Gary Vaynerchuk, PRSM2018 Conference keynote speaker, didn’t waste any time before he challenged conference attendees to “go where the attention is.” “Before you try to sell me anything, before you try to explain your service or your product, you have to grab my attention!” Vaynerchuk emphasized.
Vaynerchuk grew his family wine business from a $3M to a $60M business in just five years. Now, he runs VaynerMedia, one of the world’s hottest digital agencies. Along the way, Gary became a prolific angel investor and venture capitalist, investing in companies including Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, Uber and Venmo and co-founding the VaynerRSE fund.
With more than 3.5 million fans on social media, Gary shares his ongoing journey as an entrepreneur in his daily vlog, #DailyVee. He also hosts The #AskGaryVee Show, on which he answers questions about digital media, entrepreneurship, leadership and more.
Success didn’t come easy for Vaynerchuk. However, he started early in life. “When I was six, I had a five lemonade-stand franchise operation and I spent my summer days identifying ways to get the attention of new customers, and it worked. I used that same work ethic and practice in the family wine business. I went to where people were naturally going and grabbed their attention,” Vaynerchuk said.
Today, customers, even B2B customers, are on social media. “You don’t have to be a genius to be successful using social media to sell facilities services. Just Google how to create a podcast, or how to set up a Facebook company page. Just start – 99 percent of your competitors won’t do it. If you’re the only one out there doing it – you can become a respected industry expert,”Vaynerchuk explained.
“I chase under-priced attention and punt over-priced attention,” quipped the digital prodigy. “I want to put myself and my services in the media that captures the most attention at the lowest possible cost – if not free – and avoid paying for media that doesn’t work.” That is why he is a huge advocate of Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and emerging media.
“Five years ago, 90 percent of you thought Facebook was just something your teenage kids wasted time on, but, today Congress told Mark Zuckerberg – Facebook has too much power. So, do you still believe it’s just something for teens? If a media channel has enough power to get the attention of Congress, do you not believe it can get the attention of your clients or potential clients?”
Vaynerchuck boasted, “I don’t understand technology and how all this stuff works. What I want to do is sell stuff. I want to promote my stuff. You either catch the wave or get sucked under by it as your competitors or new companies roll over you.”
“Everyone in this room is in the B2B media business,” he continued. “You need to be the B2B magazine for your industry. Share your insights, your experiences. Ninety-nine percent of you won’t do anything. It’s always easier to keep doing what you have always done. Everyone is trying to reach the same client. You must do something different to stand out from the crowd and get their attention. Creating a social presence for you and your company can make a huge difference.”
“We are living though the greatest shift in attention since the printing press. History tells us the future. When we shifted from radio to TV, everything changed. Today we are entering one of the most exciting periods in history. You need to be on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.
If you don’t know how, hire someone who does. Technology is going to eat everything. It is the biggest force in our society. You need to learn to ride the wave today, or you will drown tomorrow!” he concluded.
