I respect Gary Vaynerchuk, a successful entrepreneur/investor, prolific speaker and bestselling author, as he is a unique personality and always thinking two steps ahead of the rest. I love watching his marketing keynotes on YouTube, and I always watch his new #AskGaryVee series, in which Gary answers several hand-picked questions from Twitter.
When doing marketing, I always look to Mr. Vaynerchuk (or Vee, to keep it simple) for advice. Why? It’s simple. I want to be different, and that’s what exactly Mr. Vee is offering. His advice is not mainstream, and I know that in order to be successful, I should NOT go mainstream. Going mainstream means I need to compete with the big guys doing the same thing as they do. And unfortunately, I don’t have the budget to do so.
So, in this article, I would like to present you Gary Vee’s 5 of so many quotes he has given in his podcasts and keynotes that will definitely inspire you, and shock you as they challenge your core beliefs about marketing.
Please note that these quotes – along with the images – have appeared in my other business website, Biz Epic. So, if you are a Biz Epic reader, please pardon the repetition. I just want to share the goodness to as many audiences as possible :)
“Brand storytelling is not about pushing advertising. It’s about bringing value.”
Quite surprisingly, so many companies and pro marketers are doing brand storytelling like it was 2007. Today is 2014, and you and I should adapt to the changes and shifts in the culture. Today, everything is fast-paced, and trying to grab your audience’s attention is more challenging – thanks to the competition.
So, what you should do? Here’s an advice from Gary Vee: If you want your audience to pay attention to your brand story, you should hang out with them. If your audience hangs out on Instagram, give what will interest them on Instagram, and engage them with your brand story. THEN you can start thinking about pitching them with your products or services.
Read more: http://www.bizepic.com/2014/05/21/tell-brands-story-fast-paced-social-media-world/
“99 percent of people don’t market in the year that we are actually live in”
This is related to the first quote above. Gary Vaynerchuk suggests that consumers have changed over the decades. Therefore, marketers should respond and adapt to the changes. So, here’s what Gary Vee suggests: Don’t focus on old school marketing – e.g. billboard marketing – as new school marketing is so different in many ways.
For example, when on the road, people would focus their attention on their smartphones and tablets. Who will see the billboard on the road, then? You need to cater your audience’s need and be there when your audience is looking for something, somewhere.
Read more: http://www.bizepic.com/2014/06/26/99-percent-people-dont-market-year-actually-live/
“The person that gives he value first has the leverage.”
In other words, give value first, and the rest will follow. And yes, this means that pushing ads to your audience’s face won’t work anymore. The question is, what value should you give? Here’s what Gary Vee recommends: You should listen to your audience, teach them what they are dying to learn about, and offer resources so that they can find more information on their own. THEN, you can sell.
“I really respect my haters.”
Haters gonna hate, and dealing with them is challenging. Unfortunately, it’s a situation we don’t have any other choices than face it. The more successful you are, the more haters you will meet along the way. That’s the was it is in life.
Gary Vaynerchuk himself has haters, so he offers this advice so that you can handle haters like he does: Respect your haters, because you can learn many things about your business from them.
So, when someone says that your marketing content and material sucks, spammy and stupid? No worries: Calm yourself and strategize your marketing better. Remember, haters will gonna hate – let’s just see things from a positive light.
“Give when it comes to giving, but when you sell, you say: I’m selling!”
Gary Vaynerchuk just hates the idea of hiding sales intention in a seemingly genuine information. Well, I don’t know how about you, but I personally share his hate for this kind of marketing. It’s a major turn off knowing that a seemingly great guide is filled with sales pitches inside.
So, do you want to win prospects and turn them into customers? Here’s what Mr. Vee suggest: Never hide your intention. If you want to give, just give it away without showing any intentions to sell. But when the time comes, you need to tell your audience that you are selling your stuffs and show them why they need to buy it. No more hiding your sales pitches in your articles, booklets, podcasts, etc.
Read more: http://www.bizepic.com/2014/08/13/gary-vaynerchuk-give-comes-give-sell-say-im-selling/
Takeaway
So, there you go – 5 marketing advice to live by from yours truly, Gary Vaynerchuk. If you want more advice, I recommend you to follow Gary Vee on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/GaryVaynerchuk.