Gary Vaynerchuk's Blog, page 55
March 24, 2016
Twitter Still Has a Massive Business Opportunity for Your Company
When people ask me what the best tip is for their new business, or any business for that matter, the answer often surprises them: Twitter. It is still the only open cocktail party on the internet. Twitter has always been unique in that is it truly a social network and not solely a content pushing platform.
Someone asked me once in 2013 how the internet had given me a voice, and I responded with this:
@craignewmark allowed a jersey wine retailer like me the chance to speak to the wine world by never leaving my office and not rely on media
— Gary Vaynerchuk (@garyvee) January 17, 2013
Twitter is still a marketer’s dream come true because it allows you to initiate a relationship with your customer. When it comes to cold sales and throwing right hooks, Twitter offers a special opportunity to directly connect with the people you want to reach. At any time, you can use Twitter’s search engine to find people who are talking about topics related to your business, even if only tangentially. Unlike other platforms, it’s the only place where you can jump into a conversation unannounced without seeming like a stalker. For example, cold emailing on LinkedIn does not work as well unless you are asking them to take a job. If you are selling something, it sounds like spam. LinkedIn is still job centric as opposed to connecting with consumers.
A guy like me was able to succeed on Twitter because I was willing to put in the work and take advantage of the fact that I had permission from the product to jump into every pertinent conversation I saw in order to further my name and brand. This engagement becomes real time feedback from the marketplace.
Here are a few examples of how I was able to build my wine business, Wine Library, through Twitter engagement:
Show me a picture of your last bottle of wine … #wineSelfie
— Gary Vaynerchuk (@garyvee) December 29, 2014
@shondarhimes which wine?
— Gary Vaynerchuk (@garyvee) October 3, 2014
@GeniusHouse solid wine
i think we can find others u like too – let me think
cc: @winelibrary
— Gary Vaynerchuk (@garyvee) August 27, 2014
Who wants a wine deal? Coming Monday ? Tweet me with a "me"
— Gary Vaynerchuk (@garyvee) July 13, 2013
@Kisthart epic wine
— Gary Vaynerchuk (@garyvee) January 8, 2013
How to Build Your Brand on Twitter
When building a brand on Twitter, it is important to remember to speak, listen, and react. Any business can use the following steps grow their Twitter audience:
Make sure your page is set up appropriately with your current logos, pictures, and contact information. Clarity and relevant content is key. This is your business card.
How do you find conversations to jump into? Use Twitter’s search and advanced search functions to find tweets that make sense for your business.
Use the context of your search and tweet them. But, make sure you are adding value to their conversation. Provide information or join in by asking relevant questions. Don’t just start talking at them. Find out what value you could provide. Ask what they want from your business. Pay attention to the answers the market is providing.
People will then be able to search for your company based on the conversations you are having. If you are providing value, people will find you and there is the ability to brand yourself as an authority in that specific space.
“Twitter is still a marketer’s dream come true because it allows you to initiate a relationship with your customer.”
Lastly, remember that patience matters. You may only get 1 reply out of the 100s of tweets that you sent out. One is greater than zero and that one conversation may lead to the valuable insights you are looking for.
March 23, 2016
There’s No “Undefeated” in Entrepreneurship
Way too many of you dwell on your losses and it’s holding you back. Look, I get it—losing hurts. But, unless that setback is a deathblow to your company or you’re going to lose one of the few things you care about most, you’ll just have to call it quits. That’s okay.
You know me—I’ve got nothing but tenacity. That’s just who I am. If I was in a fight to the death, I would die with the most effort you’ve ever seen. If I’m down 20-0 in a pickup game to 21, I’m looking at my other 4 teammates saying “Guys, I think we can straight-up run 22 points.” Nobody is more tenacious than me, yet I am willing to stop when I know something’s not working.
There are a bunch of things that I’ve call quits on. In the past year I shut down two divisions at VaynerMedia: VaynerLive (our focus on live events) and VaynerSampling (our product sampling division). I’m about to integrate GrapeStory, which is currently a separate company, into VaynerMedia’s media department. I had a social network called Cork’d and a developer/designer community called Forrst. Even after doing a successful 1000 episodes of Wine Library TV, I only did Daily Grape for 84 episodes.
The reason why I just ranted off 7 of my most recent failures is because they’re micro-failures. They are outside of that death-blow. They are recoverable. They’re just micro-battles that I lost. But what’s important is that I tried them and when they didn’t go the way I wanted them to, I learned and either let them go or pivoted. I accept the loss.
Being an entrepreneur is a lot like being a fighter in the UFC. In the UFC, everybody’s going to get smashed in the face. It’s just part of the sport. Entrepreneurship is the same—there’s going to be hard blows you’ll have to take along the way. Shake it off and get back up. You may lose the round, but there’s still the whole fight left. I may have shut down two divisions at VaynerMedia, but in 4 years, VaynerMedia has gone from $4-million to $100-million in revenue.
“There is no ‘undefeated’ in entrepreneurship.”
The biggest truth in entrepreneurship is that losing is a part of the game, and the quicker you realize this, the sooner you won’t be paralyzed by the thought of making a mistake in business. By default, you need to be able to respect your losses. There’s no “undefeated” in entrepreneurship.
March 22, 2016
Influencer Marketing, How to Go Viral & Vlogging : #AskGaryVee Episode 191
On this episode, India and I have some guests for a fun influencer/entrepreneur show! My friends Sara Dietschy and Lauren Everetts (who you may know from The Skinny Confidential) co-host with me as we talk about influencer marketing and vlogging.You can find their links below.
Questions Answered on This Episode
Is there such thing as a viral formula to make things spread?
I’ve been blogging since 2009. I know my audience super well, but my views won’t budge; thoughts?
I’ve done over 700 interviews, I want to start expanding! How do I monetize?
If I’m trying to start a YouTube channel, how do I break through the noise?
When did you decide to start building your personal brand and why?
Guestlist
Sara Dietschy
Lauryn Evarts
Michael Bostic
Resources from this Episode
The Skinny Confidential
Questions of the Day
Lauryn: Where do you guys see Snapchat in the next two to three years?
Sara: Do you guys think Twitter is dead? Cause I’m really liking it…
March 18, 2016
Stop Judging Other People’s Escapism
I’ve made a huge observation after a few weeks on tour for the #AskGaryVee book: there are too many questions about judging what kids these days watch or do or like. But here’s the thing: You don’t get to decide what makes quality content.
For example, everyone wants to complain that the Kardashians, or whoever it is at the moment, was on every article and magazine 237 times last month. But the fact is that it’s not the Kardashians’ fault that they’re being talked about non-stop. It’s not the hucksters’ fault who are selling you that “bullshit.” It’s the market’s.
The market is the market, and the market will decide if you’re good enough to be consumed.
The market isn’t decided by the marketers or the media, it’s decided by the consumer and the spam artists are just reacting to it. It’s cool if you think the Kardashians are shit, but millions of other people find value in them. It’s a fair game and that’s why I love it, period. But an even more important point than the fairness of the marketplace is that we need to stop judging other people’s escapism in the first place! I don’t care if you like the Kardashians—good for you! I like the Jets! That could be a complete waste of five hours out of a day where I’m not hustling.
The fact of the matter is that everybody needs escapism and it’s very important that you understand what may be a waste of time for you is someone else’s solace and moment to unwind. This generation’s Snapchat and Kardashians were the last generation’s Contra and Zelda or the older generation’s skating rink and mall time.
Escapism is what music, entertainment, and everything is built on. We’re wasting way too much time judging other people’s choice of how they spend their leisure time. If you don’t like something, you can stop buying or engaging with it. It’s that simple. Stop worrying about where this generation’s attention is going and start understanding what it means to your business instead.
March 17, 2016
One Piece of Content Can Change Your Life
I’m very passionate about the idea that one great piece of content has the potential to change your life.
The evidence is all around us. Let me explain. For music artists, all it took was that one song to help launch them into the spotlight. A single YouTube video was all Scooter Braun needed to recognize Justin Bieber’s talent. For investors, it was that one big deal that put them on the map in the VC game. Think Twitter for Chris Sacca and myself. You, too, have the capability of producing that kind of content. The million dollar question is, “What will that one piece of life-changing content be?”
Creating Good Content for a Personal Brand
If you’re not sure where to begin, don’t worry. It’s actually pretty simple: Whatever you love, talk about that. Even if one person is listening and finds it interesting, you’ve got something. Remember, that even the most successful people in business started off as nobodies. Take it from me, I said nothing on the Internet for years until I started Wine Library TV at the age of 30. Whatever it is that you love, talk to the world about it.
You’re one piece of content away from what you want to happen happening.
The truth is that most of you are just not good enough to make the content that you want to be making.
I know. It’s tough to hear…but it’s true.
The problem is that talent and skills matter and a lot of you are focusing too much on your flaws and not on the strengths to maximize your potential to win.
Think about all the Japanese baseball players who have come over to the U.S. in recent years to play in the MLB. They didn’t just magically get discovered. They were good enough to earn the necessary attention. They invested in their strengths and created opportunities. As long as you have the self-awareness to do the same, you can position yourself to succeed.
The quality of your content is equally important. You can’t just say something like “Museums are nice” and expect to be a museum curator someday. Your content needs to have depth. It needs to deliver value and resonate with a specific audience as opposed to being fluffy and for the masses. It’s about depth, not width. The way you get depth is by paying attention and actively sharing your POV on things that are happening in your area of interest. What’s going on in the world you’re trying to be a part of? How can you insert yourself into the conversation?
Picking Your Content’s Platform
Put out content through the medium that best plays to your strengths. Whatever you skillset is, put out good content and share it on the relevant platform that’s winning the attention of the people you want to reach. If you’re great in front of the camera, start a YouTube show. Are you a great writer? Start a blog.
The beauty of making content on the Internet and social media is that if a single piece is that good, it has the ability to go viral. If the one person who’s listening shares it, others might too, and it can spread like wildfire. That’s how you get discovered.
For example, that’s why I love Medium as a publishing platform for potential professional writers. Medium will handpick and feature good content from anyone, regardless of their follower count. The post just needs to be good. This makes it possible to transform writers from nobodies into somebodies overnight. The same can be true for YouTube and videographers. Or Instagram for photographers and artists.
But What If People Don’t Like Your Content?
Something to keep in mind is that you’re not going to hit a homerun every time you’re up at bat. Sometimes your content ot POV will be wrong, and other times it will be right. When you’re wrong, it’ll set you back. For instance, back in 2012, I was hyping Social Cam as the next big social video platform and had many of my clients jump on it. It never really took off, and I lost out on that prediction. I swung and I missed.
But, when you’re right and you continue to be right, people will start looking to you as a thought leader. When I put out content about how Snapchat is going to explode, and then everyone sees that it does, I earn that attention. When you’re right, the opportunities will follow, and before you know it, you’ll find yourself at the next level.
If you take anything away from this article, it’s this: recognize that you have the opportunity to win the content game. Just focus on your strengths and the quality of what you produce, how you produce it, and where you’re sharing it. Know your strengths and keep swinging. That’s how you dominate.
March 16, 2016
This Generation Will Be Fine: Why Social Media Won’t Ruin Us
When people express concern about how smartphones are damaging our young people, I laugh. This anxiety that the internet is going to ruin real human interactions is reminiscent of parents in the 50s who were worried that Elvis shaking his hips was the devil. Let’s be very clear here. Being concerned about cultural progression “damaging us as a society” always repeats itself with the current trend and will continue to play itself out again and again and again.
Millennials are no different from Gen Y, Gen X, or any previous generation when it comes to being affected by a culture shift. In the 1940s, people had their heads in the newspaper and theirs ears to the radio. By the 60s, it was the TV. What about everyone today on their laptop and smartphones at a Starbucks? See what I’m getting at?
What’s happening with technology in our culture and society is just evolution. Technology is not undermining real human interactions. Instead, it is exposing people for who they really are. I have been asked many times, “What are we teaching the young people?” I’ve watched the behavior of 14 year old girls spending 10 minutes to take the best selfie, post it on Instagram, and then take it down when it doesn’t get enough likes. This superficial behavior tends to concern pundits who think that technology is the cause of this appearance driven, attention seeking behavior in teenagers. But the thing is, teenagers have always strived to be liked and sought the attention of their peers and potential significant others. Selfies on Instagram is the evolution of this same behavior.
Technology provides us additional pathways to act on these behavioral tendencies that have always existed. We should not “feel sorry” for the couple on a date who are looking at their phones. For all we know, their phones are providing a different, more constructive outlet to focus their attention instead of allowing for arguments or an awkward silences. Two people who didn’t like each other would ignore each other regardless of Instagram or Angry Birds.
Parents I know are concerned that children will not know how to socialize and that technology is ruining people’s ability to effectively converse with each other. They say that the interactions on Snapchat or Facebook “aren’t real” and are alienating kids from the world. I would argue that children, who have “no friends” in school now have the opportunity to make friends online through Twitch, Twitter, and other social platforms. It is easier than ever to find a community with similar interests. The next generation of parents will wish for the days of Instagram selfies when the virtual reality world takes hold. When little Tommy has the ability to pop in contact lenses to play in a virtual world and doesn’t come out of his room for a month, that generation of parents will express the same type of concern their parents did about spending time on Snapchat.
The problem is that we get scared of everything that we didn’t grow up with; it’s what human beings do. Every new medium brings along a healthy fear that the newest invention will ruin society. But, the truth is that people will always be looking for new ways to be entertained, consume media, and engage with each other.
“We get scared of everything that we didn’t grow up with. It’s what human beings do.”
Technology has not changed us, it just makes it easier to engage in behaviors that we would rather be doing anyway. Some families watched TV instead of talking to each other in the 60’s. Today, those same families play on their phones and check their likes on Instagram during dinner. In no way am I telling you how your family should be spending time with each other, but there is always going to be something in every generation that is going to “bring us down” as a society.” Either you are a pessimist or optimist on this issue. I am an optimist. This is just evolution.
