Why Gary Vaynerchuk's '#AskGaryVee Show' Is Marketing Gold The man who took his family wine business from $3 million to $60 million provides a lot of valuable information to entrepreneurs.
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The #AskGaryVee Show, which is up to 123 episodes as of this writing, is the brainchild of Gary Vaynerchuk, who, in my mind, is one of the most creative and brilliant marketing and social branding experts. His video series is proof -- it's pure marketing gold.
Vaynerchuk first found success when he took his family wine business from $3 million to $60 million in just five years after graduating from college. Now running VaynerMedia, the digital agency he co-founded in 2009, he hosts an increasingly popular web series, the #AskGaryVee Show -- and it delivers exactly what you might expect.
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The show accepts viewer submitted questions pertaining to social media, family businesses, startups and entrepreneurship, and Vaynerchuk answers them -- directly and to the point -- using his expertise and real-world experience in building successful brands. There are three main reasons why Vaynerchuk's show is brilliant.
1. #AskGaryVee makes Vaynerchuk accessible and appear more human.
Vaynerchuk has an impressive resume. Aside from his success with the family wine business and VaynerMedia, he's also a successful investor, speaker and author.
On the investment side he has been linked to Tumblr, Buddy Media, Twitter, Facebook, Birchbox and Uber -- and is also a partner in an investment fund that focuses on consumer technology. He's also a frequent keynote speaker, delivering cuss-filled, value-packed presentations. Vaynerchuk has also authored several successful best sellers, including one of my favorites, Crush It! Why Now is the Time to Cash in on your Passion.
You could say he has a full plate.
The show has a very simple concept: viewers submit their questions, and Vaynerchuk answers them. While he can't possibly answer every question sent to him, the concept makes him accessible and this type of interaction makes him appear more human.
Viewers know more about Vaynerchuk's companies and endeavors because he is putting in that extra effort to make his brand more human -- and I don't think I would be going out on a limb to say that this human element has definitely contributed to his success and massive social following, which includes more than 1.17 million followers on Twitter.
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2. #AskGaryVee provides a ridiculous amount of value.
I recommend that every entrepreneur and business owner watch the #AskGaryVee Show -- it provides a lot of valuable information and you don't have to double opt-in, provide a blood sample or jump through any hoops to access it. It's available directly on Vaynerchuk's YouTube channel.
With so much content out there you need to provide BS-free value if you want to attract a crowd, generate buzz and build a loyal following. The topics that are discussed are applicable to every modern day entrepreneur -- and the advice given by Vaynerchuk is as real as it gets. He isn't trying to sell his viewers anything, nor is he sprinkling sugar on a piece of crap and calling it a cookie.
The #AskGaryVee Show is one piece of digital content that I take in every week, regardless of how busy I am. I'll watch it on the treadmill in the morning or at midnight if I have to.
3. #AskGaryVee is ahead of the curve.
Video is such an easily digestible form of content -- people watch hundreds of millions of hours and generate billions of views on YouTube. Video is also a form of content that is relatively easy to create. While Vaynerchuk's show has evolved quite a bit and utilizes a full crew to produce, it's still easy enough that he is able to put out new episodes on a frequent basis.
Video allows your audience to absorb your message without any difficulty. It's more enjoyable to watch a video rather than read a long blog post. As mobile traffic continues to increase, video marketing is following right behind. Half of all YouTube views are on mobile devices and its mobile advertising revenue is up 100 percent.
If you have never seen the #AskGaryVee Show, check it out, and let me know what you think.
I love connecting with other entrepreneurs and business owners -- get in touch with me on Twitter or join my online forum.
