Build your personal brand with CRUSHING IT!

Gary runs the agency VaynerMedia and is known for being completely unfiltered, practical, using four-letter words and his social media empire. This book is half mindset and half executing content and strategy on the top social platforms – and is a follow-up to one of his previous best-sellers, Crush It!

PART 1 – MINDSET / STRATEGY / ENTREPRENEURSHIP / BRANDING

• an Influencer has such a massive audience on social media that brands pay them to attend events, take selfies with products, or talk about services. Companies pay you for your products or services – and to just be you. Example: doing live stream and getting paid $10,000 just to place candy bar from food company on the table while you work.
• a strong personal brand is your ticket to complete personal and professional freedom.
• on being an entrepreneur: it will require big risks, take all of your mental capacity, time and leisure. You will eat shit for a long time, but the sacrifices will be worth it.
• when starting out, what you lack in experience and polish can be made up with honesty and humor. Every day your podcast, photo, video and blog posts improve, drawing audiences back again and again. Example: an entrepreneur overheard executives ridiculing her over the phone when they thought the call had ended. She shared her experience online – and readers rushed to support her.
• passion is your backup generator when all of your other energy sources are exhausted – and passion keeps you happy.
• when “experts” aren’t willing to explain something in simple, clear language, you have an opportunity to do so and others can learn more easily.
• Rich Roll’s children and wife are regularly a part of videos and photos, and the couple is co-authors on a cookbook.
• crushing it is about living on your own terms and being equally satisfied with your income and life.
• don’t post the same content on every platform, but create native microcontent that’s perfectly tailored for the site (ex: short Facebook video, long YouTube video, visually stunning image for Instagram, etc.).
• create one big piece of pillar content that can be splintered into smaller bits of content.
• having a strong personal brand can earn revenue through ads, affiliates, speaking engagements, books, sponsorship deals.
• documenting isn’t a valuable strategy because it shows how interesting / not interesting you are – it’s about preparing how people will watch you in the future. Documenting gives you an archive to validate your early promises.
• embrace your newness, where your fresh energy and enthusiasm give you advantage over seasoned professionals. Admit that you’re still learning, which gives people reason to come back and check on your progress. Show your content to the universe so you have to live up to it.
• “no one who played it safe ever made it big”
• to take hobby and turn it into a career, you need to engage more, increase customer service, ask hard questions, keep building a community.
• on negative feedback: response to comments on Amazon page, “let’s get on the phone an chat” (send Skype number), customers/fans see that 1) you took the time, 2) you cared enough to reach out, and 3) cared to see how you can improve.
• “it pays to be brave”

PART 2 – EXECUTION / TACTICS / PLATFORMS

• collaborations are the best way to grow a fan base quickly, but you should still count on the process taking years (not months).
• biz-deving is tedious, which is great because most people won’t do it. If you’re starting today and have no money, this is the best thing you can do to build your brand.
• you should never ask for anything until you’ve already delivered twice as much (or more) in value.
• if you engage like crazy and build your personal brand properly, people will know you as a human first, just as if they met you in person.

Musical.ly – to help people find your show, post clips and memes set to fun or inspirational music. Even if the platform doesn’t last, remember brands pay millions when 65% of new shows are cancelled after one season. On the Discover page, examine the trending tags and create content around those tags. A writer can make a video that suggests her mood for the day. A dentist can make a fun video, patients will share it at school, and those kids will tell their parents they want that dentist.

Snapchat – a devoted fanbase will be patient as your experiment with the next version of your product. Those raw moments make us who we are, we accept people in their natural habitats and not every word on camera is going to be perfectly scripted. Constantly check the App Store to see which apps are ranking the highest. Use the11thsecond.com to check for other user descriptions to make it easier for people to find accounts that match interests.

Twitter – you are always one comment away from getting noticed and making a name for yourself, but remember the best dinner guests are strong storytellers and great listeners. Start by looking at trending topics. Most entrepreneurial success stories came from people that worked 12-17 hours a day. Be prepared to put out hundreds of hours of free content while receiving little traction.

YouTube – during prime-time hours, more 18-49 year olds visit YouTube than any TV network. When you’re documenting and not creating, you’re allowed to learn as you go and make the road getting there interesting. Revenue breakdown from Devin Graham: 10% AdSense, 20% licensing content, 70% sponsored videos. When you have 1 million subscribers, you should be pitching advertising agencies that run big influencer marketing campaigns.

Facebook – perfect for someone with small budget because of detailed targeting capabilities by interests, zip codes, employers. Algorithm gives huge preference to native content, so create original video and upload instead of recycling from other platforms. Use Facebook Live in combination with tools like Wirecast and BeLive.tv to produce full-show interaction, text overlay, pull in comments, etc. while going on 5-10 minute rant and then answering questions. Answer every comment, every time. People enjoy being part of your show and you build your brand.

Instagram – build awareness with hashtags, collaborations, tagging, ads. Influencer attention runs deeper here than on Twitter or Facebook. Drive traffic to your other content like website, blog and other social networks. When you direct message (DM) people, only a very small percentage will respond, but that’s all you’ll need to prove your worthiness. Many businesses don’t understand the best way for them to control their online image is to create an amazing brand and let employees be themselves. Beginner influencers earn $100 post, then $200, then $1,000 and more. One live dinner and dual postings can command 3-4 months’ salary for two hour commitment.

Podcasts – it’s much easier to listen to a podcast while you check your e-mails and pay your bills than watch a video. Key players today are Spotify, Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud and Stitcher. Some have analytics where you can see exactly where people paused, skipped or signed off. With co-casting with someone that is the exact opposite, your personalities and chemistry make it fun for listeners. If you’re willing to deliver free, valuable content and engage/listen to your audience, you’ll be successful in this medium.

Voice-First – think Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. In 2016, 20% of searches were done by voice (and this stat is quickly rising). Where speed and convenience is king, it’s easier to listen to a notification and keep your hands free to work. With enough quality and talent, 15 second audio clips posted to Instagram and Facebook can generate 2-3 million views.