:02.20] 

can talk about the benefits and the features with each one.

[00:11:07.12] 

So my advice, be curious and play with them and see which ones work for you.

[00:11:13.28] 

Also, Canva has been mentioned a lot today.

[00:11:18.26] 

That's a place that you can play.

[00:11:20.20] 

The free version is robust and you can do a lot of things there.

[00:11:24.29] 

You can also try the do it yourself model.

[00:11:27.22] 

Is anyone still using paint?

[00:11:30.04] 

Okay, I still use paint.

[00:11:32.13] 

Sometimes that's the tool that works in the situation.

[00:11:36.02] 

There's always Adobe.

[00:11:38.11] 

So the right tool with the right purpose helps you align with the right people.

[00:11:45.08] 

Now, your tech decision checklist is what is next.

[00:11:50.17] 

Here, what I want you to do is

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look at your tools and decide

[00:11:58.01] 

which align with your purpose.

[00:12:01.04] 

How will your audience see it?

[00:12:03.17] 

How does it fit your process?

[00:12:05.29] 

And is it worth the cost?

[00:12:08.17] 

After you've been in the real world and had that experience,

[00:12:14.14] 

then you can have your tech decision

[00:12:16.20] 

checklist on the next slide, and you can

[00:12:23.20] 

see what tech aligns with your goals

[00:12:26.10] 

and how you can how it works

[00:12:30.28] 

for what you need it to work for.

[00:12:33.23] 

So yeah, at the bottom of that slide, it's better to go deep with a few

[00:12:37.14] 

tools than be overwhelmed.

[00:12:40.20] 

I'm always trying to prevent the overwhelm.

[00:12:47.24] 

Now, here is how we can keep the conversation going.

[00:12:52.07] 

On the next slide, you will see connections for connecting with me

[00:12:56.29] 

on LinkedIn, my YouTube channel.

[00:13:00.00] 

Everyone should have one.

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I was taking notes during that last panel, and I've got homework.

[00:13:07.12] 

My company website, they're all right there,

[00:13:10.23] 

so feel free to reach out and engage and connect,

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and we can resolve your tech overwhelm.

[00:13:19.04] 

That next slide.

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Well, that is a QR code so that you can go

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to my LinkedIn profile and reach out and connect if we're not already connected.

[00:13:31.20] 

Now, I have a request that I would like you all to do.

[00:13:35.12] 

I saw this earlier in this magnificent session.

[00:13:41.06] 

The number of likes on the YouTube in the live has been static for a little bit.

[00:13:46.29] 

So please like the video.

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Telling people what you would like them to do is one of the methods for engagement.

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So yeah, go ahead, like the video, and let me know how I can

[00:14:03.02] 

help your tech overwhelm.

[00:14:05.25] 

Thank you.

[00:14:11.22] 

Well, thank you so much, Christopher.

[00:14:15.14] 

That was amazing.

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And this is obviously why we all come to you.

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I mean, I've had you on my podcast a couple of times,

[00:14:25.16] 

so I could pick your brain.

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And secretly, I want to pick your brain, but I want to share you

[00:14:29.24] 

with the world as well.