By Gary
Vaynerchuk Gary Vaynerchuk is the CEO of VaynerMedia, an agency that
helps companies find their social voices and build their digital brands
through microcontent and other storytelling actions. Vaynerchuk launched
VaynerMedia with his brother AJ in 2009. @ garyvee CEO of VaynerMedia @
garyvee
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If you are a computer repair salesman, and I tell you to
make videos about how to repair computers, you might think of it as
losing business. You're probably thinking: "How does teaching my
customers how to solve their problems for free get me more customers?"
But the truth is this: you'll get all the sales in the end. Something
that a lot of you aren't understanding about the content business is
that you're in it for the long run. It's a long term game. When you
throw your jabs, you're not just putting out content for the sake of it.
You're not doing it just to bait your customer into a right hook and
make a quick buck. You're building trust and leverage. And that takes a
while.
It's exactly what I did with WineLibraryTV. I could have been pushing
inventory that we overstocked. I could have been trying to sell wines I
knew we needed to sell. But I didn't do that. Instead, I built up years
and years of expertise to brand myself as "America's wine guy." I
wanted to become a trusted resource.
So if you, as a computer repairman, put out thirty-second
videos on Facebook and ten-second clips on Snapchat about common
problems, little things people can fix themselves, it will be better for
you in the long run. Of course there are probably common problems you
see every day that take you a second to fix and you can make a quick
$50. Instead, educate the masses. Gain authority and trust. Because
authority and trust are what then become deal flow for even bigger
business.
I did it with WineLibraryTV
and it's exactly what I am doing with my content now. I give away so
much free content and advice--the same kind of advice that someone else
might charge $89 for in the form of a masterclass or e-book. But doing
the right thing in a net-net game is always the right choice. I don't
want to make you guys pay; I want to provide that value upfront.
I may lose the microbattle--I'm leaving a lot of money on
the table by not monetizing my content. Do you know how many people are
selling Snapchat advice right now? Meanwhile, I was the person who got
them using the platform in the first place.
All I ask for a book purchase every few years, and many
people won't even buy that. In fact, I'm just going to say it: I am 100%
losing the microbattle.
But I'm going to win the war.
I'm not trying to get the dollars right this second. I'm
trying to build up leverage. And look where it's gotten me: I've been on
the cover of magazines. I've built a $100 million business. I'm the one
with three New York Times best-selling books.
Does it hurt that I don't win the microgame? Of course. I
could easily charge a premium to access my content. But it feels better
to be on the right side of history. It feels good to see the comments
and emails from my community of people who get value out of it.
Maybe some day I'll figure out how to win the microbattle, but for right now, I'm more than content to take the war.
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