Gary Vaynerchuk's Blog, page 82
July 17, 2013
You Need to be Thinking Mobile 1st, 2nd, and 69th
For the last six months, I’ve been baffled.
Looking at startups, the client work that we do here at VaynerMedia, work that other agencies and our brands have done, looking at competitive work when we audit things, what baffled me was how many people still don’t design their websites or experiences for the mobile web, or don’t even think about building mobile apps.
This whole notion of “mobile first” is not something I’ve owned. It’s not something that I’ve coined. This has been around for awhile, but yesterday in the Mobile Consumer Habits Study, a fun little stat came out that made me decide it was time to make a video so that once and for all, in 2013, we all realize that mobile is the thing that you need to be thinking about in your business whether you sell tires, soda water, or whatever you do. You need to be thinking mobile first, second, and 69th. Hence the stat:
9% of people in this study admitted to using their mobile device during sex. Maybe the sex was so boring that they were checking the score, maybe it was something else, but 9% of people admitted to using a mobile device during sex. 19% of people admitted to using a mobile device in church, and 55% admitted to using a phone while driving.
Now let’s remember: admitted. Which means 9% during sex is really 18%. 19% in church is really 30%-50%. And 55% of drivers is probably 99.7%.
As a marketer and a businessperson, if you’re not thinking about how to tell your story on a mobile device first, you are going to lose.
July 11, 2013
Send Flowers on July 12th
Hey everyone! I really wanted to make this video. There was a classic video in my world where I cold-call an advertiser for my fake beer show. A lot of you have seen that and thank you for that! (Want to get advertisers on your blog?). But yesterday, I wanted to make a point by doing something similar but the context of the situation and the way you go about it changes the game.
In media, everyone is pushing out commercials, pre rolls and this-that-and-the-other thing. However, what I keep telling them is that social allows all of us to act more human. So I titled this video, send flowers on July 12th. Guys who are watching this – you know when your wife, or girlfriend or mistress (tisk tisk) or however you roll, gets flowers on Valentine’s Day it is expected. You do get some points. But you will not get the points that I’m about to get.
This video was fun for me! I sent Lizzie, my wife, some flowers and did this by tweeting out which flower shop is best in NYC and wants my business. Kudos to H.Bloom they replied with their number on Twitter and I gave them a call. Lizzie will be much happier getting these flowers randomly because I was thinking about her and putting in the extra effort. This is what I want people to do with media. I want them to engage and and do different things and actually bring value to the situation. This is where people get very confused. We are trying to push out our message over and over in the form of a pre-roll or banner ad ect.
A fun phone call ensues.
The key is that I’m going to get so much more value for this impression. When this same thing that will happen on Valentine’s day or her birthday (I’m taking the same exact manuver), this will get me so much more points at home. And once again IT”S THE SAME THING. Brands can do this same thing as well.
So here is the gist:
1. A brand jumps on twitter and gets the business and impressions. Give H.Bloom daps again.
2. I get points for this surprise. The impression and engagement and cost is the same. But the emotional high is much greater. Start thinking about how to surprise your customers or employees when its not expected using extra effort. Effort is still grossly underestimated aspect of the world we live in today. Do the same exact thing with a little applied effort and thought. There is a much bigger upside. Send the flowers on July 12th!
Not all impressions are the same.
ps – I intentionally gave you 24 hours to give you guys and gals enough time to get some flowers for tomorrow!
July 10, 2013
Always Finish Things Off
I was up 5-2 in a tennis match today and it was Love-30 – he was serving. And I lost 7-5.
Two days ago, I was playing AJ in corn-hole. I was up 13-0 in a game to 15 in the third game of a three game series. And he came back and won.
These two comebacks and my lack of concentration to finish people off is totally unacceptable and crushes my soul. And now, my competitive spirit is at an all time high to never let it happen again. I am very upset. I am sorry to myself and to my family. Don’t let this happen to you. Always concentrate and finish things off.
June 20, 2013
My Thoughts on Vine vs. Instagram Video
Just the other day I was talking about “Why Not Both” when it comes to quality, quantity, and content. And today I’m making a quick little video because I feel like a lot of people are asking me questions about what happend today which was that Fast Company reported that I’m working on another agency called Grape Story to represent Vine celebrities, which is true, and then on the same day Facebook and Instagram announcing that they’re doing 15 second videos on their platform…
June 12, 2013
Wine Review: 2011 Weiser Kunstler Riesling Feinherb
2011 Weiser Kunstler Riesling Feinherb
Price: $20
ABV: 6.5%-10.5%
Rating: 90pts
Verdict: Buy!
Riesling?
Riesling is very culty. Back in 08-09 when I’d gotten a bit of fame in wine, I would talk to regular people and totally blow their minds when I told them that wine nerds totally thought Riesling is the best thing in the whole world. Sure, a lot of average consumers think Riesling is just sweet-water, but when it comes down to it, when you talk to wine experts and masters of wine, they are all about the Riesling grape.
Ok, but that the hell is Feinherb?
Feinherb, for those of you who don’t know, isn’t an official classification, but something German winemakers use to describe a wine that isn’t all the way sweet, but has more residual sugar than halbtrocken. Kristen Murphy, who suggested this wine to me, refers to it as the DMZ of residual sugar.
Sniffy-Sniff: Beeswax chapstick, melon, pineapple, mochi.
On the whirl: Great acidity means it comes off as more dry than the Feinherb designation lets on. Notes of lemon-peel, flint, blue-stone.
Pair with: Fish, Oysters, Pool-parties.
What do you think of this new format? Let me know in the comments!
6 Highly Rated People Who I Think are Still Underrated
I was having dinner the other day with a buddy of mine and I was talking about how Rafael Nadal is underrated. He started laughing and said, “how can Raphael Nadal be underrated? He’s so rated!” We got into this kind of philosophical discussion and it lead me to this post today.
I spend a lot of time in the tech business space, and I thought it would be a lot of fun to put together a list of people whom I think are underrated even though the marketplace, depending on the genre or industry they’re in, probably has them rated pretty highly. I’m pretty excited to announce these six people. They’re on this list for very different reasons, but I think that all of them are definitely worth following.
Ev WIlliams - @Ev
The first one is probably the most difficult of the bunch because he’s so ridiculously rated. He’d probably on every list this year as, like, “Top 50 Tech People in the World Blah Blah Blah”, but I think Ev Williams, the founder of Blogger and Odeo, co-founder of Twitter, and now Medium is quickly becoming one of my favorite product people in the tech industry. I think Ev is remarkably fascinating, and extremely talented. I think the work he puts out is incredible, and I’m continuously inspired and impacted by his products. I’ll mention that this list is basically filled with five people I know really well, and one that I’ve known from afar. I would say that I know Ev somewhat, especially lately getting to know him a little bit more, and I’m just very fond of who he is as a human being. He’s just a pleasant guy. You simply can’t find a single person out there who doesn’t hold him in high regard. Even though we’re very different – I’m extroverted/borderline obnoxious, he’s very classy and Midwestern, being from Omaha – I just see an enormous amount of talent, and I have a large amount of admiration for his work. Finally, I think his new project, Medium, is incredible, and one that a lot of people should be paying attention to.
Shira Lazar - @shiralazar
This next person makes me smile even as I’m writing this. I think Shira Lazar is an interesting person to talk about. She’s in media, and covers the tech industry. I think a lot of the time, media personalities can be disrespected, but she is on this list for one very simple reason, which is hustle. Anybody who follows any of my work or knows anything about me knows that it’s a word that is very near and dear to my heart, and I think that Shira has tons of it. She’s been out there, everybody knows who she is, she’s interviewed a ton of people, and been to every conference, and I think that her hustle is something that people should be paying attention to. I’ve known her for four or five years, and it’s been remarkable. There are very few people who I feel pump as much work and effort into what they do as Shira does. I’ve admired her from afar and I’m proud to consider her a friend. I think that sometimes if you’re a beautiful woman, especially in the media, you can be disrespected, but her grit and execution, and wherewithal in the industry is very strong and something I respect.
Josh Elman - @joshelman
The next person on this list is someone I’m very impressed with. He, if I ordered it, could very well be #1 on this list. Josh Elman is a product guy. He’s worked at Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Realplayer, and Zazzle. I mean, this guy’s career is incredible. He’s now a principle at Greylock doing VC. He’s exactly what many people should aspire to be in this industry. Especially as someone who appreciates good debates and talking about where the market’s going in the future, Josh has always been there for late night conversations at SXSW and other conferences. He’s a valuable adversary when we disagree, and shockingly we agree often. I’ll often find myself in a room with some of the thought leaders in our industry at these pow-wows that happen at different events, and think “wow, they’re getting old” or that they’re finished, or don’t realize the future, but Josh is one of those people who never makes me feel that way. To put it into context, Josh and I were having breakfast 18 months ago talking about Wanelo and Snapchat. That’s all you need to know about who Josh is and where he’s going. He is at least in the top five visionaries who know where the market is going, and is the one must follow on this list. No matter what you’re into, no matter what you do, I recommend you follow Josh Elman. I have an enormous amount of respect for him, and I just wanted to put it out there.
Anil Dash - @anildash
For this next guy, I can’t think of anything other than that he’s a major Prince fan. And much like the way most of us think about Prince, which is that he’s a legend, and that he could put out 797,000 shitty songs in a row and we still all think he’s a legend, Anil Dash could put out 797,000 incorrect and awful thoughts and he’d still be a legend (not that he ever would, mind you, but his status is just that cemented in my mind and the minds of many others). He’s been a true pioneer in communication and blogging and culture on the Internet. If this person is not on your follow list, you’re making a huge mistake. He’s someone you should be paying attention to, reading, and admiring because he’s an unbelievable thinker, and a quality human being.
Jason Fried - @jasonfried
Jason is one of my favorite people in the whole world. He and I look at the world fairly differently in a lot of ways. I feel like Jason is a lot more efficient than I am. But while we’re different in a lot of way, I feel like we’re both hardcore entrepreneurs, and this one means a lot to me because back in 2008-2010, our one-hour Instant Message chats at 1am meant the world to me. He’s somebody that I admire tremendously. When his parents showed up for my book signing during the Crush It tour, it was one of my favorite days of all time. I am a huge fan of reading his articles in Inc. each month, and he’s just a very thoughtful person to follow on Twitter. (Little side-note: He used to think Twitter wasn’t a good idea. I guess I won that battle, didn’t I?)
Kelsey Falter - @kfalter
Finally, this one is the only person on the list I don’t know that well. Kelsey Falter and I have had exchanges or crossed paths at several different conferences and meetups. I’ve watched her gracefully and strategically navigate the building of Poptip from afar. Kelsey is definitely rated. A lot of people in the NYC tech scene know her and give her props, and she pops up on a lot of “Fresh Faces to Follow” lists, which is why I include her here. From my perspective, she is a very intriguing character. I think she’s quite smart and understands what she’s doing. She’s built a very strong team around her, and I’m just impressed with the way she’s navigating her business at such a young age. To me, knowing that she’s sure to pop up on a ton of lists this year as like “Top 10 People to Follow in New York Tech”, I wanted to get it out there first.
So there’s my list. This is only one not-so-humble man’s point of view. Take it for what it is. I think all six of these people deserve attention, and I think that unlike the lists I’ve put out here on LinkedIn before, these are people whom everybody knows, but I actually think we’re underestimating. I predict all six of these people, from this point onwards, will achieve more in their careers than they have up until this point, and that’s a tall task.
June 7, 2013
Why Not Both?
More at: www.garyvaynerchuk.com
June 4, 2013
May 31, 2013
Emptying the Bucket
As a manager, the more you have to do, the fuller your bucket gets. Make sure to empty your bucket from time to time to keep it from overflowing.
