Gary Vaynerchuk's Blog, page 32

5 Tips for Growing Your Business With Influencer Marketing

I think influencer marketing is going to have an incredible global era for the next decade, and we’re just at the beginning of it.

Everyday there are brands that go from $0 – $15 million in sales with no overhead or infrastructure on the back of influencers on Instagram. If you’re not working with influencers, you need to be.

In this article, I drop some advice on how to grow your business with influencer marketing.

1. You Have To Give Value To Influencers Before You Siphon From Their Audience



If you’re just starting out your business, influencer marketing is a chicken or the egg game: You want influencers because you want them to bring the thousands or millions of people that pay attention to them over to your product, service, brand, etc., but you might not necessarily have the capital or resources to pay for a partnership.

The only other option you have is to get very personal, and very creative. Think of what would bring value to them, not just you. For example, if you want to partner with a male fitness influencer in New Jersey, and you know he likes the Jets, send him a custom Jets jersey when you send over your product.

If you want to partner with a female fashion influencer, and you know she has a pet dog she adores, send her a customized item for her dog when you send over your product. Personal touches and practicing kindness like this will go an extremely long way in increasing your chances of garnering publicity from influencers in the early stages of your business.

2. Influencers Want To Work With People They Know — Or At Least People They Like



I want to completely eliminate the “but I have no money” excuse. So here’s another way you can go about it:

Find out on which platform(s) the influencers that you want to reach out to spend the most time on. To be clear, this is not just where their biggest following is. They may have their biggest following on Instagram, but only post there once a day and spend a ton of time of Twitter. Or vice-versa.

Once you find out where they are most active, go through their last 5, 10, 15 posts and add your two cents to the conversation.

Keep doing this with their new posts as well. Don’t even think about asking to work with them until you’ve built up some rapport, or at the very least some context. Then, go in for the ask, the right hook. If one out of every 80 influencers say yes, and you want 20 influencers, that means you would need to reach out to 1600 people.

So get started

How to Monetize on Instagram: A Step-by-Step Guide to Get Companies to Sponsor You

A lot of people ask me how to monetize their Instagram account when they’re starting out in business.

I talk a lot about the mindset behind creating content — things like caring about your audience, giving 51% of the value, staying patient, and playing the long game. I start with making sure people understand the “religion” because if they don’t, the tactics won’t work long term.

But in this article, I wanted to do something different.

I wanted to create a practical piece of content that talks about the details (i.e. the “dirt”)  behind monetizing your Instagram account by getting advertisers and sponsors to pay you in exchange for your audience’s attention.

One caveat: Most of you aren’t ready to monetize. Bombarding your audience with ads before you had a chance to really provide value just isn’t a good idea.

But assuming you’re at a place where you’re ready to think about taking sponsors and advertisers… you’ll find this article super valuable. I’m going to talk about everything from picking advertisers to reach out to, all the way to what to do if they say “no” or don’t buy.

Enjoy

The Best Marketing Strategies For Hip Hop Artists

I’ll be honest, I don’t “get” hip hop music.

When I listen to music, I don’t listen to it for the beats or the hook. I listen to it for the words.

I’m fascinated by the story element of hip hop — the analogies, the clever cultural references that make me laugh, and the raw truthfulness in the lyrics. For example, a big reason why I love 21Savage so much is because he mentioned Randy Macho Man Savage (my favorite wrestler of all time) in a song.

That’s what people don’t get about Biggie and Tupac. A big reason why they were all-time greats is because they were talking about real life. They were telling the truth. They were being vulnerable.

In this article I’m going to talk about my advice for hip hop artists who want to dominate the music industry in 2019 … coming from the perspective of someone who understands attention and human behavior.

1. Do more collaborations

Collaborations are huge because they allow you to “trade fans” with other artists. Especially when they’re outside your direct demographic.

If you’re a rapper, one of my biggest pieces of advice for you would be to do a collaboration with a country star tomorrow. Get a Latin trap artist to sing the hook of your next track. Hit up R&B stars that used to be huge 10-20 years ago.   

People grossly underestimate how much this matters.

Think about it… the entire genre of hip hop took a massive step forward when Run DMC did a collaboration with Aerosmith. Most people don’t understand how much Kendrick Lamar’s collaboration with Taylor Swift mattered to his career.

There’s only one asterisk:

It has to be authentic. You shouldn’t do collaborations just because you think they’ll get you more awareness. You should do them because you like the music.

2. Put out as much music as you can

The number one piece of advice I have for artists is to put out music every single day.

Most artists hedge against this because they don’t want to dilute their craft. But here’s the thing:

People only remember the hits. They forget the other stuff. If you put out 100 songs in a row and 70 of them don’t get traction, there’s no loss. People will only remember the songs that hit.

So if you’re a talented artist, the upside of having 100 “at bats” is enormous. All you need is one song to reach the right person to take your career to a whole different level.

The downside is practically zero.



3. Hit up vloggers to feature your music

Remember all the artists who got huge because their songs were always playing in the intro of Madden or NBA Live video games?

Same thing applies to vloggers.

DM every major vlogger that has over 100,000 views on their videos and give them your music for free to put in their vlogs. Having an influencer listen to or promote your music is the ultimate word of mouth.

Three years from now, some random person (who just so happens to be the executive at a major record label) might discover that episode where your music was featured, and that’ll change your life forever.

4. Stay focused and consistent over the long term

I’m obsessed with long term thinking.

When it comes to music or business or anything else, you need to start making decisions based on legacy vs currency.

For me, I don’t care about having stuff. I don’t care about “keeping up with the Joneses.” Even when I didn’t have much money, I never made a decision predicated on how much I could make. As long as I had my rent and basic stuff covered, I was good.

I just believe that I’m going to be an all-time entrepreneur with a huge legacy, and everytime I “cash in chips” I’m just slowing myself down.

There are only two things: legacy and currency. Too many people sacrifice their legacy for short term cash with the mindset that they’ll “reconstruct” their legacy later.

But here’s the problem with that:

Everything is on the record.

We know Jay-Z did a Budweiser commercial.

To me, the biggest key is to never waver from my truth. Even if I have no money and even if I have all the money.

I don’t want to put pressure on anyone to be anything other than themselves. But just understand that everytime you go for short term money, you take a couple of “pebbles” out of your legacy.

If you got value from this article, I would love it if you could share it on Twitter!

Top 10 DailyVees From 2018

2018 was really the year I noticed more and more people go out and “document” their own journeys, which was super exciting to see. As always, thank you, thank you, thank you for all your attention and love this year!!

A common theme in these DailyVees: if you want to be great, you have to work your ass off and love what you do.

Here are the top ten DailyVees from 2018! Share this article on Twitter and let me know which one was your favorite

4Ds: Why We’re Raising the Price and Going on the Road in 2019

Yesterday we finished our last 4Ds (Daily Digital Deep Dive) of 2018. A program we launched only 18 months ago on the thesis that we would be able to raise the collective IQ and EQ of operators, entrepreneurs, founders, and businesses by spending the day with them at VaynerMedia offices. It’s just that simple.

With the backbone of the programing in digital marketing, and supporting sessions in company culture, emerging technology, and a Q&A session with me, we’ve been able to build the framework for something much bigger that I’m excited to announce in 2019

Gary Vaynerchuk’s Actual Thoughts on Hustle (Told Through Memes)

A lot of people misunderstand Gary’s message on “hustling” and “working your face off.”  

Ultimately, Gary’s message is about being happy with your life and getting to a place where you don’t feel the need to complain. Not working yourself to the point of burnout or unhappiness.

In this article, we create some more context on what he actually means vs what people think he means.

And we felt like doing it with memes

5 Reminders That Accountability Leads to Happiness

1. Complaining gives away leverage

It blows me away that people don’t realize that complaining about someone is actually giving them mental leverage over you.

As I reflect on it, the reason I don’t complain is probably more out of competitiveness than anything else — I just don’t want to give you the satisfaction that you have any say in how my life is going to play out. No one has say — not my teachers, not the current state of political correctness, nothing.

This isn’t coming from a negative place, or wanting to secretly hurt other people that have hurt me. It’s about coming from a place of confidence and control.   

2. Blaming yourself isn’t the same as judging yourself

People are scared to be accountable because they don’t understand the difference between believing everything is your fault and not “judging” yourself.

Truth is, the line between that confidence and insecurity is super thin. And it comes down to how quiet you can get in your own head.

When I tell you that I don’t care what anybody says about me, including my wife, my mom, and my kids — it’s true. If my mom called me right now and told me “I’m disappointed in you”, I’d contextualize it real quick. It would hurt my feelings, but at the same time, I know that my mom doesn’t have full context.

Even though she knows me better than 99% of people in this world, she doesn’t know everything. No one has full context my intentions but me. It’s the same reason I don’t judge other people. I don’t have full context on them, either. 

That mindset is game changing. If you can get to that place, you stop allowing other people’s opinions to affect you.

3. Complaining about other people makes you feel helpless

When people start looking for other people to be at fault — whether it’s the government, their aunt, or their boss — they always lose.

Blaming other people makes you feel helpless. It makes you feel like you’re a victim of what happens around you, and it’s very ROI negative.

4. Owning your weaknesses takes away their leverage

One of my favorite movie scenes is the last rap battle in 8 mile, where Eminem disses himself before the other guy can. He owns all his weaknesses, and it leaves the other person with nothing to say.

When you expose your insecurities … when you’re accountable for everything…. you take away the leverage they have over you.

I proudly talk about passing on Uber twice. I proudly talk about being a D and F student. I can’t wait for more bad things to happen to me because I’ll just own up to them. Nothing’s going to kill me.

5. Blaming yourself leads to the outcome you were looking for by blaming others

A lot of this comes down to not being afraid to lose.

I’m not afraid of losing because I don’t care what you think about my loss. I don’t allow any of you to judge me, and I don’t judge other people. 

The reason so many of you are afraid to fail or go after the things you want to try is that you’re afraid of what other people are going to say. My losses are my losses. They’ve got nothing to do with you, so I just don’t care what you have to say about them.

When you blame yourself without judging yourself for losing, you put yourself in a position of control. 

 

 

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A Message For Those Feeling Lost In Their 20s

Society puts a lot of pressure on people in their 20s to “figure out” their lives.

The reality is, most 57-year-olds don’t even have their lives figured out. There’s no reason to put pressure on yourself so early in the process.

Here are a few things to remember as you’re navigating life in your 20s:

1. Take the biggest risks of your life.

Going “conservative” in your 20s is something you really, really should debate. Especially if you aren’t in debt.

When you’re this young, the number one thing you should focus on is executing on the most high risk behaviors of your life.

The biggest reason that so many people become unhappy is that they play life in “reverse.” They go for the safe and practical job right out of school, and they buy expensive stuff to impress their parents and friends. Then, it becomes less practical to quit their job because they’re “chained down” with expenses.

Instead, make high risk moves around the thing that will make you the happiest.

This is exactly when you should go live in Bali for a year. This is exactly when you should try and become Beyonce.  

This is exactly when you go on the “offense.”

2. Don’t be afraid to take a $12 / hour job over a $52k / year job.

I’m a big believer in working for cheap (or free) for the person you want to try and become.

Getting “closest to the sun” is where all the leverage is.

Here’s what I mean by that:

If you go and work for someone you admire and do an incredible job, they could “put you on” and change the course of your entire career. For example… if you admire Alex Rodriguez or Chance the Rapper and you had the chance to run their social media for $12 / hour, there’s no question that would be be better than a job that pays $52,000.

Imagine what it would be like to be known as the guy or girl behind A-Rod’s social or Chance the Rapper’s videos.

Be humble, patient, strategic, and stop caring what your living situation looks like to people “on the outside.” You’ll set yourself up for an incredible future.

3. Do it because you enjoy the process, not because you’re chasing results.

When I look for talent, I’m obsessed with finding people who love the process — not the stuff that the game “buys” you.

If you’re focused on the cars, the shoes, and “posturing” to your friends, you’re finished. If you’re building a business or navigating your career based on what’s going to get you the off-whites, private planes, spa treatments, or jewelry, you’re not going to have a long career.

So many people in their 20s are taking jobs that pay a few thousand dollars more just so they can buy more stuff. Don’t get me wrong, I have empathy for people in debt. But a lot of people are taking these jobs because they’re trying to live up to the expectations of their parents and friends.

I look for people who “can’t breathe” if they’re not doing their art because those are the people who are going to win long term. For me, business is my art. For you, it might be design,  performing on stage, or something else. 

Whatever it is, be that person who’s obsessed with their craft and would be doing it for “free” no matter what.

4. Don’t stress about finding the answer to “what should I do with my life?”

If you don’t know what that “craft” is yet, that’s okay.

It blows me away how much pressure we put on people in their 20s and early 30s to have their entire lives figured out.

Of course you don’t know what you want to do yet – you haven’t even lived yet!

Now’s the time to be massively risk-oriented and try everything you want to try. There’s no “wrong” move you can make. If you genuinely want to spend every minute working like I did, great. If you want to travel to Bali or work in a vineyard in Tasmania, great.

Now is the time to go have different experiences and try different jobs until you find one you like.

5. Stand up to the people you love and have tough conversations.

If there’s one piece of advice you take away from this article, it would be this:

Have the conversations you need to have with the people you’re closest to.

Tell them the truth. Tell them how you feel about everything — about what you want to do, where you want to work, your insecurities, how you feel about their expectations, and everything else.

It will absolutely change your life. Even if they get angry and react poorly, their level of respect for you will be enormous.

It saddens me that so many people allow the opinions of their parents and their friends to hold them back in their careers, or worse, push them to make decisions that have terrible long term consequences (like taking on massive debt).

If you don’t have the tough conversation with them now, you’ll resent them in the long term because you lived your life for them and not yourself.

6. Stop debating. Start executing.

I implore you to not worry about the current judgement being deployed on you.

One of the biggest reasons I’m happy and can navigate my life so quickly is because I believe in one thing more than anything else:

The truth will play out in the end.

It’s not that I’m right or will be right, it’s that the truth plays out regardless. It’s pointless try to prove those around you wrong with your words.

Stay patient, and do it with your actions.

 

Wish more people in their 20s understood this message.  Share this article on Twitter if you got value from it!

 

Why “Nice Guys Finish Last” is Just Not True

It’s so ludicrous to me that people think “nice guys finish last.”

The reality is, kindness is the ultimate strength not just in business, but in life. Nice guys always win.

Here’s why:

1. Nice guys don’t finish last, bad guys posing as nice guys do

Most people who say that “kindness is a weakness” are giving with expectation.

When your “kindness” is loaded with an “ask” on the back end, people can smell it from a mile away. You’re not actually being nice, you’re just using kindness as a disguise to get what you want from the relationship.

If you “give” with a hidden agenda, you’ll always lose.

2. It’s hard to be taken advantage of when you’re giving without expectation

When you give without expectation, you’re happy no matter what. People can’t take advantage of you because you’re playing a different game.

Even if I provide all the value in the relationship and I get nothing back in the short term, the worst case scenario is that I had a positive impact on somebody through my actions. As a human being, that makes me feel really good.

3. Kindness always wins when the clock hits 0:00

The biggest issue for many is that they see bad behavior get ahead in the short term. Because of that, they get tricked into thinking that bad behavior wins the entire game.

The issue is that they’re just looking at the first quarter. They’re just looking at who’s leading at halftime.

In the macro, kindness always gets rewarded. Someone is always watching. People don’t realize it, but the amount of opportunity gained by good people because of their kindness is enormous. On the flip side, the amount of opportunity lost by bad people because of their bad behavior is also enormous.

“Bad” sometimes leads at halftime, but “good” always wins the game.

4. It’s easier to be kind if you’re coming from a place of leverage

It’s much easier to be genuinely kind when you feel that you’re coming from a place of leverage. If you’re not in a good place mentally — if you’re insecure, anxious, or worried about what other people think of you — kindness won’t come as naturally to you.

That’s why to me, giving without expectation is the ultimate strength.

 

In conclusion … in a digital world, kindness is rewarded more than ever before.

Before the internet, fakers and people with bad intentions always had the option to hide or move to a different country after they were discovered. They were isolated and lived in the “shadows.”

In a digital world, we don’t have the option to “hide” like before. The internet is exposing all of us. For that reason, the benefits of doing bad behaviors have become dramatically smaller.

 

This is a really important message. If you got value from this article, please share it on Twitter!

7 Mindset Shifts That Bring Happiness

1. No one cares about your problems. They’ve got their own tears.

I can’t expect anyone to listen to my complaints when I know they’ve got issues to deal with too. They have their own “tears” to worry about.  

So many people judge books by their covers and take a look at someone’s status, wealth, good looks, friends, and just assume that they’re happy.

My friends, happiness is the ROI, not paper.

So… how do I live?

I made my bed and my situation is mine — the best way to fix stuff is not to cry about it to a someone who has their own issues to deal with.

2. Reprogram your positivity / negativity scale

I know so many people who have it “made” and complain daily, and others that have it so hard that are always happy.

If there’s anyway you can challenge yourself in 2019 to start looking at the world with a more glass half full mentality, way more “yes” and way less “no”, so much can happen.

Brandon Warnke, my best friend since age 14, is the best executive at Wine Library because of his mindset. He didn’t have an easy childhood. He deals with all the biggest issues at the shop and he does it with a smile. People underneath him cry with far less pressure.

Along those same lines, I see executives at VaynerMedia who handle pressure champs and those who “cry wolf” at things that are one-eighth as important. Please for your own happiness, make 2019 a reprogramming of the positivity / negativity scale.

3. Work for the love of the game

People love entrepreneurship and owning a business when it leads to fame and fortune. The issue is, we have lived through so many years of prosperity and many youngsters get into the game for those things.

I really hope you’re “here” for the love of the game because that’s who will be able to navigate the waters when the economy melts. More importantly, loving this journey is the quickest path to happiness.

So whether you’re an entrepreneur who makes $2.7 million / year or one that makes $27,000 / year… whether you’re one that works 37 hours a week or one that works 98… whether you’re a teacher, lawyer, truck driver, eBay flipper, executive… make sure you’re doing what you love.

4. 99.9% of people that judge you have no idea what’s going on in your life

Once you truly understand this, two amazing things start to happen:

It allows you to really take all insults and judgements with a grain of salt. They don’t know you, they only know a small % of you. Even the 10 people closest to you don’t know everything about you. They don’t know everything that’s going on in your mind or heart. They don’t know what’s going on behind closed doors.

So please, when someone spits hate or criticism remember: They honestly don’t know you and it’s often times a much bigger reflection on them than you.

You stop judging others and thinking you know everything about them. Always remember, you’re only seeing a small piece of that person’s life. You don’t have full context.

5. You’re not lost or confused. You haven’t even started.

This applies to people under 40.

You’re not lost or confused, you haven’t even started. Take a deep breath, and remember that happiness is what you’re chasing. Not fundraising, not money, not awards or accolades.

In fact, what most of you are doing is allowing your insecurities to dictate your angst because you’re so passionate to “show” your parents or friends that you’re successful.

Want to prove something? Prove that you are enjoying the process of figuring yourself out and chasing your current ambitions and curiosities.

 

 

6. Fall in love with “no”

I love “no.” It’s my biggest advantage.

Most people don’t understand that purebred entrepreneurs grew up getting unlimited “no’s” and they fall in love with it.

So many people are so insecure that they put the “no” on themselves. I put the “no” on the other person or the circumstances. I don’t dwell on my “no.” I don’t internalize my “no.” I turn it into a mix of motivation, empathy, and acceptance, and I spit it back out!

7. If the voice in your head is negative, someone manipulated it

I’m tired of people thinking that “their voice in their head” is the one telling them they “can’t” or that they’re not good enough.

So much of life is about self-esteem vs insecurities.

That inner voice that spits negativity back at you isn’t talking to you, it’s someone who manipulated your mind at a young age and created the division within yourself.

I’m here passionately trying to reverse that voice. Kill that fake voice and find yours.

I love you, now go love yourself.