10 Ways to Crush It! Like Gary Vaynerchuk
10 Ways to Crush It! Like Gary Vaynerchuk
by Ryan Rancatore
10 Ways to Crush It! Like Gary Vaynerchuk
Gary Vaynerchuk is half man, half legend, and half personal branding machine.
Yes, that adds up to 3 halves – but in this instance, it is still an understatement! (If you aren’t familiar with Gary V, click here for his bio, or scroll to the bottom of this post to watch him in action.
Better yet, buy his new book, “Crush It!“. Trust me, it is worth the $12.)
Gary V is essentially a walking case study in personal branding success. Using the tools that worked best for him, Gary transformed himself and his family’s business into a global, digital empire. How did he do it? Pretty simple, actually:
He out-worked, out-smarted, and out-networked his competition.
I can assure you of one thing – no matter the business you are in, or want to be in, you can do the same damn thing. But it isn’t going to be easy. Here are ten ways you can crush it like Gary Vaynerchuk, and start building your own empire today.
1. Pursue Your True Passion(s)
In today’s age, there are literally zero reasons why you should do anything but follow your true passion. Gary V is passionate about people, wine, and business development – he has managed to combine those three passions and make money with every single one of them. Think you can’t do the same? Nonsense!
Pick any niche, no matter how off-the-wall it might sound, and there is a community to be built around it. For proof, check out what Melanie Notkin has done with SavvyAuntie.com.
2. Listen (No really…LISTEN)
Building a personal brand involves a lot of talking. Writing blog posts, tweeting your opinions, giving speeches – talk, talk, talk. But, how often do we stop to listen? Gary V stops to listen all the time, spurred by actively encouraging folks to @reply or e-mail him, like here or here. When was the last time you encouraged your entire set of connections to e-mail you with their opinion (and replied to every last one of them)?
3. Take a Risk – Experiment With Tomorrow’s Tools
Google Wave
The next big thing?
Gary V had a video blog before most folks even knew what that was, and was crushing Twitter before I could pronounce it. By getting in on a technology trend early, you can stake a real claim and capitalize on the boom (if it happens). What’s the next big thing out there today? Maybe it is FourSquare or Google Wave or one of these 8 Trends for 2010. I don’t know what it might be, and neither do you. But listen to your gut and take a risk – you just might strike gold.
4. Stick to Your Strengths
If you asked Gary V to write your kid’s essay on The Great Gatsby, they’d probably end up with an “F” (and be expelled for the choice language within!). Gary is no amazing writer, and he really doesn’t care. He connects with his audience via video – because his passion shines through strongest with that medium.
What about you? Are you a brilliant writer stuck recording Podcasts, or an amazing graphic artist writing text articles? Nothing wrong with widening your skill-set, but the majority of your communication should come via your strongest method.
5. Put the “Personal” in Your Personal Brand
All too often today personal branding is characterized by being a conformist robot (in a power suit) that is all business all the time. Forget any of that crap right away. The most successful business brands today are those with a strong, identifiable personality (think Southwest Airlines, Whole Foods, etc). The same is doubly true for individuals.
Deep down, people care about other people. I care when Gary V tweets his heart out that the Jets lost. Don’t believe me? Try sharing 20 nondescript links in a row, and then send out one update linking to a picture of your family. People will click! And the next time you send out a link to your blog, you just might get a few more clicks there as a result.
6. Work as Hard as You Can…Then Work Even Harder
I thought I was a pretty hard worker until I watched the video at the bottom of this post. Then I realized – I AM spending too much time “watching F’ing Lost“. Putting in 45-50 hours a week at your day job is good, and probably better than most. But if you are reading this, I’m guessing “better than most” is not your goal. “Crushing it” does not involve a magic formula that equates to less work.
source: http://personalbranding101.com/crush-it-gary-vaynerchuk
Contact me on skype:
